Place Old Testament
Debir
Also known as Kiriath-sepher =ESV; Kirjath–sepher =KJV; Kiriath Sepher =NIV, Kiriath-sannah =ESV; Kirjath–sannah =KJV; Kiriath Sannah =NIV
Debir, also known as Kiriath-sannah or Kiriath-sepher, was a Canaanite city captured by Joshua and later by Caleb's family. Mentioned in 11 verses across 3 books, first at Joshua 10:38.
Why it matters. Canaanite city captured by Joshua and Caleb's family.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.417, 34.967 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Debir
Debir, also referred to as Kiriath-sannah or Kiriath-sepher, was a Canaanite city located in the hill country of Judah. It was conquered by Joshua during the initial Israelite conquest of Canaan (Joshua 10:38-39; 11:21; 12:13). Later, Caleb offered his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever would capture Debir, and Othniel, Caleb's nephew, successfully took the city (Joshua 15:15-16; Judges 1:11-12). The city was also known as Kiriath-sannah, meaning "city of palm," and Kiriath-sepher, meaning "city of books," possibly indicating it was a center of learning. After its capture, Debir was allotted to the priests (Joshua 21:15; 1Ch.6.58).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 11 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.