Ephrath
/ˈɛf.ræθ/noun
A biblical place-name, also called Ephrathah, traditionally identified with Bethlehem or its surrounding region.
Did you know?In Genesis, Ephrath is linked with Rachel’s burial, while later biblical tradition identifies it with Bethlehem, the birthplace associated with the Messiah.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*p-r-y
“Fruit; to bear fruit, a reconstructed Semitic root”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
אֶפְרָת (Efrat)
“Fruitfulness or fruitful place”
Iron Age
Hebrew
אֶפְרָתָה (Efratah)
“Ephrathah, a place-name associated with the region of Bethlehem”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek Septuagint
Ἐφραθά (Ephratha)
“Ephrathah, transliterated into Greek Scripture”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin Vulgate
Ephratha
“Ephrathah, the biblical place-name”
Modern English
English
Ephrath
“A biblical name for Ephrathah, commonly connected with Bethlehem”
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