Anathoth
{{Short description|City in the Hebrew Bible}}
{{distinguish|Azathoth}}
File:Anathoth (Anata), p. 549 in Thomson, 1859.jpg
Anathoth {{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|n|ə|ˌ|θ|ɒ|θ}}{{cite encyclopedia |title=Anathoth |encyclopedia=The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia |year=2013 |publisher=Columbia University Press |url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Anathoth }} is the name of one of the Levitical cities given to "the children of Aaron" in the tribe of Benjamin ({{Bibleref2|Joshua|21:13–18}}; {{Bibleref2|1 Chronicles|6:54–60}}). Residents were called Antothites or Anetothites.
Name
The name of this town may be derived from a Canaanite goddess, `Anat. It is also mentioned as the name of an Israelite person in 1 Chronicles ({{Bibleref2|1 Chr|7:8}}), and in Nehemiah ({{Bibleref2|Neh|10:19}}).
History according to the Hebrew Bible
File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 140.png occurred in Anathoth, depicted in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]
Anathoth is mentioned as the native place of Abiezer the Anetothite, one of David's "thirty" ({{Bibleref2|2 Samuel|23:27}}), and of Jehu, another of his mighty men ({{Bibleref2|1 Chr|12:3}}). King Solomon banishes Abiathar the Priest to Anathoth, "unto thine own fields".{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+2%3A26&version=AKJV|title=1 Kings 2:26 AKJV - - Bible Gateway}} It is perhaps best known as the home town of the prophet Jeremiah ({{Bibleref2|Jer|1:1}}; {{Bibleref2|Jer|29:27||29:27}}; {{Bibleref2|Jer|32:7-9||32:7-9}}). He delivers a prophecy of tribulation by the sword against the residents of Anathoth, who were plotting against him ({{Bibleref2|Jer|11:21-23}}).
Anathoth suffered greatly from the army of Nebuchadnezzar, and only 128 men returned to it from the Babylonian exile ({{Bibleref2|Neh|7:27}}; {{Bibleref2|Ezra|2:23}}). It lay about 3 miles north of Jerusalem.
Modern identification
The Arab village of 'Anata was identified as the site of Anathoth by Edward Robinson. Robinson's identification echoes that of Epiphanius.Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures - The Syriac Version (ed. James Elmer Dean), University of Chicago Press 1935, p. 72 (section 66) The modern Israeli settlement of Anatot (also known as Almon) was named after it.
Abu Ghosh has also been associated with Anathoth by Conder and Kitchener in their 1883 Survey of Western Palestine.Conder and Kitchener, 1883, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/18/mode/1up 18]
In Christianity
Some Christians{{Who|date=April 2024}} believe that Jeremiah prophesied that the field there would be bought from money by the chief priests, that Judas Iscariot had returned after he had betrayed Jesus before he hanged himself, an interpretation possibly favored by the Gospel of Matthew. ({{Bibleref2|Jeremiah|32:1-15}}; Matthew 27:3-10) Other readers{{Who|date=April 2024}} suggest that Jeremiah 32 simply shows Jeremiah purchasing the field as one of his many prophetic actions, indicating that the Babylonian captivity would come to an end and people would be returned to the land of Judah.
References
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