Anathoth

Anathoth was a small town of Benjamin a few miles north of Jerusalem, given to the priests as one of their cities. Solomon banished the priest Abiathar to his own fields at Anathoth for siding with Adonijah, and Jeremiah, 'of the priests that were in Anathoth,' grew up there. The prophet's own townsmen later plotted against his life, warning him, 'Prophesy not in the name of the LORD.' Yet while Jerusalem was under siege by Babylon, God told Jeremiah to buy his cousin Hanameel's field in Anathoth, and he weighed out seventeen shekels of silver as a sign that 'Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.' A hometown that rejected its prophet became the setting for one of Scripture's great acts of hope.

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Details

Region: Canaan
Modern Location: Near the village of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem (often located at Ras el-Kharrubeh), West Bank

Strongest connections in Scripture

Joshua 21 1 Kings 2 Jeremiah 1 Jeremiah 11 Jeremiah 32

Journey Paths

Abiathar's Journey

Jerusalem → Anathoth

Key Passages

A City of the Priests

Joshua 21:18

Anathoth is assigned to the priests within the territory of Benjamin.

A¹⁸nathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities.

Abiathar Sent to Anathoth

1 Kings 2:26

Solomon spares Abiathar but sends him home to his fields in Anathoth.

A²⁶nd unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the LORD God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.

Jeremiah of Anathoth

Jeremiah 1:1

The prophet is introduced as one of the priests of Anathoth.

T¹he words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

The Men of Anathoth Plot

Jeremiah 11:21

Jeremiah's neighbors threaten his life to silence his message.

T²¹herefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

Jeremiah Buys a Field

Jeremiah 32:6-15

With Babylon at the gates, Jeremiah buys land as a pledge that God will restore His people.

A⁶nd Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

⁷ Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. ⁸ So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. ⁹ And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. ¹⁰ And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. ¹¹ So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: ¹² And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. ¹³ And I charged Baruch before them, saying, ¹⁴ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. ¹⁵ For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

Did You Know?

Anathoth was one of the forty-eight Levitical cities set apart for the priests and Levites.

Jeremiah paid seventeen shekels of silver for his cousin's field and sealed the deed in an earthen vessel.

A hundred and twenty-eight men of Anathoth returned from exile with Zerubbabel.

Key Chapters

Joshua 21 Cities for the Levites 6 min read 1 Kings 2 David's Charge to Solomon 9 min read Jeremiah 1 The Call of Jeremiah 3 min read Jeremiah 11 The Broken Covenant 5 min read Jeremiah 32 Jeremiah Buys a Field 8 min read