And Maarath, and Bethanoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages:
Maarath (bare place, Gesenius) [Septuagint, Magarooth] - a town north of Hebron; not yet identified.
Beth-anoth, х Beeyt-`Anowt (H1042) (house of response, perhaps of echo, Gesenius); Septuagint, Baithanam] - probably the modern Beit-'Ainun, 40 degrees N. W. Hebron (Robinson's 'Biblical Researches,'
ii., p. 186; 'Later Researches,' p. 281).
Eltekon, х 'Eltªqon (H515), God is its foundation; Septuagint, Thekoum; Alexandrian, Eltheken] - a few miles north of Hebron, but not yet identified. It is uncertain on what principle this group also was associated. The Septuagint inserts here the names of 11 cities not in the Hebrew text. Jerome alludes to these in his Commentary on Micah 5:2 [Thekoo kai Efratha hautee esti Beethleem, etc. and hai koomai autoon]. He thinks it very probable that this group of cities was omitted by the Jews out of malicious hatred to Christianity, because Bethlehem-Ephratah, the birthplace of Christ, was one of them.