'Bethlehem' definitions:
Definition of 'Bethlehem'
From: WordNet
noun
A town in eastern Pennsylvania on the Lehigh River to the northwest of Philadelphia; an important center for steel production
noun
A small town near Jerusalem on the West Bank of the Jordan River; early home of David and regarded as the place where Jesus was born [syn: Bethlehem, Bayt Lahm, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Bethlehem-Judah]
Definition of 'Bethlehem'
From: GCIDE
- Bethlehem \Beth"le*hem\, n. [Heb. b[=e]th-lekhem house of food; b[=e]th house + lekhem food, l[=a]kham to eat. Formerly the name of a hospital for the insane, in London, which had been the priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem. Cf. Bedlam.]
- 1. A hospital for lunatics; -- corrupted into bedlam. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Arch.) In the Ethiopic church, a small building attached to a church edifice, in which the bread for the eucharist is made. --Audsley. [1913 Webster] Bethlehemite
Definition of 'Bethlehem'
From: Easton
- Bethlehem house of bread.
- A city in the "hill country" of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1 Sam. 17:12), and "the city of David" (Luke 2:4). It is first noticed in Scripture as the place where Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside," directly to the north of the city (Gen. 48:7). The valley to the east was the scene of the story of Ruth the Moabitess. There are the fields in which she gleaned, and the path by which she and Naomi returned to the town. Here was David's birth-place, and here also, in after years, he was anointed as king by Samuel (1 Sam. 16:4-13); and it was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his heroes brought water for him at the risk of their lives when he was in the cave of Adullam (2 Sam. 23:13-17). But it was distinguished above every other city as the birth-place of "Him whose goings forth have been of old" (Matt. 2:6; comp. Micah 5:2). Afterwards Herod, "when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men," sent and slew "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under" (Matt. 2:16, 18; Jer. 31:15).
- Bethlehem bears the modern name of Beit-Lahm, i.e., "house of flesh." It is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea, thus 100 feet higher than Jerusalem.
- There is a church still existing, built by Constantine the Great (A.D. 330), called the "Church of the Nativity," over a grotto or cave called the "holy crypt," and said to be the "stable" in which Jesus was born. This is perhaps the oldest existing Christian church in the world. Close to it is another grotto, where Jerome the Latin father is said to have spent thirty years of his life in translating the Scriptures into Latin. (See VERSION.)
- A city of Zebulun, mentioned only in Josh. 19:15. Now Beit-Lahm, a ruined village about 6 miles west-north-west of Nazareth.
Definition of 'Bethlehem'
From: Hitchcock
- Beth-lehem, house of bread
Bethlehem, NC -- U.S. Census Designated Place in North Carolina
From: Gazetteer 2000
Name :
Bethlehem, NC -- U.S. Census Designated Place in North Carolina
Population (2000) :
3713
Housing Units (2000) :
1549
Land area (2000) :
7.594031 sq. miles (19.668449 sq. km)
Water area (2000) :
1.313086 sq. miles (3.400877 sq. km)
Total area (2000) :
8.907117 sq. miles (23.069326 sq. km)
FIPS code :
05530
Located within :
North Carolina (NC), FIPS 37
Location :
35.812171 N, 81.293026 W
Note :
some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Bethlehem, GA -- U.S. town in Georgia
From: Gazetteer 2000
Name :
Bethlehem, GA -- U.S. town in Georgia
Population (2000) :
716
Housing Units (2000) :
265
Land area (2000) :
2.157709 sq. miles (5.588441 sq. km)
Water area (2000) :
0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000) :
2.157709 sq. miles (5.588441 sq. km)
FIPS code :
07612
Located within :
Georgia (GA), FIPS 13
Location :
33.936492 N, 83.710481 W
ZIP Codes (1990) :
30620
Note :
some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Bethlehem, PA -- U.S. city in Pennsylvania
From: Gazetteer 2000
Name :
Bethlehem, PA -- U.S. city in Pennsylvania
Population (2000) :
71329
Housing Units (2000) :
29631
Land area (2000) :
19.255333 sq. miles (49.871081 sq. km)
Water area (2000) :
0.167156 sq. miles (0.432931 sq. km)
Total area (2000) :
19.422489 sq. miles (50.304012 sq. km)
FIPS code :
06088
Located within :
Pennsylvania (PA), FIPS 42
Location :
40.626198 N, 75.375673 W
ZIP Codes (1990) :
18015 18018
Note :
some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
Bethlehem, WV -- U.S. village in West Virginia
From: Gazetteer 2000
Name :
Bethlehem, WV -- U.S. village in West Virginia
Population (2000) :
2651
Housing Units (2000) :
1169
Land area (2000) :
3.529233 sq. miles (9.140672 sq. km)
Water area (2000) :
0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
Total area (2000) :
3.529233 sq. miles (9.140672 sq. km)
FIPS code :
06940
Located within :
West Virginia (WV), FIPS 54
Location :
40.048761 N, 80.693601 W
Note :
some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.