Lexical Definition

‎בֵּית חוֹרוֹן‎ Bêyth Chôwrôwn (bayth kho-rone') Beth-horon ^N:N--L
from ‎בַּיִת‎ and ‎חוֹר‎; house of hollowness

Beth-horon.

• § Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
• Beth-Choron, the name of two adjoining places in Palestine

1) two towns in Ephraim
1a) Upper Beth-horon-town on the mountains of Ephraim
1b) Lower Beth-horon-town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon

Extended Information

name of: בֵּית חוֹרוֹן

• Beth-horon = "house of hollowness"
• Lower Beth-horon-town located 800 feet (245 m) lower than Upper Beth-horon on the mountains of Ephraim
• Combined with bet cho.ron (‎ב‎ֵּ‎ית‎ ‎חו‎ֹ‎ר‎ֹ‎ן‎ "Beth-horon" בֵּית חוֹרוֹן)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎בֵּית חוֺרֹן‎ proper name, of a location Josh 10:10; Josh 10:11, also ‎חֹרוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎, ‎חֹרֹן‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎, & in Chronicles ‎חוֺרוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎, two cities in Ephraim, lower & upper B.H. (place of a hole or hollow (?) ‎חֹר‎, perhaps from a wady between the two, or near by; compare also ‎מַעֲלֶה‎ Josh 10:10, ‎מוֺרַד‎ vJosh 10:11 1 Macc 3:16; 3:24) 1Chr 7:24 ‎אֶתבּֿיתחֿוֺרוֺן הַתַּחְתּוֺן וְאֶתהָֿעֶלְיוֺן‎; further,
a. ‎עֶלְיוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎ Josh 16:5 ‎הָעֶלְיוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎ 2Chr 8:5.
b. 1 hour west from
a. ‎תַּחְתּוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎ Josh 16:3; Josh 18:13; 1Kgs 9:17 ‎הַתַּחְתּוֺן‎ ‎׳‎‎ח‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎ 2Chr 8:5 also Josh 10:10; Josh 10:11; Josh 18:14 probably also Josh 21:22; 1Sam 13:18; 1Chr 6:53*; 2Chr 25:13 — modern Beit ±Ûr el-fôqa & et-ta—ta Rob^{BR ii. 250 f.} Bd^{Pal 21} Survey^{iii. 86}; — compare ‎הַחֹרֹנִי‎ adjective, of a people Neh 2:10; Neh 2:19; Neh 13:28, only of Sanballat; also dual ‎חֹרֹנַיִם‎ Josh 10:10; Josh 10:11 ᵐ5 & 2Sam 13:34 ᵐ5 We Dr.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Lower Beth-horon • Town in Ephraim and Dan, site of a famous battle.

Lower Beth-horon was a town allotted to Ephraim and Dan, known for a battle where the sun stood still. (Multiple references, see article for details)

• A location first mentioned at Jos.16.3;
• referred to as Beth-horon_Lower בֵּית חוֹרוֹן תַּחְתּוֹן, or Beth-horon (NIV= Beth Horon) בֵּית חוֹרוֹן.
  

Lower Beth-horon was a town located in the border region between the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin, in the central hill country of Israel. It is mentioned multiple times in the Bible, often in connection with its sister city, Upper Beth-horon.

The name Beth-horon means "house of caves" or "house of hollows" in Hebrew, possibly referring to the topography of the area. Lower Beth-horon was situated in a strategic location along the main road connecting the coastal plain with Jerusalem and the interior of the country.

In the book of Joshua, Lower Beth-horon is described as part of the border between Ephraim and Benjamin (Joshua 16:3; 18:13). It was allotted to the Kohathite clan of the Levites (Joshua 21:22; 1 Chronicles 6:68).

The most famous biblical event associated with Lower Beth-horon is the battle between the Israelites and the Amorite kings, described in Joshua 10. As the Amorites fled before Israel, God cast down large hailstones on them, and Joshua prayed for the sun to stand still, allowing the Israelites to complete their victory (Joshua 10:10-11).

In later history, Lower Beth-horon was fortified by King Solomon (1 Kings 9:17; 2 Chronicles 8:5) and was the site of a battle between Judah and Israel during the reign of King Amaziah of Judah (2 Chronicles 25:13).

The Philistines also used the Beth-horon road as one of their main routes for invading Israelite territory (1 Samuel 13:18).

Both Lower and Upper Beth-horon were rebuilt by Sheerah, the daughter of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:24).

Today, the ancient site of Lower Beth-horon is identified with the modern Palestinian village of Beit Ur al-Tahta.

All entries for Beth-horon Lower: בֵּית חוֹרוֹן ☩ בֵּית חוֹרוֹן