Ephrathah
/ˈɛf.rə.θə/noun
A biblical place-name and personal name, especially an ancient name associated with Bethlehem.
Did you know?The name appears in the Hebrew Bible in connection with Bethlehem and is traditionally linked with the Hebrew root פרה, meaning “to bear fruit” or “be fruitful.”
Etymological Timeline
Iron Age / Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
אֶפְרָתָה (Ephrāthāh)
“A place-name and personal name, traditionally interpreted as “fruitful.””
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
פָּרָה (pārāh)
“To bear fruit, be fruitful, or become productive; a proposed source of the name.”
8th–5th Century BCE
Hebrew
אֶפְרָתָה
“The biblical name associated with the region or settlement of Ephrath, identified with Bethlehem in several passages.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Ἐφραθά (Ephratha)
“Greek transliteration of the Hebrew place-name in the Septuagint tradition.”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Ephratha
“Latin biblical transliteration of the Hebrew name.”
Modern English
English
Ephrathah
“A biblical proper name, also used in religious and historical writing for ancient Bethlehem or its surrounding area.”
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