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BETH-HORON

(Heb. bēṯ-ḥôrôn)

A levitical city in the tribal territory of Ephraim (Josh. 21:22; 1 Chr. 6:68). The name means “house of Horon” (perhaps a Canaanite deity). Twin cities are indicated: Lower Beth-horon was assigned to Ephraim (Josh. 16:3), while Upper Beth-horon was on the border between Ephraim and Benjamin (v. 5; 18:13-14). The Chronicler attributes their construction to Sheerah, granddaughter of Ephraim (1 Chr. 7:24). Both cities were situated on the “ascent [or descent] of Beth-horon,” down which Joshua chased Amorites fleeing their defeat at Gibeon (Josh. 10:10-11). Their location on the slope leading to the hill country from the coastal plain made the cities strategically important and vulnerable to attack. Upper Beth-horon has been identified with Beit ʿUr el-Fōqāʾ (160143) and Lower Beth-horon with Beit ʿUr et-Öahta (158144).

During the reign of Saul, Philistine raiders attacked Beth-horon (1 Sam. 13:18). Solomon rebuilt Lower Beth-horon (1 Kgs. 9:17; the Chronicler names both cities, calling them “fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars”; 2 Chr. 8:5-6). The Egyptian pharaoh Shishak names Beth-horon in his list of places conquered in Palestine, recorded on the temple to Amun at Karnak. Later Beth-horon was attacked by renegade Judean mercenaries who rampaged from Samaria to Beth-horon (2 Chr. 25:13). The area remained strategically important in the intertestamental period. Judas Maccabeus won a victory there (1 Macc. 3:16, 24). The Syrians used Beth-horon as a camp (1 Macc. 7:39) and later refortified the site (9:50).

Daniel C. Browning, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

BETH-HORON

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)