Edar

Edar (meaning tower of the flock) was a tower or landmark between Bethlehem and Hebron in the hill country of Judah, near which Jacob pitched his tent after the death and burial of Rachel at Bethlehem (Genesis 35:21). The name suggests a watchtower used by shepherds to guard their flocks — a common feature of the pastoral landscape of Judah. Beyond Jacob's encampment here, the place receives no further narrative development in the Old Testament canonical text.

Micah 4:8 contains the phrase "O tower of the flock (migdal-eder), the stronghold of the daughter of Zion," which is sometimes identified with Edar and taken as a messianic reference to Bethlehem's vicinity as the origin point of the coming king. Jewish tradition locates the tower near the fields where the shepherds received the angelic announcement of Christ's birth (Luke 2:8–15), though this connection is traditional rather than explicit in the text.