Beer-sheba (also spelled Beersheba) is associated with patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, who dug wells and made covenants there. It signifies the edge of the Promised Land and a place of divine encounter. In poetry, it evokes themes of covenant, journey’s end, and the sacredness of water in arid lands. Its dual spelling reflects textual traditions but refers to the same symbolic locale.

Beersheba is the standard modern spelling of Beer-sheba (12702), the southernmost city of biblical Israel. In poetry, it functions identically—as a symbol of covenant, desert spirituality, and national boundaries. Contemporary Israeli poets (e.g., Yehuda Amichai) often use Beersheba to explore the tension between ancient promise and modern urban reality. Students should treat 12702 and 12703 as synonymous but note that poetic usage may favor one spelling for rhythmic or traditional reasons.

Beer-sheba (meaning “well of the oath”) is a key biblical site in the Negev desert, associated with covenants made by Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 21, 26). It marks the southern boundary of ancient Israel (“from Dan to Beersheba”). In poetry, it symbolizes promise, oath-keeping, divine provision, and the edge of the known world. Liturgical and Zionist poetry often uses it to evoke ancestral continuity. Note that “Beer-sheba” and “Beersheba” (12703) refer to the same place; the hyphenated form is more common in older translations.