{
  "id": "dict_001748",
  "term": "Eshtemoa",
  "slug": "eshtemoa",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A town in the hill country of Judah, later associated with priestly settlement and David’s distribution of spoil.",
  "simple_one_line": "Eshtemoa is a biblical town in Judah.",
  "tooltip_text": "A town in Judah mentioned in Old Testament territorial, priestly, and narrative contexts.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Judah",
    "Hebron",
    "priestly cities",
    "Levites",
    "Joshua",
    "1 Samuel"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Town of Judah",
    "Levitical cities",
    "hill country of Judah",
    "tribal inheritance"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Eshtemoa is a biblical town in the hill country of Judah. It appears in Old Testament land lists, priestly allotments, and a narrative about David’s gifts to the elders of Judah.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A town in Judah with historical significance in Israel’s tribal and priestly geography.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Located in the hill country of Judah",
    "Listed among Judah’s towns",
    "Associated with priestly/Levitical distribution",
    "Appears in David’s distribution of spoil"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Eshtemoa is a place name in the Old Testament, generally identified as a town in the hill country of Judah. It appears in territorial lists, priestly distributions, and a narrative about David’s gifts to the elders of Judah.",
  "description_academic_full": "Eshtemoa is a biblical place name, not a theological concept. In the Old Testament it is presented as a town in the hill country of Judah and appears in land and city lists connected with Judah’s inheritance. It is also named among the cities assigned to priests or Levites and in the account of David’s distribution of spoil to the elders of Judah. The entry is best understood as a geographic and historical location with covenant-community significance rather than as a doctrine or theme.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Eshtemoa appears in passages that map Israel’s tribal inheritance and priestly cities. Its repeated inclusion in Judah-related lists shows that it was part of the settled life of the southern hill country in Israel’s history.",
  "background_historical_context": "The town belonged to the broader network of settlements in ancient Judah. Its appearance in administrative and narrative texts suggests an established community known to the biblical writers.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In the Old Testament world, towns like Eshtemoa were important for tribal identity, inheritance, priestly service, and local leadership. Such places were part of Israel’s covenant life in the land.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 15:50",
    "Joshua 21:14",
    "1 Chronicles 6:57",
    "1 Samuel 30:28-31"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Samuel 30:27-31",
    "Joshua 21:9-19",
    "1 Chronicles 6:54-60"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The Hebrew name is rendered in English as Eshtemoa. As with many biblical place names, spelling can vary slightly across transliterations and manuscripts.",
  "theological_significance": "Eshtemoa is not a doctrine, but it contributes to biblical theology by locating God’s people in real historical space. It reflects tribal inheritance, priestly order, and the covenant life of Israel in the land.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Biblical geography matters because Scripture presents redemption in history, not in abstraction. Places like Eshtemoa remind readers that God’s purposes were worked out among actual people, towns, borders, and inheritances.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not turn the town into an allegory or force symbolic meanings beyond the text. The main point is geographic and historical, with limited theological significance derived from its biblical setting.",
  "major_views_note": "There is broad agreement that Eshtemoa is a Judahite town associated with priestly allotments. The main discussion concerns identification and location, not doctrinal meaning.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Eshtemoa should be treated as a biblical place name only. It does not carry independent doctrinal authority and should not be used to build theology apart from the texts that mention it.",
  "practical_significance": "For Bible readers, Eshtemoa helps situate Old Testament events in real places and shows the rootedness of Israel’s tribal and priestly life in the land.",
  "meta_description": "Eshtemoa is a biblical town in the hill country of Judah, mentioned in land lists, priestly allotments, and David’s distribution of spoil.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/eshtemoa/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/eshtemoa.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}