Smith's Bible Dictionary

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Debir

 

Debir - king of Eglon; one of the five kings hanged by Joshua. (Joshua 10:3,23) (B.C. 1440.) (a sanctuary), the name of three places of Palestine.

1. A town in the mountains of Judah, (Joshua 15:49) one of a group of eleven cities to the west of Hebron. The earlier name of Debir was Kirjath-sepher, "city of book," (Joshua 15:15; Judges 1:11) and Kirjath-sannah, "city of palm." (Joshua 15:49) It was one of the cities given with their "suburbs" to the priests. (Joshua 21:15; 1 Chronicles 6:58) Debir has not been discovered with certainty in modern times; but about three miles to the west of Hebron is a deep and secluded valley called the Wady Nunkur, enclosed on the north by hills, of which one bears a name certainly suggestive of Debir--Dewir-ban.

2. A place on the north boundary of Judah, near the "valley of Achor." (Joshua 15:7) A Wady Dabor is marked in Van Deuteronomy Velde's map as close to the south of Neby Musa, at the northwest corner of the Dead Sea.

3. The "border of Debir" is named as forming part of the boundary of Gad, (Joshua 13:26) and as apparently not far from Mahanaim.
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