Anathoth

the name of one of the cities of refuge, in the tribe of Benjamin ( Joshua 21:18 ). The Jews, as a rule, did not change the names of the towns they found in Palestine; hence this town may be regarded as deriving its name from the goddess Anat. It was the native place of Abiezer, one of David's "thirty" ( 2 Samuel 23:27 ), and of Jehu, another of his mighty men ( 1 Chronicles 12:3 ). It is chiefly notable, however, as the birth-place and usual residence of Jeremiah ( Jeremiah 1:1 ; 11:21-23 ; 29:27 ; 32:7-9 ). It suffered greatly from the army of Sennacherib, and only 128 men returned to it from the Exile ( Nehemiah 7:27 ; Ezra 2:23 ). It lay about 3 miles north of Jerusalem. It has been identified with the small and poor village of 'Anata, containing about 100 inhabitants.

or Anath

(answers to prayer ).

1. Son of Becher, a son of Benjamin. ( 1 Chronicles 7:8 )
2. One of the "heads of the people" who signed the covenant in the time of Nehemiah. ( Nehemiah 10:19 ) (B.C. 410.)

a priests city belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, with "suburbs." ( Joshua 21:18 ; 1 Chronicles 6:60 ) Anathoth lay about three miles from Jerusalem. ( Isaiah 10:30 ) The cultivation of the priests survives in tilled fields of grain, with figs and olives. There are the remains of walls and strong foundations, and the quarries still supply Jerusalem with building stones.

ANATHOTH

an'-a-thoth (`anathoth; Anathoth):

A town which lay between Michmash and Jerusalem (Isaiah 10:30), in the territory of Benjamin, assigned to the Levites (Joshua 21:18). It was the native place of Abiathar (1 Kings 2:26), and of the prophet Jer (Jeremiah 1:1; 11:21, etc.). Here lay the field which, under remarkable circumstances, the prophet purchased (Jeremiah 32:7). Two of David's distinguished soldiers, Abiezer (2 Samuel 23:27) and Jehu (1 Chronicles 12:3), also hailed from Anathoth. It was again occupied by the Benjamites after the return from the Exile (Nehemiah 11:32, etc.). It is identified with `Anata, two and a quarter miles Northeast of Jerusalem, a small village of some fifteen houses with remains of ancient walls. There are quarries in the neighborhood from which stones are still carried to Jerusalem. It commands a spacious outlook over the uplands to the North, and especially to the Southeast, over the Jordan valley toward the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab. There is nothing to shelter it from the withering power of the winds from the eastern deserts (Jeremiah 4:11; 18:17, etc.).

W. Ewing