I SAMUEL 17:12

Q: “David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse.” What is an Ephrathite? I thought David (and by extension Jesus) came from the tribe of Judah.

The NRSV Study Bible explains that the Ephrathites were “a subgroup within the Calebite clan, which was part of the tribe of Judah.” It has no relationship, for example, to the tribe of Ephraim.

Ephrath was an ancient name for Bethlehem and figures prominently in Micah's messianic prophecy: “But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2)