Lexical Definition

‎בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק‎ Bêyth ham-Merchâq (bayth ham-mer-khawk') Beth-merchak N:N--L
from ‎בַּיִת‎ and ‎מֶרְחָק‎ with the article interposed; house of the breadth

place that was far off.

1) house or settlement on the bank of Kidron

Extended Information

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק‎ possibly proper name, of a location house or settlement on bank of Kidron 2Sam 15:17 (RV Beth-merhak, compare MV RVm Far House; Ew The Ke Sta the last house of the city).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Book Refs
2 Samuel 15:17

Profile

Beth-lebaoth • Place near Jerusalem where David stayed during Absalom's revolt.

Beth-merchak was a place near Jerusalem where David stayed with his household during Absalom's revolt. (2 Samuel 15:17)

Beth-merchak is mentioned only once in the Bible, in 2 Samuel 15:17, during the account of Absalom's revolt against his father, King David. The name Beth-merchak means "house of distance" or "house of the far place" in Hebrew.

As Absalom's conspiracy gained strength, David decided to flee from Jerusalem to escape the impending danger. The king left the city with his entire household, except for ten concubines who were left to take care of the palace.

David and his followers stopped at a place some distance from the city, which is referred to as Beth-merchak. The text does not provide the exact location of this place, but it was likely a short distance from Jerusalem, possibly a suburb or a neighboring village.

At Beth-merchak, David reviewed the people who were with him, including his servants and loyal followers. It was here that he encountered Ittai the Gittite, who pledged his loyalty to David despite being a foreigner.

All entries for Beth-merchak: בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק