for it is the sanctuary of a king and it is the house of a kingdom.”—Amos 7:10-13.

Despite these warnings, Bethel continued as an idolatrous sanctuary till the fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria in 740 B.C.E. Thus Jeremiah, over a century later, could refer to it as a warning example to those trusting in false gods to their eventual shame. (Jer. 48:13) Even thereafter Bethel continued as a religious center, for the king of Assyria sent one of the exiled priests back to Israel to teach the lion-plagued people “the religion of the God of the land,” and this priest settled in Bethel, teaching the people “as to how they ought to fear Jehovah.” The record does not state whether he was a Levitical priest or a ‘calf-god’ priest, but the results seem to indicate the latter, since “it was of Jehovah that they became fearers, but it was of their own gods that they proved to be worshipers,” and things continued on the same false and idolatrous basis initiated by Jeroboam.—2 Ki. 17:25, 27-33.

In fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy the golden calf of Bethel had been carried off to the king of Assyria (Hos. 10:5, 6), but the original altar of Jeroboam was still there in the time of King Josiah of Judah. It appears that not all the Israelites had been removed yet from the northern kingdom by the Assyrians, for during Josiah’s reign he extended his purge of false religion up into Bethel and also to the cities of Samaria. This took place during or following Josiah’s eighteenth year of rule (c. 642 B.C.E.), and such bold action may have been possible due to the fact that the Assyrian Empire was then occupied with internal problems. Whatever the case, Josiah destroyed the site of idolatrous worship in Bethel, first burning the bones from nearby tombs on the altar, thereby desecrating it in fulfillment of the prophecy given by the “man of God” over three centuries earlier. The only grave spared was that of the “man of God,” in that way sparing also the bones of the old prophet occupying the same grave.—2 Ki. 22:3; 23:15-18.

Men of Bethel were among the Israelites returning from exile in Babylon (Ezra 2:1, 28; Neh. 7:32), and Bethel was resettled by Benjamites. (Neh. 11:31) During the Maccabean period it was fortified by Syrian General Bacchides (c. 160 B.C.E.) and was captured later by Roman General Vespasian prior to his becoming emperor of Rome.—See LUZ No. 1.

2. One of the cities to which David sent gifts following his victory over the Amalekites. (1 Sam. 30:18, 26, 27) The fact that it is included among “the places where David had walked about, he and his men,” seems to indicate that it is the place elsewhere called Bethul or Bethuel, a Simeonite city in the territory of Judah.—1 Sam. 30:31; Josh. 19:1, 4; 1 Chron. 4:30; see BETHUEL No. 2.

BETH-EMEK

(Beth-eʹmek) [house of the valley or plain].

A town in the territory of the tribe of Asher. (Josh. 19:24, 27) It is presently identified with Tell Mimas, about six miles (10 kilometers) NE of Acco. The original name appears to be reflected in that of the nearby village of ʽAmqa.

BETH-EZEL

(Beth-eʹzel) [nearby house or place].

A town, evidently in Judah, mentioned only in Micah’s prophecy foretelling the disaster due to come upon unfaithful Judah. (Mic. 1:11) The prophet repeatedly makes a play on words in the use of the names of several towns in this portion of the prophecy, so that in reality he says: “In the house of Aphrah [dust] wallow in the very dust. Make your way across, O inhabitress of Shaphir [beautiful (city)], in shameful nudity. The inhabitress of Zaanan [migrating or departure] has not gone forth. The wailing of Beth-ezel [nearby place or ‘neighboring town’] will take from you people its standing place.” (Vss. 10, 11) The prophet’s warning, directed to those due to experience the disaster, thus in effect tells them that the mourning heard from Beth-ezel will cause them to realize that they can find no refuge there, or else that the calamity will not stop at Beth-ezel, hence allowing no stopping of the lamentation over Judah.

Though the identification is only tentative, Beth-ezel is generally considered to have been located at the site of present-day Deir el-ʽAsal, about eleven miles (18 kilometers) SW of Hebron.

BETH-GADER

(Beth-gaʹder) [house or place of a wall].

A name appearing in the genealogy of Judah. (1 Chron. 2:50, 51) The meaning of the name appears to be more geographical than personal, causing some scholars to consider it as relating to a town in Judah. (See ATROTH-BETH-JOAB.) Beth-gader may possibly be linked with Geder, a town whose king was among those conquered by Joshua in the region W of the Jordan.—Josh. 12:13.

BETH-GAMUL

(Beth-gaʹmul) [house of recompense].

A city mentioned in connection with Jehovah’s pronouncements against Moab. It is listed together with Dibon and other cities of “the land of level country” of Moab. (Jer. 48:21, 23) It is generally identified with Khirbet el-Jemeil, on the tableland region of Moab about eight miles (13 kilometers) E of Dibon. This region just N of the river Arnon shows evidence of intense cultivation in ancient times.

BETH-GILGAL

See GILGAL No. 1.

BETH-HACCHEREM

(Beth-hac·cheʹrem) [house or place of the vineyard].

A place near Jerusalem mentioned by Jeremiah as a place suitable for raising a fire signal to warn of advancing enemy forces out of the N. (Jer. 6:1) In postexilic times a district of Judah bore this name, with Malchijah as “prince” over it. (Neh. 3:14) Due to the mention of Tekoa together with Beth-haccherem at Jeremiah 6:1, some consider Beth-haccherem to have been situated to the S of Jerusalem, between that city and Tekoa. Jerome, of the fourth century C.E., referred to it at such location under the name of Bethacharma. In harmony with such views, since 1956 the site of Ramet Rahel, about two miles (3 kilometers) S of Jerusalem, has been proposed. Others, however, do not consider the mention of Tekoa as necessarily indicating a geographical proximity of Beth-haccherem and hold to the more generally suggested site of ʽAin Karim (meaning “spring of the vineyard”) about four miles (6 kilometers) to the W of Jerusalem. This is in a fertile section with olive groves and vineyards and it lies at the foot of Jebel ʽAli, from which height may be seen the Mount of Olives, part of Jerusalem, and, to the W, the Mediterranean Sea. Large stone mounds found on the summit are suggested by some to have been used for lighting signal fires such as those mentioned by Jeremiah.—See BETH-CAR.

BETH-HARAN

(Beth-haʹran), also BETH-HARAM.

A city on the eastern side of the Jordan in the territory requested by the tribe of Gad because of its good pastureland. It was either built or rebuilt by the Gadites and, although situated in a low plain, it became one of their fortified cities.—Num. 32:1, 36; Josh. 13:27.

The name seems to have continued in that of Tell er-Rameh on the Wadi er-Rameh (Wadi Hesban) in the Plains of Moab, but the original site of Beth-haran (Beth-haram) is considered to have been a few miles E at Tell Iktanu, about eight miles (13 kilometers) NE of the point where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea. The site has imposing remains and was in position to dominate the surrounding region. It was also near a source of renowned hot springs, which may partly account for King Herod’s having built a palace in this area. In the first part of the Common Era the site of Tell er-Rameh