Anathoth
A place in the Bible
A town in the land of Benjamin, very close to Jerusalem, where families of priests lived.
What happened here
- Jeremiah: he was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who lived in Anathoth.
- His call: the Lord told him that he knew him even before he formed him in his mother’s womb. Jeremiah answered that he did not know how to speak, because he was too young.
- The field: Jeremiah bought a field in Anathoth from his cousin Hanamel for seventeen shekels of silver.
Today
It is identified with a place next to the village of Anata, north of Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
Where it appears in the Bible
Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 1:5-6; Jeremiah 32:9
What the Bible says
Jeremiah 1:1
The words of Jeremias the son of Helcias, of the priests that were in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.
Jeremiah 1:5-6
5Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations. 6And I said: Ah, ah, ah, Lord God: behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.
Jeremiah 32:9
And I bought the held of my uncle’s son, that is in Anathoth: and I weighed him the money, seven staters, and ten pieces of silver.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Anathoth”; Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), “Anathoth”