Beth-shemesh
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- Bet Shemesh is a large Jewish neighborhood near Jerusalem in the modern State of Israel.
Beth-shemesh means "house [of the] sun" in Hebrew.
In the Bible,the name refers to either:
- An idol sanctuary in Egypt (Jer. 43:13); called by the Greeks Heliopolis, and by the Egyptians On (Gen. 41:45).
- A city (Josh. 21:16; 1 Sam. 6:15), on the north border of Judah (Josh. 15:10). It became a priest city. It is mentioned in connection with the movement of the Ark of the Covenant. It was the scene of an encounter between Jehoash, king of the northern kingdom, and Amaziah, king of the southern kingdom, in which the latter was made prisoner (2 Kings 14:11, 13). It is identified with Tell er-Rumeileh, near the ruins of the Byzantine city Ain Shems.
- A city between Dothan and the Jordan, near the southern border of Issachar (Josh. 19:22).
- One of the fenced cities of Naphtali (Josh. 19:38), between Mount Tabor and the Jordan.