Beth-horon - location profile

Location and Setting

• Situated on the western edge of the Hill Country of Judah, Upper and Lower Beth-horon provided a clear view of the Coastal Plain. They were located some ten miles northwest of Jerusalem and twenty-three miles southeast of Joppa.
• The main road from Joppa on the coast to the Central Benjamite Plain ascended through the Valley of Aijalon, passing both Lower and Upper Beth-horon.
• The Aijalon stream that flowed westward from the Hill Country of Judah into the Mediterranean Sea at Joppa, originated in the highlands near the Beth-horons.
• Near the Beth-horons, the Valley of Aijalon is constricted to a narrow, rocky passage known as the "Pass of Beth-horon" or the "Ascent of Beth-horon." The elevation changes dramatically through this pass, making travel and military maneuvering difficult. Between Upper Beth-horon (2,022 feet above sea level) and Lower Beth-horon (1,240 feet above sea level), the elevation changes nearly eight hundred feet in a distance of less than two miles.

Historical and Biblical Significance

• During his central campaign, Joshua and the Israelite army defeated the Canaanite coalition, pursuing them down through the pass of Beth-horon. It was here that the hailstones began to fall upon the Canaanite army, killing more of them than the Israelites killed by the sword (Josh 10:10-11).
• When Joshua divided the land, he gave the two Beth-horons to the tribe of Ephraim (Josh 16:3,5), although the cities were situated on the border between the tribes of Benjamin and Ephraim (Josh 18:13-14).
• Later, the tribe of Ephraim gave the two cities of Beth-horon to the Kohathites of the tribe of Levi. From that time, the Beth-horons were Levitical cities (Josh 21:22; 1 Chr 6:68).
• King Solomon rebuilt both Upper and Lower Beth-horon after they were destroyed by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. (1 Kgs 9:17). He fortified these cities "with walls, gates and bars" (2 Chr 8:5).
• After the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, the Beth-horons were rebuilt by Sheerah, of the tribe of Ephraim (1 Chr 7:24).

Bibliography

1. Aharoni, Y. and M. Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.
2. Alden, R. L. "Beth-horon" and "Beth-horon, Battle of" The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. Ed. Merrill C. Tenney. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976.
3. Kent, Charles Foster. Biblical Geography and History. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1920.