Hebron lies in the hill country of Judah, about thirty kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the land of the Bible.
It was there that Abraham pitched his tents near the great trees of Mamre and built an altar to the LORD. There he also bought the cave of Machpelah to bury his wife Sarah, the first piece of the promised land he came to own.
In that same cave were buried, besides Sarah, Abraham himself, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob. Hebron thus holds the memory of the patriarchs of God’s people.
Centuries later, the spies sent by Moses found descendants of giants there. Joshua conquered the city, and it was given to Caleb as a reward for his faithfulness to the LORD.
Hebron also played a central role in the history of the kingdom: it was there that David was anointed king, first over Judah and then over all Israel. Years later, it was also from Hebron that his son Absalom launched his rebellion against him.
Few places span as many eras of the Bible as Hebron, from the promise made to Abraham to the throne of David. There God showed that he keeps what he promises, generation after generation.
