edar, tower of Summary and Overview
Bible Dictionaries at a Glance
edar, tower of in Smith's Bible Dictionary
(accur. EDER, a flock), a place named only in #Ge 35:21| According to Jerome it was one thousand paces from Bethlehem.
edar, tower of in Fausset's Bible Dictionary
Genesis 35:21. Jacob's first halting place between Bethlehem and Hebron was "beyond" this. The name means "a flock" or "drove." The tower was to watch the flock against wild beasts or robbers. Jewish tradition made it the destined birthplace of Messiah. Jerome saw in it the foreshadowing of the announcement of His birth to the "shepherds." Probably the Tower of Edar answers to the present Khirbet Sir el Ghanem, "the ruin of the sheepfold," which however contains Christian remains, arches, cisterns, tombs, etc.