“As for the surrounding villages with their open fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba with its settlements, Dibon with its settlements, and Jekabzeel with its villages.”
Nehemiah 11:25 NLT
Last time we met Pethahiah, the advisor to the king for all public affairs. Things such as complaints, petitions, and civil disputes. We reminded ourselves of the need to share without giving full vent, and how we shine, reflections of our radiant God. Today we see some of the surrounding areas in which the people of Judah also populated.
Surrounding villages in our verse is chatser – enclosure, court, yard; from chatsar – to sound a trumpet. With their open fields is the word sadeh – fields, land, battlefield, territory, wild, to spread out. Interesting use of things associated with war, huh? Trumpets sounding, battlefields, wild territories.
What do we make of taking over land by force? Owning soil, land meant to be wild and spread out and belonging only to God? The eighth and tenth commandments (Do not steal and Do not covet your neighbor’s possessions) seem to assume private ownership. And Yahweh parceled out the Promised Land to His people.
And yet:
“The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me.
You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.”
Leviticus 25:23 NLT
God gave His people many ways to steward the land that helps care for the sojourner, orphan, and widow, and give the land adequate rest. As well as ways to prevent generational poverty.
But for those of us living in a highly non-agrarian society, I wonder what it looks like to have a more open hand with all this? To not assume because a title and deed say a certain square feet of dirt belongs to you that you are the one calling all the shots? To genuinely believe the land belongs to Him?
I don’t have answers as someone who has bought a home and the land therein. But the word for the people of Judah living in these areas is our familiar yashab – to dwell, abide. Keeping in mind abiding in Jesus as foremost, with out citizenship in heaven our priority, will likely help us flesh this out in our day.
Unfortunately, we do not get to leave behind land wars as we journey on. We now come in our verse to three specific regions, along with their surrounding settlements. Kiriath-arba is first, which is the old name for the city of Hebron.
I hadn’t thought much of the historical significance of the city of Hebron. However, since Abraham purchased it as a place to bury Sarah, it is a city with enormous biblical and historical significance. Not only for Jews and Christians, but those of the Muslim faith as well, as Abraham is a sacred prophet for them. (Source 1 and Source 2)
Biblically speaking, Hebron was given to Caleb and his descendants by Joshua:
“So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land.
Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite
because he wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.“
Joshua 14:13-14 NLT
Additionally, David was anointed as King in the city of Hebron:
After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?”
“Yes,” the Lord replied.
Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel.
So David and his wives and his men and their families all moved to Judah,
and they settled in the villages near Hebron.
Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah.
2 Samuel 2:1-4a NLT
Significant city, huh? And speaking of battlefield and Hebron, here is just a glimpse historically:
“Jews lived in Hebron continuously throughout the Byzantine, Arab, Mameluke and Ottoman periods…
Upon capturing the city in 1100, the Crusaders expelled the Jewish community, and converted the mosque at the Tomb back into a church…
The Ottoman Turks’ conquest of the city in 1517 was marked by a violent pogrom which included many deaths, rapes, and the plundering of Jewish homes…
On August 23, 1929, local Arabs devastated the Jewish community…According to the Encyclopedia Judaica:
‘The assault was well planned, and its aim was well defined: the elimination of the Jewish settlement of Hebron…Sixty-seven were killed, 60 wounded, the community was destroyed, synagogues razed, and Torah scrolls burned.'” (Source)
Indeed, this notion of conquering people to forcefully take land is evident. But back to Hebron’s original name, Kiriath-arba. It means “the city of four” and is likely due to “the fact that the city is built on four hills.” (Source)
The name comes from arba (four) and qiryah – town, fortress. The root of qiryah is qarah which means “appoint, encounter, meet, befall, accidentally come upon, impose timbers (roof or floor).”
The thing is, settlements, villages, towns, cities are of God. A pulling together of people who purpose to live life beside each other, trade with or shop from one another, and worship, celebrate, feast, fast, marry and bury in proximity. The Word of God begins in a Garden with a family, and ends in a City with a new Family. This meeting, encountering one another in all of life, is from Him.
The phrase “and its settlements” is used next for this city and the following. The Hebrew word is bath, meaning “daughter, branches, maiden, apple of the eye.” Interesting meaning for settlements, don’t you think?
But I suppose if the above-mentioned living is what takes place there, it doesn’t matter whether people accidentally happen upon or purposely seek out a certain settlement. That soil will be as dear to those choosing to work it as a beloved daughter.
The next city listed is Dibon, whose name comes from dub – to pine away, sorrow, mope. Kinda makes you wonder what happened there to have inherited such a name. So, in a spirit of personally feeling bleh due to typing this on a cloudy, rainy day, what types of sorrows tempt you to mope? Is it loss of a certain thing or the attention of a loved one? Changes or constant sameness? Others’ words or your own thoughts?
Perhaps it might help to think of “apple of the eye” mentioned above. After all, Dibon’s settlements (bath) are included in this mopey section. Have you ever looked up the four verses which use the phrase? Me either. Let’s do it together:
He found him in a desert land,
And in the howling wasteland of a wilderness;
He encircled him, He cared for him,
He guarded him as the apple of His eye
Deuteronomy 32:10
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
Psalm 17:8
Keep my commandments and live,
And my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Proverbs 7:2
For the Lord of armies says this:
“After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you,
for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye
Seems as though when we belong to Him through Jesus, we’re pretty loved, fought for, and protected. His eye is on the sparrow and He watches over us.
The first three verses above use the Hebrew word ishon for apple of eye, and Zechariah uses babah. But they both refer to the pupil, the center part which controls how much light gets in the eye.
When we regularly, daily soak in His extravagant love for us, we are keeping our focus on Light. Truth. An opportunity to seek good and avoid every kind of evil. If your eyes are single, your whole body will be full of light. The focus of our gaze affects us. Having a single eye for Him and His kingdom can help cut through the darkness.
The final city in our verse in which those of Judah inhabited is Jekabzeel, which means “God gathers.” It’s from el and qabats – to collect, assemble, meet, rally, heap, surely take up.
God not only gathers us in settlements, villages, towns, and cities, but in families, friendships, communities. We know we cannot do this life on our own, and He makes provision to help rally us with one another. On our own, we falter, but assembled, we can surely take up our crosses and follow Him.
Thank God He gathers.