Tekoa

Tuh-koh´uh

A name used in reference to a wilderness (2Chr 20:20) and to a town. Two persons known to David came from the settlement (2Sam 14:1-17; 2Sam 23:26), and according to the author of Chronicles, Rehoboam fortified the site (2Chr 11:6). It is located on a ridge about ten miles south of Bethlehem. Because of its vantage point warnings could be given if an enemy threatened Jerusalem from the south (Jer 6:1). This may be the home of the prophet Amos (Amos 1:1), though some scholars think that Amos’s home must be a Tekoa in Galilee, a site known in postbiblical times.