was known as Livias, a name given it by Herod Antipas, and later changed to Julias.

BETH-HOGLAH

(Beth-hogʹlah) [house or place of the partridge].

A Benjamite border town situated in the southeastern corner of this tribe’s territory and on the boundary between Benjamin and Judah. (Josh. 15:1, 6; 18:11, 19, 21) Evidence of the name is still preserved at ‘Ain Hajla, located about four miles (6.4 kilometers) SE of modern Jericho.

BETH-HORON

(Beth-hoʹron) [house or place of the hollow].

Two towns, Upper and Lower Beth-horon, were strategically situated on the ancient route leading from Joppa and the maritime plain up the Valley of Aijalon to Bethel or to Gibeon and Jerusalem. The original names are preserved in those of the modern villages of Beit ʽUr el-Foqa (“the upper”) and Beit ʽUr et-Tahta (“the lower”). Upper Beth-horon thus lies about ten miles (16 kilometers) NW of Jerusalem, with Lower Beth-horon a couple of miles (3.2 kilometers) beyond, both sites occupying hilltops.

The building (or founding) of these places is credited originally to Sheerah, a daughter or granddaughter of Ephraim. (1 Chron. 7:22-24) The towns formed part of the southern boundary of the tribe of Ephraim (Josh. 16:3, 5), while the boundary of the tribe of Benjamin is stated to have come to “the mountain that is on the south of Lower Beth-horon.” (Josh. 18:13, 14) This appears to place both towns fittingly as within the inheritance of Ephraim. Beth-horon, perhaps just one of the towns, thereafter was given to the Levites of the sons of Kohath.—Josh. 21:22; 1 Chron. 6:68.

Situated as they were on a principal route from the maritime plain up into the hill country, these towns frequently saw the passing of warring forces. At the time of the Israelite conquest, Joshua defeated five Amorite kings who had combined to war against Gibeon, “pursuing them by way of the ascent of Beth-horon.” Here Jehovah caused great hailstones to strike down many of the Amorites as they fled along “the descent of Beth-horon.” (Josh. 10:6-12) The “descent of Beth-horon” is considered by some to refer to the descent from Upper Beth-horon to Lower Beth-horon, there being about eight hundred feet (244 meters) difference in altitude between the two places.

Later, during King Saul’s reign, “the road of Beth-horon” was one of three routes used by pillaging bands of Philistines making raids from Michmash. (1 Sam. 13:16-18) King Solomon built or fortified both towns, strengthening them with walls, doors and bar, doubtless considering that they served as a block to invading forces from Egypt or Philistia. (2 Chron. 8:5) Shishak of Egypt, who invaded Judah during Rehoboam’s reign, listed “Beth-horon” as one of the towns on his list of cities claimed as conquered or under his domination. (1 Ki. 14:25; 2 Chron. 12:2-9) When King Amaziah of Judah dismissed Ephraimite mercenary troops before engaging in battle with the Edomites, these soldiers from the northern kingdom with its capital in Samaria expressed their hot anger over their dismissal by raiding Judean cities as far as Beth-horon.—2 Chron. 25:5-13.

During the Maccabean period, Beth-horon was the scene of two defeats of the Syrians by Judas Maccabaeus. (1 Maccabees 3:23, 24; 7:39) The Jewish historian Josephus claims that in the year 66 C.E. the retreating forces of Roman General Cestius Gallus were nearly annihilated at Beth-horon by the pursuing Jewish forces.—Wars of the Jews, Book II, chap. XIX, pars. 7-9.

BETH-JESHIMOTH

(Beth-jeshʹi·moth) [place of the desert or house of the wastes].

The southernmost point to which the encampment of the Israelites reached as they camped on the Plains of Moab before crossing the Jordan into Canaan. (Num. 33:48, 49) The camp reached from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim, a distance of about five miles (8 kilometers) according to the suggested sites for these places. Beth-jeshimoth is presently identified with Tell elʽAzeimeh near the NE corner of the Dead Sea and about eleven miles (18 kilometers) SE of Jericho. Nearby is Khirbet Sweimeh, which, as a Roman settlement, was known by the Greek name of Besimoth. A strong spring is also found in the vicinity. Tell el-ʽAzeimeh is situated on a “platform” of land overlooking the plains below, and is in position to guard the exit from one of the torrent valleys leading down from the mountains to the E.

Beth-jeshimoth formed part of the realm of King Sihon of the Amorites and, after the Israelite conquest of that region, was assigned to the tribe of Reuben. (Josh. 12:1-3; 13:15-21; compare Judges 11:13-27.) In the time of the prophet Ezekiel it is included with certain cities of Moab located on the slope of his frontier and described as “the decoration of the land.” (Ezek. 25:8-10) The prophecy indicates that Jehovah would cause these frontier cities to be opened up, exposing Moab to attack by the “Orientals” or “sons of the East,” the nomadic tribes living in the Arabian Desert. (Compare Judges 6:3; 8:10.) If not earlier, Moab likely took over Beth-jeshimoth and other cities of Reuben following the deportation of that tribe to Assyria.—1 Chron. 5:26.

BETH-LEBAOTH

(Beth-le·baʹoth) [house or place of lionesses].

A city listed among the places given to the tribe of Simeon as enclave cities within the territory of Judah. (Josh. 19:1, 6) It is named between Hazar-susah and Sharuhen, and this indicates a location in the Negeb region, evidently to the W or SW of Beer-sheba. At Joshua 15:32 it evidently appears simply as Lebaoth, while at 1 Chronicles 4:31 Beth-lebaoth is replaced by the name “Beth-biri.” This latter name could be a postexilic name for the same location.—See BETH-BIRI.

BETHLEHEM

(Bethʹle·hem) [house of bread].

1. A town in the Judean highlands located about five miles (8 kilometers) S of Jerusalem, overlooking the principal highway leading from Jerusalem down to Beer-sheba. It is situated at an altitude of some 2,550 feet (777 meters) above sea level and hence at a higher elevation than Jerusalem itself. The countryside, though rocky, produces olives, grapes and different cereals.—Ruth 1:22.

The earlier name of Bethlehem appears to have been Ephrath, meaning “fruitfulness; fertility.” Jacob buried Rachel “on the way to Ephrath, that is to say, Bethlehem.” (Gen. 35:19; 48:7) Among the early descendants of Jacob’s son Judah are mentioned “Salma the father of Bethlehem” (1 Chron 2:51, 54) and “Hur the first-born of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.” (1 Chron. 4:4) This expression may point to these men as forefathers of the Israelites who later occupied Bethlehem. (See ATROTH-BETH-JOAB; EPHRATHAH No. 2.) When the Israelites entered Canaan, Bethlehem fell within the territory of Judah, though it is not specifically mentioned in any list of Judean cities nor is there anything to indicate its size or prominence at that time. Since there was another Bethlehem in the territory of Zebulun (Josh. 19:10, 15), the town in Judah was usually distinguished by reference to Ephrath, or by calling it “Bethlehem in Judah.”—Judg. 17:7-9; 19:1, 2, 18.

Thus Judge Ibzan may have been from Bethlehem in Judah, but the absence of any reference to Judah or Ephrath causes many to view him as from Bethlehem in Zebulun. (Judg. 12:8-10) Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their sons were from Bethlehem, and here Naomi returned with Ruth the Moabitess. (Ruth 1:1, 2, 19, 22) Boaz was also of Bethlehem, and the remaining events of the book of Ruth involving