Telem
“Oppression; or Place of lambs”
Summary
Telem refers to both a city in the extreme south of Judah and a Levite porter who divorced his foreign wife in Ezra's time.
☩The City
Telem was one of the cities in the uttermost southern portion of Judah's territory, near the border with Edom. It is listed in Joshua 15:24 between Ziph and Bealoth among the frontier towns. The city was probably identical with Telaim, where Saul gathered his army before attacking the Amalekites. By the time of Eusebius and Jerome in the fourth century, the exact location was already unknown.
☩The Porter
A different Telem was a Levite who served as a porter (gatekeeper) and was among those who had married foreign wives during the Babylonian exile. In response to Ezra's reform, he put away his foreign wife along with others who had intermarried contrary to the law. This act of obedience, though painful, demonstrated the community's commitment to covenant faithfulness after the exile.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Telem," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Telem," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Telem," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Telem," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).