Original Word: קִרְיַת יְעָרִים
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Qiryath Y`ariym
Pronunciation: keer-YAHT yeh-ah-REEM
Phonetic Spelling: (keer-yath' yeh-aw-reem')
KJV: Kirjath, Kirjath-jearim, Kirjath-arim
NASB: Kiriath-jearim, Kiriath, Kiriath-arim
Word Origin: [from H7151 (קִריָה - city) and the plural of H3293 (יַעַר - Forest) or H5892 (עִיר עָר עָיַר - City)]

1. city of forests, or city of towns
2. Kirjath-Jearim or Kirjath-Arim, a place in Israel

Kirjath, Kirjath-jearim, Kirjath-arim

Or (Jer. 26:20) with the article interposed; or (Josh. 18:28) simply the former part of the word; or Qiryath tariym {keer-yath' aw-reem'}; from qiryah and the plural of ya'ar or iyr; city of forests, or city of towns; Kirjath-Jearim or Kirjath-Arim, a place in Palestine -- Kirjath, Kirjath-jearim, Kirjath-arim.

see HEBREW qiryah

see HEBREW ya'ar

see HEBREW iyr

Word Origin
from qiryah and yaar
Definition
"city of forests," a city given to Judah, then to Benjamin
NASB Translation
Kiriath (1), Kiriath-arim (1), Kiriath-jearim (18).

קִרְיַת יְעָרִים proper name, of a location πόλ(ε)ις Ιαρειμ[ν], Καριαθιαρειμ, etc. (city of forests); — city of the Gibeonites Joshua 9:17, assigned to Judah Joshua 15:60 compare Judges 18:12 (twice in verse), on border of Benjamin Joshua 15:9 (יְעָרִים הַר Joshua 15:10, ᵐ5 πόλιν Ιαρειν, see יְעָרִים), Joshua 18:14; assigned to Benjamin Joshua 18:28 (יְעָרִים omitted by textual error before עָרִים, see ᵐ5); near Beth Shemesh 1 Samuel 6:21, long the abode of ark 1 Samuel 7:1,2; 1 Chronicles 13:5,6; 2Chronicles 1:4; named in Genealogical list 1 Chronicles 2:50,52,53; named also Nehemiah 7:29 = עָרִים ׳ק Ezra 2:25 (read יְעָרִים); with article הַיְּעָרִים ׳ק Jeremiah 26:20; abbreviated (in poetry) (שְׂדֵיֿ) יָ֑עַר Psalm 132:6; called also קִרְיַתבַּֿעַל (Καριαθβααλ) Joshua 15:60; Joshua 18:14 + Joshua 18:15 (where read for יְעָרִים ׳ק, so ᵐ5 Di Benn Steuern); this abbreviated into בַּעֲלָה, Joshua 15:9,10 [(Ιε)βααλ], also Joshua 15:11; Joshua 15:29, and מִבַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה 2 Samuel 6:2 (read ׳בַּעַל יְה, or ׳בַּעֲלַת יְה), בַּעֲלָ֑תָה "" 1 Chronicles 13:6 (see on these II. בַּעֲלָה). Identification uncertain; Rob^{BR ii. 11} conjectures Kiryat el-`Enab, 8 miles + west of Jerusalem (compare Καριαθιαρειμ Lag<sup>Onom. 271</sup>); `Erma (Henderson^{Pal. 85, 112, 210} Conder^{Survey Mem. iii. 43 ff.}), compare GASm^{Geogr. 225 f.} Buhl^{Geogr. 166 f.}.

קִרְיַתסַֿנָּה see following עָרִים ׳ק see foregoing

Location and Geography

Kiriath Jearim (“City of Forests”) occupied the frontier between Judah and Benjamin on the western shoulder of the Judean hill country, roughly midway between Jerusalem and the Philistine plain (Joshua 15:9; Joshua 18:14–15). It sat on a prominent hill (1 Samuel 7:1) with extensive woodlands, giving rise to its name. Modern identification favors Khirbet el-ʿEzariyeh (Deir el-ʿAzar) on the ridge of Abu Ghosh. Its situation made it a natural landmark on tribal borders and a strategic waypoint on the north–south ridge route.

Place among the Gibeonite Cities

Joshua 9:17 lists Kiriath Jearim with Gibeon, Chephirah, and Beeroth as Hivite towns that secured a covenant of servitude with Israel through deception. Though allotted to Judah (Joshua 15:9–10, 60) and Benjamin (Joshua 18:14–15, 28) in boundary descriptions, the city retained its Gibeonite distinctiveness, explaining why Levitical duties and later Benjamite resettlement could coexist with Judahite governance.

Custodian of the Ark of the Covenant

After the Philistines returned the captured ark, “The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They brought it into Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the LORD” (1 Samuel 7:1). For about twenty years (1 Samuel 7:2) the ark remained here, signaling YHWH’s restored favor but also Israel’s spiritual lethargy: the nation “lamented after the LORD,” yet no one moved the ark to Shiloh or to a central sanctuary. David later gathered “all Israel… to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim” (1 Chronicles 13:5; cf. 2 Samuel 6:2), underlining the site’s pivotal role in preparing the way for Jerusalem’s emergence as Israel’s worship center.

Tribal Genealogies and Clans

1 Chronicles 2:50–53 links Kiriath Jearim with the Calebite clan and lists descendants such as Reaiah, the Harumites, and the Shuthalites, suggesting integration between Calebite Judahites and remnant Hivites. The genealogy affirms continuity of covenant families from the conquest through the monarchy and ties the city to the broader promises given to Caleb.

Military Encounters and the Danite Migration

In Judges 18:12 the Danite expedition to Laish pitches camp at “Mahaneh-Dan, west of Kiriath Jearim.” The notation implies that Kiriath Jearim marked a western limit of Israelite security; beyond it the tribal allotments had not been fully subdued, prompting Dan’s relocation. The episode reinforces the city’s role as a boundary marker during the unsettled era of the Judges.

Prophetic Voice from Kiriath Jearim

Jeremiah 26:20 records the prophet Uriah son of Shemaiah, “from Kiriath Jearim,” whose faithful preaching paralleled Jeremiah’s and whose martyrdom prefigured later hostility to prophetic truth. The reference highlights the city as a locale that produced prophetic witness even amid national apostasy.

Post-Exilic Resettlement

Returning exiles from “Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth” numbered seven hundred and forty-three in Ezra 2:25 (cf. Nehemiah 7:29). Their inclusion testifies to covenant faithfulness: ancestral towns were reclaimed, the tribal map was reactivated, and Gibeonite servanthood within the temple service (Joshua 9:27) likely resumed. Kiriath Jearim thus bridges pre-exilic and post-exilic communities in the unfolding redemptive plan.

Spiritual and Ministry Significance

1. Reverence for God’s Presence: The prolonged housing of the ark emphasizes that God’s holiness can abide outside grand sanctuaries when hearts are consecrated (Abinadab and Eleazar).
2. Preparation for Zion: By sheltering the ark until David’s ascent, Kiriath Jearim functions as a theological hinge from the tribal confederacy to the united monarchy and ultimately to the Messianic expectation centered in Jerusalem.
3. Encouragement to Faithful Minorities: From a Gibeonite town spared by grace, from an outlying hill, and from a humble household, the Lord orchestrated national revival (1 Samuel 7) and prophetic testimony (Jeremiah 26). Ministry impact is not confined to prominent cities.

Later Jewish and Christian Tradition

Second century Jewish sources associate the site with “Gibeah” of the ark; early Christian pilgrims noted a church marking Abinadab’s house. Medieval Latin nomenclature (Cariathiarim) preserved the memory, and modern visitors to Abu Ghosh encounter Benedictine and Crusader remains commemorating the ark episode—evidence that Kiriath Jearim’s biblical legacy continued to inspire worship across the ages.

Key References

Joshua 9:17; 15:9–10, 60; 18:14–15, 28

Judges 18:12

1 Samuel 6:21–7:2

1 Chronicles 2:50–53; 13:5–6

2 Chronicles 1:4

Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29

Jeremiah 26:20

הַיְּעָרִ֑ים היערים יְעָרִ֑ים יְעָרִ֔ים יְעָרִ֖ים יְעָרִ֗ים יְעָרִֽים׃ יְעָרִים֙ יערים יערים׃ עָרִים֙ ערים קִרְיַ֔ת קרית ‘ā·rîm ‘ārîm aRim haiyeaRim hay·yə·‘ā·rîm hayyə‘ārîm kirYat qir·yaṯ qiryaṯ yə‘ārîm yə·‘ā·rîm yeaRimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts