Bethleem identifies the town named as David’s city, Jesus’ birthplace, and the destination of searches and travel.

The term is used consistently as the name of a town: it is called the city of David in Luke 2:4, named as the place of Jesus’ birth in Matthew 2:1, and marks destinations, origins, and a direct address to the town.

1. Place name for the town · dominant

   Across the occurrences, the noun names a specific town in clauses of location, movement, origin, and address. In Luke 2:4 the APB renders it as the city called "Bethlehem"; in Matthew 2:8 it is the destination to which the sages are sent, while Matthew 2:6 directly addresses the town.

   Luke 2:4Matthew 2:1Matthew 2:5Matthew 2:6Matthew 2:8John 7:42

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB consistently presents the name as "Bethlehem" in location and movement clauses, including "in Bethlehem," "to Bethlehem," and "from Bethlehem." These English prepositions reflect the clauses as a whole rather than supplying separate meanings for the noun.