Home > Beth-shemesh

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 IssacharIssachar or Yissachar "Reward; recompense", Standard Hebrew Yissaar Tiberian Hebrew Yissar was the fifth son of Jacob and his first wife Leah. According to Genesis, Issachar was conceived on the night that Leah tried to use mandrakes brought to her by her (Josh. 19:22).
• One of the fenced cities of NaphtaliIn the Book of Genesis, Naphtali "My wrestling", Standard Hebrew Naftali Tiberian Hebrew Naptl is the sixth son of Jacob and the founder of the tribe of Naphtali. His biological mother is Bilhah, but he is regarded as the son of Rachel who provided Bilhah (Josh. 19:38), between Mount Tabor and the Jordan.