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Jebus

Hebrew: יְב֔וּס —transliteration: Jebus or Yebus

Meaning: threshing-place, threshing-floor, trodden hard

This was the name of a Canaanite city which stood on Mount Zion (Joshua 15:8; 18:16, 28).

The name Jebus occurs 4 times in Scriptures. Its inhabitants are called Jebusites. Jebus was later renamed Jerusalem.

Mount Zion, south of Jerusalem’s Old City wall, just south of Zion Gate—satellite view

The city is first identified with Jerusalem in Judges 19:10, and with the castle or City of David (1 Chronicles 11:4-5). It was a place of great natural strength, and its capture was one of David’s most brilliant achievements (2 Samuel 5:8).

They Jebusites were defeated by Joshua, and their king was slain; but they were not entirely driven out of Jebus till the time of David, who made it the capital of his kingdom instead of Hebron.

And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither.

Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. …And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David

And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. —1 Chronicles 11:4-8 KJV

The site on which Solomon’s Temple was afterwards built belonged to Araunah, a Jebusite, from whom it was purchased by David, who refused to accept it as a free gift (2 Samuel 24:16-25; 1 Chronicles 21:24-25).

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Article Version: September 27, 2017