(Hebrew: house of bread)
(1) Bethlehem of Zebulon (Josiah 19), a small town 7 miles northwest of Nazareth.
(2) Bethlehem of Judea, less correctly known as Bethlehem of Juda (Judges 17; 19; 1 Kings 17), originally known as Ephrata (Michah 5), city, Palestine, 5 miles south of Jerusalem, closely connected with patriarchal history as the place of death of Rachel, Jacob's wife (Genesis 35), the site of the romance of Ruth and Booz, and the birthplace of David. It became sacred to Christians as the birthplace of Our Lord, and the church of the Nativity now occupies the traditional site.