Ephron

E'phron (Hebrews Ephron', עֶפרוֹן, signif. doubtful; Sept. Ε᾿φρών, Vulg. Ephron), the name of a man and also of two or three places.

1. The son of Zohar, a Hittite; the owner of a field which lay facing Mamre or Hebron, and of the cave contained therein, which Abraham bought from him for 400 shekels of silver (Ge 23:8-17; Ge 25:9; Ge 49:29-30; Ge 1; Ge 13). B.C. 2027. By Josephus (Ant. 1:14) the name is given as Ephraim (Ε᾿φράιμος, and the purchase-money 40 shekels. SEE ABRAHAM.

2. The textual reading (but with initial א) in the Masoretic Bible, and the marginal in the A.V. for EPHRAIM SEE EPHRAIM (q.v.), a city within the borders of the kingdom of Israel (2Ch 13:19).

⇒Bible concordance for EPHRON.

3. A mountain, the "cities" of which formed one of the landmarks on the northern boundary of the tribe of Judah (Jos 15:9), between the "water of Nephtoah" and Kirjath-jearim. As these latter are with great probability identified with Ain Yalo and Kuriet el-enab, Mount Ephron is probably the elevated region on the south side of wady Beit-Hanina (traditional valley of the Terebinth), near its junction with wady Ain- Haniyeh or wady el-Werd. This seems to be the "high plain" indicated by Schwarz (Palest. page 96) as appropriately called Mount Ephron, in comparison with the deep valleys adjoining. The "cities of Mount Ephron" may then be denoted by such ruined sites as el-Sus and Mar-Zakaria in this vicinity.

4. A very strong city (πόλις μεγάλη ὀχυρά σφόδρα) on the east of Jordan, between Carnaim (AshterothKarnaim) and Bethshean, attacked and demolished by Judas Maccabaeus (1 Macc. 5:46-52; 2 Macc. 12:27, 28; Josephus, Ant. 12:8, 5). From the description in these two passages it appears to have been situated in a defile or valley, and to have completely occupied 'the pass. It was possibly near the outlet of the Jabbok into the Jordan. Kildens conjectures (Landes, kunde von Palistina, Berl. 1817, page 75) that it was the present Kulat er-Rubud, a strong Saracenic castle on the top of a hill up the wady Rajib, and the residence of the chief of Jebel Ajlun (Burckhardt, Syria, page 266 sq.; Robinson, Researches, 2:121; 3:166).