ANATHOTH

(Anʹa·thoth).

1. A Benjamite, son of Becher.​—1Ch 7:8.

2. One of the heads of the people whose descendant, if not he himself, attested to and sealed a trustworthy arrangement in the days of Nehemiah, to walk in the path of true worship of Jehovah.​—Ne 9:38; 10:1, 19.

3. A Levite city in the territory of Benjamin. (Jos 21:17, 18; 1Ch 6:60) The name continues in that of the small village of ʽAnata under 5 km (3 mi) NNE of Jerusalem, while the original site has been identified with Ras el-Kharrubeh about 800 m (0.5 mi) to the SW of the village. From its position on the hills, a view can be had of the Jordan Valley and the northern part of the Salt Sea. Anathoth was the home of two of David’s mighty men. (2Sa 23:27; 1Ch 12:3) It was to Anathoth that Solomon banished Abiathar, thus bringing to an end the line of high priests from the house of Eli. (1Ki 2:26) Anathoth was one of the afflicted cities in the line of attack of invading Assyrian armies.​—Isa 10:30.

Jeremiah was from Anathoth but became a ‘prophet without honor’ among his own people, as they threatened his life for speaking Jehovah’s message of truth. (Jer 1:1; 11:21-23; 29:27) As a result, Jehovah foretold calamity for the city, and this came in due time when Babylon overran the land. (Jer 11:21-23) Prior to Jerusalem’s fall, Jeremiah exercised his legal rights to purchase his cousin’s tract of land at Anathoth as a sign that there would be a restoration from exile. (Jer 32:7-9) Among the first group of those returning from exile with Zerubbabel were 128 men of Anathoth; and Anathoth is included among the towns that were resettled, thus fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy.​—Ezr 2:23; Ne 7:27; 11:32.