Bible Location

Kiriath-arba

7 cross references · Modern-day map available

Kiriath-arba is the older name for Hebron in the hill country of Judah, closely associated with the patriarchs and later with Caleb's inheritance. It is important because it preserves the pre-Israelite identity of one of the Bible's most important southern cities. First appears in Gen 23:2.1

Coordinates

31.52, 35.11

First appears

Gen 23:2

AI summary: Kiriath-arba matters because it lets readers see Hebron in deep historical perspective. In Genesis it is the place where Sarah dies and where the patriarchal burial tradition takes root, tying the site to memory, promise, and family inheritance. Joshua and Judges then connect the same city with conquest, Caleb's possession, and the transfer from older Canaanite identity into Israel's settled life. Because Nehemiah still remembers the area in post-exilic lists, the old name continues to echo through later generations. The cross references present Kiriath-arba as ancient Hebron, a city where patriarchal memory and later inheritance meet.1

Latitude

31.52

Longitude

35.11

Bible references

7