Beersheba

Beersheba, city in Israel, southwest of Jerusalem, referred to in the Bible in conjunction with Abraham and Isaac. The modern town of Beersheba stands slightly southwest of the old city. The continuing excellence of the water supply in and about the town makes it an important source of irrigation for the surrounding area, and it has developed as the cultural, administrative, and industrial focus of the Negev. The Ben Gurion University of the Negev (1965) is located here.

According to the Bible (see Genesis 21:22-31), Beersheba was the place where Abraham, father of the Israelites, dug a well as part of his covenant with King Abimelech of Gerar. Abraham also planted a tamarisk tree here, invoking the name of God. Another account (see Genesis 26:26-33), however, attributes the naming of the site to Isaac; it was the place where both he and his son Jacob lived. Various other biblical events are also set here (see 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3; Amos 5:5; Nehemiah 11:27-30). Beersheba was situated in the territory of the tribe of Simeon, in the extreme southern part of ancient Palestine; the phrase “from Dan to Beersheba” signifies the extent of Hebrew territory from north to south (see Judges 20:1). Population (2004), 184,200