The Hebrew name Beth Lechem (בֵּית לֶחֶם) literally means House of Bread, composed of bayit (house) and lechem (bread/food). It is the ancient city in the hill country of Judah where Ruth gleaned in Boaz's fields, where David was born and anointed, and where the Messiah was prophesied to be born.
Bethlehem is a theological landmark in salvation history. Micah 5:2 prophesied that from this insignificant city would come the ruler of Israel — a prophecy fulfilled at the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:1–6). The name 'House of Bread' becomes profoundly meaningful when the Bread of Life (John 6:35) is born there. Ruth and Boaz's story of redemption in Bethlehem prefigures Christ the kinsman-redeemer. David's anointing there establishes the Davidic covenant line through which the Messiah comes.