An ancient city of Judah, 3,040 feet above the Mediterranean, 20 miles south of Jerusalem; known also as Namre and Kirjath-Arba (Gen. 13: 18; Gen. 35: 27). It was the burying place of Abraham and his family (Gen. 23: 2, 19; Gen. 49: 29-32), and became the property of Caleb (Josh. 14: 13-15). It was one of the six cities of refuge (Josh. 20: 7), a Levitical city (Josh. 21: 11, 13), and David’s capital during the earlier part of his reign (2 Sam. 5: 3-5). During the later history of the nation it continued to be a place of importance, and it still has a large population.