Talk:Beersheba

Zero and Huldra enforce a change done by an IP that changed Hebrew to Arabic in Etymology section, which I believe to be wrong.

The city name predate Arabic and already shown in biblical references (book of Gensiss), and even during the times of St. Jerome the name Beersheba existed. Britanica mention the etymology to be Hebrew or Canaanite languages , several scholars also mention the Hebrew reasons for the name . Firestone adds the Islmaic explantation (when also mentioning that the bible is attributed to Hebrew) even The ottoman resarches mention Hebrew as the source of the name

It is one thing to add Arabic or Canaanite explanations to the existing hebrew name , but removing Hebrew and replacing it with Arabic is pure push of POV 37.19.119.150 (talk) 07:26, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

@Zero0000: @Huldra:

@37.19.119.150: Nobody removed the Hebrew etymology. Now it is there twice, in adjacent paragraphs. You replaced the Arabic meaning by a second description of the Hebrew meaning. Zero^talk 08:00, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

@Zero0000: The only place that mention the Hebrew language (now) as the source for the name is the Etymology section.37.19.119.52 (talk) 11:58, 8 March 2016 (UTC)

@37.19.119.150: The paragraph before the one you inserted is about the Hebrew etymology. It isn't written very well but you are welcome to rewrite it and provide sources. You are not entitled to remove the Arabic meaning. This place was primarily Arab for a thousand years and the name has meaning in Arabic even if it was derived from the Hebrew name. Zero^talk 12:39, 8 March 2016 (UTC)

@Zero0000: as I said the previous paragraph does not mention Hebrew at all but talk about voguly about the origin, the city held that name during the Roman eta (at least int the book I'm reading now with a different spelling as BeroSaba)

 There are several etymologies for the origin of the name "Beersheba." The oath of Abraham and Abimelech (well of the oath) is the one stated in Gen. 21:31. Others include the seven wells dug by Isaac (seven wells) though only three or four have been identified; the oath of Isaac and Abimelech (well of the oath in Gen. 26:33); the seven lambs that sealed Abraham and Abimelech's oath (well of the seven).

That does not mention the hebrew language at all , now compare that to what I compared in Britinca :

 Beersheba is first mentioned as the site where Abraham, founder of the Jewish people, made a covenant with the Philistine king Abimelech of Gerar (Genesis 21). Isaac and Jacob, the other patriarchs, also lived there (Genesis 26, 28, 46). The name seems to be a Hebrew play on words—beʾer “well”; shevaʿ “oath,” or “seven” (referring to the seven lambs of Genesis 21)—though a Canaanite origin has also been suggested. 

Britanica is clear about the languages, wikipedia on the other hand is not.

In addition, I believe that this article is in a very poor state, just compare it (as I did using Google translate) to the Hebrew and Russian versions, this article make it look as if for more then a thousand years the city didn't exist (under the Arab rule and before the Iron age and neither khirbat meter or Zfady and batter are not even mentioned)

What I'm missing here are elements such as beersheba region and history, I belive at least some of that info should exist on this page37.19.119.52 (talk) 13:43, 8 March 2016 (UTC)

Everyone knows the Bible was written in Hebrew, but you are welcome to modify that paragraph to mention Hebrew explicitly. You haven't given a reason for deleting the mention of Arabic, please put it back. Zero^talk 22:44, 8 March 2016 (UTC)

@Zero0000: Perhaps instead of assuming what "Everyone" know wikipedia should provide related hard fact facts instead ?. At least some of the later parts of the hebrew Bible had been written in Aramaic, at least some of the Deuterocanonical books had been preserved based on the Greek translation only - so can you honestly say that the common reader will know in what language a specific book had been written ?. Your comment is striking given that under most of the Arab period the place was deserted and only the location had preserved it's name under the same logic you should have asked to have the Ottoman-Turkish name Birüsseb ,why not demand Greek and Persian etymology. Why don't you demand the Aramaic "Bira" (בִּירָא) (well) and Sheva (Seven) in the etymology as well (I know it wrong because similarly to Arabic the language arrived few hounded years after the name already existed) ?

I really don't understand why the Bible is taken as the primary encyclopedic source for the Etymology of this place - surely the correct way is to show what the words mean (and note the history) and then discuss the Biblical tale, not treat the Bible as a definitive source. Religious literalists may want to do that, Wikipedia should not, surely? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.60.76.28 (talk) 18:18, 22 April 2024 (UTC)

Could someone please manually undo the changes made to the table by Quackslikeaduck on March 11, 2017? Until then the table showed the breakdown of the metro population correctly, but now includes what is termed the "outer ring" twice, adding in the figures for its 3 subcomponents along with their subtotal to create total metro population figures way beyond the actual sourced figures. 176.228.195.157 (talk) 13:53, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

Have started placing red links.

The Beersheba-Arad valley = biblical Negev, important copper trade route, etc. => very notable. Arminden (talk) 14:12, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

Pls consider "Beersheba-Arad valley" as well as "Beersheba valley" and "Arad plain" (also spelled with caps), both as such and as redirects. Arminden (talk) 14:47, 26 May 2025 (UTC)