Ephrathite
/ˈɛfrəθaɪt/noun
A person from Ephrath or Bethlehem, and in some biblical contexts a member of the tribe of Ephraim.
Did you know?In the Hebrew Bible, “Ephrathite” describes people associated with Bethlehem in Ruth but appears linked to Ephraim in Judges, making its exact geographic reference context-dependent.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
אֶפְרָתִי (ʾEphrāṯî)
“An inhabitant or descendant of Ephrath; in some contexts, an Ephraimite”
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
אֶפְרָת (Ephrāṯ)
“Ephrath, an ancient place-name associated with the Bethlehem region”
Septuagint period
Greek
Ἐφραθίτης (Ephrathítēs)
“An Ephrathite, rendered as a personal or regional designation”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Ephrathites
“Ephrathites, transmitted through biblical and ecclesiastical Latin usage”
Middle English
English
Ephrathite
“A biblical inhabitant of Ephrath or a person identified with Ephraim”
Modern English
English
Ephrathite
“A person from Ephrath or Bethlehem, or in certain biblical passages, an Ephraimite”