Hepher is a biblical name that appears in several contexts within the Old Testament. The name Hepher is associated with both a person and a geographical location, each holding significance in the biblical narrative.

1. Hepher, the Person:

Hepher is identified as one of the sons of Gilead, who was a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. This lineage places Hepher within the tribe of Manasseh, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the genealogical records, Hepher is mentioned in the context of the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad, who were his descendants. The daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—approached Moses and the leaders of Israel to claim their right to their father's inheritance, as he had no sons. This account is recorded in the Book of Numbers:

"The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the entire congregation, and said, 'Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the followers of Korah, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.'" (Numbers 27:1-4)

This request led to a significant legal precedent in Israel regarding the inheritance rights of daughters, as God instructed Moses to grant their request.

2. Hepher, the Location:

Hepher is also the name of a town or region mentioned in the context of the conquests of Joshua. It is listed among the cities defeated by Joshua during the Israelite conquest of Canaan. The king of Hepher is noted as one of the thirty-one kings defeated by Joshua, as recorded in the Book of Joshua:

"The king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;" (Joshua 12:17)

This mention of Hepher as a conquered city highlights its inclusion in the broader narrative of the Israelites taking possession of the Promised Land.

3. Hepher in the Genealogies:

In the genealogical records of the tribe of Judah, a man named Hepher is also mentioned as a descendant of Judah. This Hepher is noted as the father of the Tappuah clan:

"The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the Canaanite woman. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put him to death. Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar bore Perez and Zerah to him. Judah had five sons in all. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five in all. The son of Carmi: Achar, who brought trouble upon Israel by violating the ban on devoted things. The son of Ethan: Azariah. The sons born to Hezron: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb. Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, the leader of the descendants of Judah. Nahshon was the father of Salmon, Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel. Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite. Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore to him Hur. Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel. Later, Hezron had relations with the daughter of Machir, the father of Gilead. He had married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore to him Segub. Segub was the father of Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth-jair, as well as Kenath and its villages—sixty towns in all. All these were descendants of Machir the father of Gilead. After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, Abijah, the wife of Hezron, bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa." (1 Chronicles 2:3-24)

This genealogical reference further illustrates the presence of the name Hepher within the tribal records of Israel, though it is distinct from the Hepher associated with the tribe of Manasseh.

In summary, Hepher is a multifaceted name in the biblical text, representing both a person within the tribe of Manasseh and a location conquered during the Israelite settlement of Canaan. The accounts associated with Hepher contribute to the broader narrative of inheritance rights and territorial conquests in the Old Testament.Hepher

a digger

Hepher

(a well).

1. The youngest of the sons of Gilead, (Numbers 26:32) and head of the family of the Hepherites. (B.C. before 1450.)
2. Son of Ashur, the "father of Tekoa." (1 Chronicles 4:6) (B.C. about 1445.)
3. The Mecherathite, one of the heroes of David's guard. (1 Chronicles 11:36) (B.C. 1046.)

A well or stream.

(1.) A royal city of the Canaanites taken by Joshua (12:17).

(2.) The youngest son of Gilead (Numbers 26:32; 27:1).

(3.) The second son of Asher (1 Chronicles 4:6).

(4.) One of David's heroes (1 Chronicles 11:36).

HEPHER

(chepher):

(1) Septuagint Hopher (Joshua 12:17), a Canaanitish town mentioned between Tappuah and Aphek, unidentified.

(2) In 1 Kings 4:10 a district connected with Socoh, and placed by Solomon under the direction of Benhesed of Arubboth, unidentified.

HEPHER; HEPHERITES

he'-fer, he'-fer-its (chepher, chephri):

(1) Septuagint Hopher (Numbers 26:32; Numbers 27:1 Joshua 17:2 f), the head of a family or clan of the tribe of Manasseh. The clan is called the Hepherites in Numbers 26:32.

(2) Septuagint Hephal (1 Chronicles 4:6), a man of Judah.

(3) Septuagint Hopher (1 Chronicles 11:36), one of David's heroes.

2662. Chephri -- descendant of Hepher
... descendant of Hepher. Transliteration: Chephri Phonetic Spelling: (khef-ree') Short
Definition: Hepherites. ... of Hepher NASB Word Usage Hepherites (1). Hepherites. ...
/hebrew/2662.htm - 6k

2660. Chepher -- three Israelites
... 2659, 2660. Chepher. 2660a . three Israelites. Transliteration: Chepher
Phonetic Spelling: (khay'-fer) Short Definition: Hepher. Hepher ...
/hebrew/2660.htm - 5k

1662. Gath-hachepher -- "wine press of digging," home of Jonah
... "wine press of digging," home of Jonah. Transliteration: Gath-hachepher Phonetic
Spelling: (gath-hah-khay'-fer) Short Definition: Gath-hepher. ...
/hebrew/1662.htm - 6k

2660a. Chepher -- three Israelites
... three Israelites. Transliteration: Chepher Short Definition: Hepher. Word Origin
from chaphar Definition three Isr. NASB Word Usage Hepher (7). 2660, 2660a. ...
/hebrew/2660a.htm - 5k

2660b. Chepher -- a Canaanite city, also a place in Judah
... 2660a, 2660b. Chepher. 2661 . a Canaanite city, also a place in Judah.
Transliteration: Chepher Short Definition: Hepher. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/2660b.htm - 5k

The Historicity of the Book of Jonah.
... to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant
Jonah, the son of Amittai the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher." 2 Kings 14:25 ...
/.../viii the historicity of the.htm

The Twelve Minor Prophets.
... 9. We learn from 2 Kings 14:25 that Jonah, the son of Amittai, was of Gath-hepher,
which is undoubtedly the same as Gittah-hepher, a town of the tribe of ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxiii the twelve minor.htm

The Kingdom Divided
... NOTE."The study of this book is by questions. 1. Draw full-page map, locating Joppa,
Nineveh, Tarshish and his native place, Gath-hepher. See II Kings 14:25. ...
/.../palmer/a birds-eye view of the bible/v the kingdom divided.htm

Jonah and Micah.
... of Amittai. His home was Gath-hepher, a village of Zebulun, and he, therefore,
belonged to the ten tribes and not to Judah. He is ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter xx jonah and micah.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... against Moab "in the old days," and which is appropriated by Isaiah (xvi.13, 14),
has been attributed to Jonah, son of Amittai, of Gath-Hepher, who actually ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

Gath-hepher (2 Occurrences)
Gath-hepher. Gathhepher, Gath-hepher. Gath-he'pher . Easton's Bible Dictionary
Wine ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. GATH-HEPHER. gath ...
/g/gath-hepher.htm - 8k

Gittah-hepher (1 Occurrence)
Gittah-hepher. Gittahhepher, Gittah-hepher. Gittaim . Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Joshua 19:13). See GATH-HEPHER. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ...
/g/gittah-hepher.htm - 7k

Gathhepher (1 Occurrence)
... Wine-press of the well, a town of Lower Galilee, about 5 miles from Nazareth; the
birthplace of Jonah (2 Kings 14:25); the same as Gittah-hepher (Joshua 19:13 ...
/g/gathhepher.htm - 8k

Gittahhepher (1 Occurrence)
... (Joshua 19:13). See GATH-HEPHER. Int. ... GITTAH-HEPHER. git-a-he'-fer (gittah chepher):
the King James Version (Joshua 19:13) for Gath-hepher. ...
/g/gittahhepher.htm - 7k

Zelophehad (9 Occurrences)
... Numbers 26:33 Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names
of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and ...
/z/zelophehad.htm - 11k

Tirzah (17 Occurrences)
... Numbers 26:33 Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names
of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and ...
/t/tirzah.htm - 14k

Mecherathite (1 Occurrence)
... Maachathite" (the King James Version). It is the description of Hepher, one of
David's valiant men (1 Chronicles 11:36). In the Wallel list ...
/m/mecherathite.htm - 7k

Mahlah (5 Occurrences)
... Numbers 26:33 Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names
of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and ...
/m/mahlah.htm - 9k

Milcah (10 Occurrences)
... Numbers 26:33 Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names
of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and ...
/m/milcah.htm - 10k

Amittai (2 Occurrences)
... True, the father of Jonah the prophet, a native of Gath-hepher (2 Kings 14:25; Jonah
1:1). Int. ... He was from Gath-hepher in Zebulun (2 Kings 14:25 Jonah 1:1). ...
/a/amittai.htm - 7k

Who was Jonah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Jonah try to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh? | GotQuestions.org

Was Jonah truly swallowed by a whale? | GotQuestions.org

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