ESHTEMOH or ESHTEMOA (ribneiN and ; Sept. cod. Alex. 'Ea-0 cp.6, etc.) In Josh.
xv. so this name is written without the guttural J.,; but in all other places it retains that letter. The Sept.
has also several ways of representing the name, some of which bear little resemblance to the ori ginal. The position of Eshtemoa is defined with considerable minuteness in the Bible. It was in the mountains of Judah, near the southern border of that tribe, and not far distant from Anab, Jattir, and Socho, the sites of which are known (Josh. xv. 50). All that is known of its history may be told in a very few words. It was assigned to the priests (Josh. xxi. 14). It was one of those cities which David frequented when hiding from Saul, and to which, as a reward for kindness and hospi tality, he sent part of the spoils of the Amalekites (I Sam. xxx. 26-3 I). Eusebius and Jerome simply mention it as a large village in Darom, in the pro vince of Eleutheropolis (0/rawest. s.v. Esthenzo).
Dr. Robinson has rightly identified it with Senzz2a, a village eight miles south of Hebron, and the last inhabited place towards the desert. He says, ' it is situated on a low hill, with broad valleys round about, not susceptible of much tillage, but full of flocks and herds, all in fine order.' Beside it are some olive groves. The ancient ruins are exten sive • among them are foundations of massive bevelled stones, shewing that the architecture is Jewish. The most conspicuous object now is a fragment of an old castle, which appears from the character of the masonry to be of Saracenic origin (Robinson, B. R. iii. 206 ; Wilson, Lands of the Bible, i. 353).—J. L. P.
ESLI (To-Xi, var. lect. 'EerNel), son of Nagge, in the genealogy of our Lord (Luke iii. 25). Pro bably this represents the Hebrew r6yt..1, Azaliak.