Bible Location
Meaning: house of wrath · 7 cross references · Modern-day map available
Beth-horon refers to the upper and lower towns guarding the steep pass from the coastal plain up toward Gibeon and Jerusalem. It is important because this ascent was one of the most strategic routes in central Israel and the scene of major military encounters. First appears in Josh 10:10.1
Place meaning
house of wrath
Coordinates
31.88, 35.12
First appears
Josh 10:10
AI summary: Beth-horon matters because geography does much of the storytelling. The paired towns control a vital ridge route between the hill country and the western plain, so armies repeatedly appear there. Joshua's pursuit down the pass after the battle at Gibeon gives Beth-horon its most famous biblical setting, with the descent becoming a scene of divine intervention and enemy collapse. Later references keep the site in view as part of Ephraim's territory, Levitical inheritance, and Judah's military concerns. The cross references present Beth-horon as one of the Bible's most strategic passes, where terrain, warfare, and national security converge.1
Place meaning
house of wrath
Latitude
31.88
Longitude
35.12
Bible references
7
House of the hollow, or of the cavern, the name of two towns or villages (2 Chr. 8:5; 1 Chr. 7:24) in the territory of Ephraim, on the way from Jerusalem to Joppa. They are distinguished as Beth-horon “the upper” and Beth-horon “the nether.” They are about 2 miles apart, the former being about 10 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Between the two places was the ascent and descent of Beth-horon, leading from Gibeon down to the western plain (Josh. 10:10, 11; 18:13, 14), down which the five kings of the Amorites were driven by Joshua in that great battle, the most important in which the Hebrews had been as yet engaged, being their first conflict with their enemies in the open field. Jehovah interposed in behalf of Israel by a terrific hailstorm, which caused more deaths among the Canaanites than did the swords of the Israelites. Beth-horon is mentioned as having been taken by Shishak, B.C. 945, in the list of his conquests, and the pass was the scene of a victory of Judas Maccabeus. (Comp. Ex. 9:19, 25; Job 38:22, 23; Ps. 18:12-14; Isa. 30:30.) The modern name of these places is Beit-ur, distinguished by el-Foka, “the upper,” and el-Tahta, “the nether.” The lower was at the foot of the pass, and the upper, 500 feet higher, at the top, west of Gibeon. (See GIBEON.) 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
| Book | Cross-References |
|---|---|
| Josh | |
| 1Sam | |
| 1Chr | |
| 2Chr |
Figure1: A table of cross references between the selected passage and other passages (Data from Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.)
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.