under Egyptian domination as a result of Thutmose III’s victory at Megiddo. Archaeological evidence indicates that it was an Egyptian outpost throughout the reigns of several Pharaohs, and three stelae or monumental stones have been unearthed there, relating to Seti I and Ramses II, and also a statue of Ramses III. At level No. 7 of the excavations, assigned to the time of the reign of Amenhotep III, what are believed to be the remains of the commandant’s residence were found, indicating the existence of a lavatory, a spacious kitchen, and alongside this a silo capable of holding over 1,100 bushels of grain.

At the time of the Israelite conquest of Canaan (1473-1467 B.C.E.), Beth-shean was located within the territory allotted to Issachar but was assigned to the tribe of Manasseh for a possession. (Josh. 17:11; 1 Chron. 7:29) The men of Manasseh failed to drive out the Canaanites in Beth-shean and other towns of the valley, presenting as their reason the military advantage exercised by the Canaanites with their war chariots equipped with iron scythes, which reason, however, did not satisfy their commander Joshua. The Canaanites, though not dispossessed, nevertheless were eventually subjugated to the point of rendering forced labor.—Josh. 17:12, 13, 16-18; Judg. 1:27, 28.

Beth-shean was in the possession of the Philistines at the time of the reign of King Saul (1117-1077 B.C.E.), and following Saul’s defeat at adjacent Mount Gilboa the Philistine victors placed Saul’s armor in the “house of the Ashtoreth images” and his head on the house of Dagon, and hung the dead bodies of Saul and his sons on the wall of Beth-shan (Beth-shean), evidently on the interior side facing the city’s public square. Courageous and daring Israelites of Jabesh-gilead, about ten miles (16 kilometers away on the other side of the Jordan, retrieved the bodies, perhaps penetrating the city at night in order to do so.—1 Sam. 31:8-13; 2 Sam. 21:12; 1 Chron. 10:8-12.

In harmony with the above account, in the excavations at Tell el-Husn the ruins of two temples were uncovered, one of which is considered to be the temple of Ashtoreth, while the other, farther to the S, is suggested by some of be the temple of Dagon. The temple of Ashtoreth is estimated to have continued in use until about the tenth century B.C.E. Evidence indicates an earlier worship of a Baal god referred to in one stele as “Mekal the lord [Baal] of Beth-shan.”

The city was eventually conquered by the Israelites, doubtless during the time of David’s reign, and during the reign of Solomon Beth-shean was included in one of the twelve royal supply districts. (1 Ki. 4:12) Following the division of the kingdom, Pharaoh Shishak (called Sheshonk by the Egyptians) invaded Palestine during King Rehoboam’s fifth year (993 B.C.E.). (1 Ki. 14:25) A relief on a wall at Karnak in Egypt depicts Shishak’s victorious campaign and conquest of numerous towns, including Beth-shean.

By the time of the Maccabees the name of Beth-shean had been changed to Scythopolis, and it is referred to by Jewish historian Josephus as one of the largest cities of the Decapolis. It was the only one of these ten cities lying W of the Jordan.

BETH-SHEMESH

(Beth-sheʹmesh) [house of the sun].

The name of four cities in the Biblical account.

1. A city located on the northern boundary of Judah, listed between Chesalon and Timnah. (Josh. 15:10) It is evidently called Ir-shemesh (city of the sun) at Joshua 19:41, where it appears as a boundary town of the tribe of Dan, Judah’s neighbor to the N. Judah subsequently bequeathed Beth-shemesh to the Levites as a priestly city.—Josh. 21:13, 16; 1 Chron. 6:59.

Beth-shemesh is identified with Tell er—Rumeileh near present-day ʽAin Shems, this latter place partly preserving the ancient name. Beth-shemesh thus lay about sixteen miles (26 kilometers) W of Jerusalem and was situated on the main road from that city of the Philistine cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. It was evidently a strategic point militarily as it guarded the upper portion of the Valley of Sorek and one of the main approaches from the coastal plains into the Shephelah region and the mountains of Judah. Excavations carried out at the site indicate an ancient history for the city, with considerable evidence of Philistine influence.

When the Philistines, plagued by disease, sent the ark of Jehovah back to Israel the cows pulling the wagon of their own accord headed for this Levite city of Beth-shemesh. However, the improper action of some of the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh in looking upon the ark of the covenant brought death to seventy of them. (1 Sam. 6:9-20) The phrase “fifty thousand men” occurring at 1 Samuel 6:19 in the Hebrew is not connected with the “seventy men” by any conjunction and this is considered by some to indicate an interpolation. Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, Book VI, chap. 1, par. 4) in discussing the Biblical account mentions only seventy men as killed, omitting all reference to the fifty thousand.

Beth-shemesh was one of the cities connected with King Solomon’s administrative arrangement for providing food for the royal table. (1 Ki. 4:7, 9) Long narrow rooms believed to have been used for grain storage have been found there, and also a huge stone-lined silo some twenty-three feet (7 meters) in diameter and almost nineteen feet (5.7 meters) deep. Numerous grape and olive presses unearthed indicate that the area was very productive in oil and wine.

King Amaziah (858-829 B.C.E.) unwisely challenged Jehoash of Israel and suffered defeat and capture at Beth-shemesh. (2 Ki. 14:9-13; 2 Chron. 25:18-23) During the reign of Ahaz (761-745 B.C.E.) national degradation and infidelity resulted in the loss of Beth-shemesh to the Philistines. (2 Chron. 28:18, 19) A stamped jar handle bearing the inscription “belonging to Eliakim, steward of Jaukin [a shortened form of the name Jehoiachin],” was excavated at Beth-shemesh and is suggested to relate to the king of that name, perhaps indicating that the kingdom of Judah in time regained control of the city from the Philistines. The city was finally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon about 607 B.C.E.

2. A fortified city in the territory of Naphtali. (Josh. 19:35-39) Though not driven out, the Canaanites residing in this city became subject to forced labor for the Naphtalites. (Judg. 1:33) The ancient site remains unidentified.

3. A town of Issachar near the Jordan. (Josh. 19:22, 23) While different sites have been suggested, modern authorities prefer an identification with elʽAbeidiyeh on the banks of the Jordan just a couple of miles (3 kilometers) S of the Sea of Galilee and about ten miles (16 kilometers) E of Mount Tabor. The ancient name is possibly preserved at nearby Khirbet Shamsawi.

4. A city in Egypt included in Jeremiah’s prophecy of coming devastation upon that nation. (Jer. 43:13) It is considered to be the same as Heliopolis (a Greek name also meaning “city of the sun”), located a few miles E-NE of modern Cairo. It is elsewhere referred to in the Scriptural account by its Egyptian name, On.—See ON No. 2.

BETH-SHEMITE

(Beth-sheʹmite).

An inhabitant of Beth-shemesh of Judah. The term is applied to Joshua, the owner of the field where the ark of the covenant rested on a “great stone,” exposed to view, after being brought there on a Philistine wagon.—1 Sam. 6:14, 18.

BETH-SHITTAH

(Beth-shitʹtah) [house of the acacia].

A town mentioned in describing the line of flight followed by the Midianites after their rout in the low plain of Jezreel by Judge Gideon. (Judg. 7:22)