Anathoth

Anathoth - the name of one of the cities given to "the children of Aaron" (Joshua 21:13,18; 1 Chronicles 6:54,60), in the tribe of Benjamin (Josh. 21:18, 1 Chron. 6:60). Since the Israelites often did not change the names of the towns they found in Canaan, the name of this town may be derived from a Canaanite goddess, ‘Anat. However, it is also given as the name of an Israelite person in 1 Chron 7:8, and in Nehemiah 10:19.
Anathoth is mentioned as the native place of Abiezer, one of David's "thirty" (2 Samuel 23:27), and of Jehu, another of his mighty men (1 Chr. 12:3). It is perhaps best known as the home town of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1; 29:27; 32:7-9). In 11:21-23, he delivers a prophecy of tribulation by the sword against the residents of Anathoth, who were plotting against him.
Anathoth suffered greatly from the army of Sennacherib, and only 128 men returned to it from the Babylonian exile (Neh. 7:27; Ezra 2:23). It lay about 3 miles north of Jerusalem. The Arab village of ˤAnātā was identified as the site of Anathoth by Edward Robinson. The modern Israeli settlement of Anatot (also known as Almon) was named after it.
Category:Hebrew Bible places