Beth-horon

2 definitions found

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Beth-horon
     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}.)
     

From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]:

  Beth-horon, house of wrath