Bible Dictionaries
Eshtemoa

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ehssh tih moh' uh) Place and personal name meaning, “being heard.” The name may indicate an ancient tradition of going to Eshtemoa to obtain an oracle or word of God from a prophet or priest. 1. City in tribal allotment of Judah (Judges 15:50 , with variant Hebrew spelling; see Joshua 21:14 ). While living in exile in Ziklag, David sent some of the plunder from his victories to Eshtemoa (1 Samuel 30:28 ). 2 . A member of clan of Caleb in tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:17 ), probably listed as the clan father of those who settled in Eshtemoa. The relation between the two Eshtemoas in 1Chronicles 4:17,1 Chronicles 4:19 is not clear. The city is the modern es-Samu about eight and a half miles south-southwest of Hebron and fourteen miles northeast of Beersheba.