The Bible tells of Bethlehem, which was also called "Efrat" in Genesis and in various other chapters. Rachel was buried on the road leading to Bethlehem ( "way to Efrat") north of the city , and Ruth the Moabite town lived on her return to Israel. According to the Book of Samuel, King David was born in the city which was anointed king by Samuel. After King David was exiled from the city, it was told that he missed the water well in the city, and three of his heroes brought him water from that well.

The city of Bethlehem is mentioned in the New Testament as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Some researchers believe that the identification of Bethlehem as the site of Jesus' birth is incorrect and that the Bethlehem of Galilee is the site mentioned in the New Testament. Bethlehem of Galilee remains a city from the first century, as well as the remains of a synagogue, a church and a later built church. The distance between Bethlehem of Galilee and Nazareth explains the description that appears in the New Testament, as Jesus passed whereby the distance between cities for six hours. In comparison, Bethlehem of Galilee provided no evidence for the existence of the Jewish town of Bethlehem in the First Temple period, and the city began to develop only in the third century AD.