Original Word: אֲרָב
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Arab
Pronunciation: ah-RAHV
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-awb')
KJV: Arab
NASB: Arab
Word Origin: [from H693 (אָרַב - ambush)]

1. ambush
2. Arab, a place in Israel

Arab, a place in Palestine

From 'arab; ambush; Arab, a place in Palestine -- Arab.

see HEBREW 'arab

Word Origin
from arab
Definition
a city in Pal.
NASB Translation
Arab (1).

אֲרָב proper name, of a location city near Hebron Joshua 15:52 (ᵐ5 Ἐρεμ, ᵐ5^L Ἐρεβ; according to Onomoasticon Ἐρεμινθα Lag^{On. 254, 2nd ed. 260 Ereb} Id.^{119, 2nd ed.152}, a village Heromith in Daroma; compare Di Survey^{iii. 311}).

Biblical Setting

“Arab, Dumah, and Eshan” (Joshua 15:52). The only appearance of the town occurs in the inventory of hill-country settlements allotted to the tribe of Judah. It stands within the second of three clusters listed after the larger group headed by Debir (Joshua 15:48-51) and before the group anchored by Hebron (Joshua 15:54). Its inclusion situates it firmly in the uplands south-southwest of Jerusalem, forming part of the protective ring of interior strongholds that secured Judah’s heartland.

Geographical Location

Most researchers identify the site with modern ʿErāb or Khirbet ʿArab, a ruin approximately twenty-five kilometers (sixteen miles) south of Hebron and a short distance west of the north-south ridge route that later became the “Way of the Patriarchs.” The location commands a series of terraces dropping toward the Negev and overlooks natural passes leading into the lowlands. Such topography explains why Arab is grouped with towns that controlled access between the coastal plain, the Shephelah, and the Judean hill country.

Historical and Strategic Role

1. Frontier Defense: Arab and its companion towns flanked the approaches to Hebron, Judah’s administrative center in the early monarchy (2 Samuel 2:11). Their placement provided an early warning network against incursions from Philistine territory or desert raiders.
2. Agricultural Support: Archaeological surveys reveal terrace walls, cisterns, and winepresses characteristic of upland viticulture and olive cultivation. The town likely served as an agrarian satellite supplying Hebron’s markets with oil, wine, and grain.
3. Tribal Integration: The Joshua 15 register underscores the completeness of Judah’s inheritance. Even a seemingly minor hill village is named, demonstrating that every family’s portion mattered in the covenant distribution (Joshua 14:15-16).

Archaeological Correlations

Surface pottery from the Iron Age and Persian periods has been collected at Khirbet ʿArab, indicating continuous, though modest, occupation beyond the conquest era. Rock-cut silos and a double-chambered cistern point to communal storage and water management—features indispensable for hillside settlements dependent on winter rainfall. No monumental architecture has been unearthed, aligning with the biblical silence about fortifications or royal installations at Arab.

Ministry Insights

1. God’s Attention to the Small: Arab’s single verse presence models the biblical pattern of valuing local communities. Pastors and ministry leaders can draw encouragement that God records and honors obscure places and people (compare Luke 12:6-7).
2. Stewardship of Inheritance: Arab reminds believers that physical land and resources are gifts to be cultivated faithfully. Christians today steward spiritual and material inheritances entrusted to them (1 Corinthians 4:2).
3. Covenant Boundaries: The precise detailing of territories in Joshua testifies to the historicity and reliability of Scripture. Teaching through such passages affirms that God acts in concrete geography and history, anchoring faith in verifiable reality.
4. Community Interdependence: Arab’s role in a network of settlements illustrates the body principle later emphasized by Paul: “The whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows…” (Ephesians 4:16). Each congregation, whatever its size, contributes to the strength of the wider church.

Summary

Arab was a modest hill-country town embedded in Judah’s strategic and agricultural fabric. Though mentioned only once, its recorded presence confirms God’s meticulous faithfulness in allocating the land, underscores the value of every community within the covenant, and offers enduring lessons on stewardship, solidarity, and the trustworthiness of the biblical narrative.

אֲרַ֥ב ארב ’ă·raḇ ’ăraḇ aRavInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts