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2 Chronicles 11:6

in 2 Chronicles 11

He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

He built Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,

KJV

He built even Beth–lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,

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This verse in 2 Chronicles 11

Commentary

4 notes on this verse
He built even Bethlehem,.... The place of our Lord's birth, about six miles from Jerusalem: and Etam; another city in the tribe of Judah; see 1Ch 4:32, there was a rock of this name, Jdg 15:8 and a fountain from whence waters were conveyed into the pool at Jerusalem, spoken of in Jewish writings (b): and Tekoah; of which place Amos the prophet was, and which was about twelve miles from Jerusalem.

This site's exposition

built cities for defence in Judah

on 2 Chronicles 11:5-10

Chronicles alone preserves this roster: fifteen cities across Judah and Benjamin, Bethlehem, Etam and Tekoa among the first three, running south and west toward the Philistine and Egyptian frontier. Kings never lists them; the material is the Chronicler's own, likely drawn from the royal archive he names elsewhere as his source. Bethlehem's presence in a defense list, centuries before the child born there, is passed without comment, one more name doing its ordinary work in its own day.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

built cities for defence in Judah--This is evidently used as the name of the southern kingdom. Rehoboam, having now a bitter enemy in Israel, deemed it prudent to lose no time in fortifying several cities that lay along the frontier of his kingdom.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

See Josh. 15 and notes at Jos 15:33-36, notes; Jos 15:48-51, notes; Jos 15:58-59, notes. For Adullam see 1Sa 22:1 note. It was in the near neighborhood of Socoh Jos 15:35; but its site cannot be actually fixed. It was a place of great antiquity Gen 38:1.

The words behind it

8 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

13 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Samuel 14:2So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.5 worksAmos 1:1These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.4 works1 Chronicles 4:3These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. And their sister was named Hazzelelponi.3 worksJeremiah 6:1“Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin; flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north, even great destruction.3 works2 Chronicles 20:20Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”2 worksMatthew 2:5–6“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:2 works
The other 7 cross-references, with their words ▾
Nehemiah 3:5Next to him, the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.2 works1 Chronicles 4:32And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns—2 worksJudges 15:8And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.2 worksGenesis 35:19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).2 works1 Samuel 17:12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.2 worksNehemiah 3:27And next to them, the Tekoites repaired another section, from a point opposite the great tower that juts out to the wall of Ophel.2 worksJoshua 19:15It also included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along with their villages.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    2 Chronicles 20:20

    Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the…

    it leads to

    • Romans 8:31

      What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

    • John 14:1

      “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well.

    • John 11:40

      Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

    • Hebrews 11:6

      And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

    • Luke 16:31

      Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

  • Through

    Amos 1:1

    These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son…

    it leads to

    • Zechariah 14:5

      You will flee by My mountain valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my…

    • 2 Samuel 14:2

      So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • 2 Chronicles 20:20

      Early in the morning they got up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Believe in the…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

About 2 Chronicles

Solomon Receives the Queen of Sheba, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Solomon Receives the Queen of Sheba, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
2 Chronicles: the study guide →Read 2 Chronicles 11 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.

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