Allon-bachuth

Allon-bachuth, meaning oak of weeping, was a tree near Bethel beneath which Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was buried (Gen. 35:8). The memorial name given to the site reflects the ancient Near Eastern practice of commemorating significant deaths at notable natural landmarks. This Deborah is distinct from Deborah the prophetess-judge of Judges 4–5. Her burial on Jacob's journey back to Bethel marked a moment of personal grief embedded within the larger narrative of God's covenant renewal with the patriarch at that sacred site.