Home
Study the Bible
Multimedia
About
Kiriathaim
Kiriath Jearim was known by several names and most notably appeared in the Bible during the return of the Ark of the Covenant after the Philistines captured it during the reign of king David. Joshua 15:9 called it Baalah, and in Joshua 15:60 and Joshua 18:14 it was known as Kiriath Baal. This could be an indication that they probably worshipped the false god Baal. Like some of the other cities, the King James translation called it Kirjathjearim, substituting "Kirjath" for "Kiriath".
While the exact location isn't clear, Judges 18:12 said it was in (the southern kingdom of) Judah.
The city seemed to be named after a descendant of Judah through Perez.
Jacob > Judah > Perez > Hezron > Caleb > Hur > Shobal > Kiriath Jearim
1 Chronicles 2:50-53: (start in verse 3 to get this lineage)
50. These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim,
51. Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.
52. The descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim were: Haroeh, half the Manahathites,
53. and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.
Joshua 9:17 listed Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim as Hivite towns during Joshua's campaign in Canaan. The Gibeonites (people who lived in Gibeon) tricked the Israelites into a peace treaty.
After Canaan had been mostly conquered, Joshua 18:14-15 named Kiriath Jearim as part of the boundary of the allotment for the tribe of Benjamin.
During a military expedition of the Danites against "the land of Laish", they stopped near Kiriath Jearim. Judges 18:11-12:
11. Then six hundred men from the clan of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol.
12. On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day.
1 Samuel had 2 references of the Ark of the Covenant. Then, 1 & 2 Chronicles spoke of king David placing it back in the tent they used as the Tabernacle.
1 Samuel 6:21: Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to your place."
1 Samuel 7:1-2:
1. So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.
2. It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD.
1 Chronicles 13:5-6:
5. So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.
6. David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim--the ark that is called by the Name.
2 Chronicles 1:4: Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
Among the list of the exiles who returned, Ezra 2:25 & Nehemiah 7:29 reported 743 people from Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah and Beeroth.
To corroborate that the residents of this city weren't whole-heartedly following the Book of the Law, Jeremiah 26:20 gave the following verse that became the last time that city was mentioned:
20. (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the LORD; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did.