Biblical Relevance

Debir is first mentioned in the Bible in Josh 10:38–39 after Joshua and the Israelites fought and defeated a coalition of kings in Canaan comprising forces from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. The king of Eglon was named Debir (Josh 10:3). The city had been called Kiriath Sepher, or “city of the scroll,” and was also known as Kiriath Sannah, or “city of the scribe” (Josh 15:15, 49; Judg 1:11). The book of Joshua records that the Israelites conquered Debir and left no survivors (Josh 10:38–39), and also that the city had been occupied by the Anakim (Josh 11:21). Debir appears later on a list of defeated cities (Josh 12:13).

A second account of an attack on Debir states that Othniel, son of Kenaz, brother of Caleb, captured the city (Josh 15:15–17; Judg 1:11–13). This may be a more detailed version of the earlier defeat of Debir, or it may be a slightly later capture of the city after it was reoccupied.

The book of Joshua gives geographic clues about the location of Debir, which is placed near Hebron and Anab (Josh 10:36, 38; 11:21, 13:26, 15:7). The site of Debir was occupied during the time of Joshua and Caleb, and again later during the time of the judges, though (perhaps due to limited excavations) there is no clear archaeological evidence relating to an attack on the city by the Israelites (Kochavi, “Debir,” 6–10, 20–22, 28). In the books of Joshua and Judges, Caleb’s daughter Achsah asks him for the two springs of water at Debir, which appear to correspond to the two springs by the site of Khirbet Rabud (Josh 15:19; Judg 1:15). Debir was included in the inheritance of the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:49), but later given to Levi (Josh 21:15; 1 Chr 6:58).

A massive wall encompassing the current archaeological site was built about the period of Solomon and may correspond to other major building projects during his reign (Kochavi, “Debir,” 12; 1 Kgs 9:15–19). Although the accounts in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and Isaiah do not mention Debir by name, a destruction layer at the site demonstrates that the city was destroyed during the invasion of Judah by the Assyrians under Sennacherib ca. 701 bc (2 Kgs 18:13–18; 2 Chr 32:1–19; Isa 36:1–22). Archaeological evidence suggests the Babylonians also destroyed Debir during their conquest of Judah (2 Kgs 24:2; Jer 35:17; 18).

A small settlement existed briefly after the exile, approximately the time of Nehemiah during the 5th century bc in the Persian period, but specific details of this town are unknown (Kochavi, “Debir,” 12). Around the time of the New Testament, a small fort or watchtower may have been in use at the site, but there was no town or city in existence.