Bible Dictionaries
Ephratah

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

1. Second wife of Caleb, Hezron's son; mother of Hur; grandmother of Caleb the spy (1 Chronicles 2:19,(1 Chronicles 2:24),1 Chronicles 2:50; 1 Chronicles 4:4).

2. The name of Bethlehem Judah in Jacob's time (Genesis 35:16; Genesis 35:19; Genesis 48:7). Whence probably Ephraim the mother of Hur took her name, being a native and owner of the town and district; which accounts for his being called "the father of Bethlehem." In Micah 5:2 it is called Bethlehem Ephraim. As Bethlehem means "house of bread," so Ephraim "fruitful," the region abounding in grain. In Psalms 132:6 the sense is: "we (being) in Ephraim (i.e. while David was still a youth at Bethlehem) heard of it," namely, the ark, as a mere matter of hearsay, so neglected was the ark then while in the forest town of Kirjath Jearim.

Bibliography Information
Fausset, Andrew R. Entry for 'Ephratah'. Fausset's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​fbd/​e/ephratah.html. 1949.