Zif, Hebron
Encyclopedia
Zif is a Palestinian
village located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Hebron
. The village is in the Hebron Governorate
in the southern West Bank
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
, Zif had a population of 848 in 2007. The primary health care facilities in the village itself are designated by the Ministry of Health as level 1 and at nearby Yatta
as level 3.
Biblical scholar Edward Robinson
identified the modern town of Zif and its adjacent Tell Zif wth the Ziph
described in the Bible as being a city in the Judean Mountains
. It was here that David
hid himself from Saul
.
Zif had a Jewish population until at least the 4th-century, but it became Christian during the Byzantine period. When Jewish pilgrim Isaac Chelo visited in 1334, he wrote that the village was only known for the miracles wrought at the tomb of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Ziphai. Claude Reignier Conder
(1875) located his tomb as being the "fine sepulchral monument" immediately south of the present Tell Zif.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
village located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
. The village is in the Hebron Governorate
Hebron Governorate
The Hebron Governorate is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authority in the southern West Bank. It extends south to, and includes most of, the Dead Sea....
in the southern West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics is the statistical organization under the umbrella of the Palestinian Cabinet of the Palestinian National Authority....
, Zif had a population of 848 in 2007. The primary health care facilities in the village itself are designated by the Ministry of Health as level 1 and at nearby Yatta
Yatta, Hebron
Yatta or Yattah is a Palestinian city located in the Hebron Governorate on a high approximately 8 km south of the city of Hebron in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics it had a population of 48,672 in 2007....
as level 3.
Biblical scholar Edward Robinson
Edward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
identified the modern town of Zif and its adjacent Tell Zif wth the Ziph
Ziph (Judean Mountains)
Ziph was a city in the Judean Mountains , south-east of Hebron. Here David hid himself from Saul . The name of Zif is found about four miles south of Hebron, attached to a rounded hill of some 100 feet in height, which is called Tell Zif.-From archaeology:Scholars debate the interpretation of the...
described in the Bible as being a city in the Judean Mountains
Judean Mountains
The Judaean Mountains, ;, also Judaean Hills and Hebron Hills is a mountain range in Israel and the West Bank where Jerusalem and several other biblical cities are located. The mountains reach a height of 1,000 m.-Geography:...
. It was here that David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
hid himself from Saul
Saul the King
According to the Bible, Saul was the first king of the united Kingdom of Israel. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel and reigned from Gibeah. He commited suicide to avoid arrest in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, during which three of his sons were also killed...
.
Zif had a Jewish population until at least the 4th-century, but it became Christian during the Byzantine period. When Jewish pilgrim Isaac Chelo visited in 1334, he wrote that the village was only known for the miracles wrought at the tomb of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Ziphai. Claude Reignier Conder
Claude Reignier Conder
Claude Reignier Conder was a British soldier, explorer and antiquarian. He was a great-great-grandson of Louis-François Roubiliac....
(1875) located his tomb as being the "fine sepulchral monument" immediately south of the present Tell Zif.
