Chephirah
Chephirah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet el Kefireh. It appears across 4 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Chephirah was a Hivite city that famously deceived the Israelites into making a covenant of peace during the conquest of Canaan. According to Joshua 9, the Gibeonites — whose confederacy included Chephirah along with Gibeon, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim — sent envoys disguised as weary travelers from a distant land to trick Joshua into swearing an oath not to destroy them. When the deception was discovered, Joshua honored the oath but subjected these cities to servitude, making them "woodcutters and water-carriers" for the congregation of Israel and the altar of God (Josh 9:27). Chephirah appears again in Joshua 18:26 as a town allotted to Benjamin. After the Babylonian exile, returnees from Chephirah are specifically listed in the census of Ezra 2:25 and Nehemiah 7:29, demonstrating that the town retained a recognizable identity and a settled population even into the Second Temple period. Its story illustrates the complexities of covenant-making in Israel's early history.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Chephirah is identified with Khirbet el-Kefireh, situated on a ridge approximately 12 kilometers northwest of Jerusalem in the Judean highlands. Archaeological surveys and limited excavations at the site have yielded Iron Age I and II pottery, confirming substantial occupation during the periods of Israelite settlement and the monarchy. Remains of a defensive wall and cisterns have been noted, indicative of a fortified Iron Age settlement. The Arabic toponym Kefireh closely preserves the ancient Hebrew Kephirah. The site commands good agricultural land and water sources, explaining its sustained occupation from the Bronze Age through the Iron Age and into later periods.
Verse Appearances (4)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →