Beth-shemesh was a city allotted to Judah and the Levites, associated with the return of the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines. (Multiple references, see article for details)
Also known as Beth Shemesh · Ir-shemesh · Ir Shemesh · Heres Mount · Mount Heres
Beth-shemesh, meaning "house of the sun" in Hebrew, was a city located in the Shephelah region, the western foothills of Judah. It was allotted to the tribe of Judah (Joshua 15:10) and later given to the Levites of the family of Aaron (Joshua 21:16; 1Ch.6.59).
Beth-shemesh is primarily known for its association with the return of the Ark of the Covenant from the Philistines (1Samuel 6). After the Ark had been captured by the Philistines, they sent it back on a cart, guided by two milk cows. The cows miraculously went straight to Beth-shemesh, where the people were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley (1Sa.6.9, 12-13).
The men of Beth-shemesh rejoiced when they saw the Ark, offering the cows as a burnt offering and sacrificing to the Lord (1Sa.6.14-15). However, some of the men looked inside the Ark, and as a result, God struck down 70 men (some manuscripts say 50,070) for their irreverence (1Sa.6.19-20).
During the reign of King Solomon, Beth-shemesh was included in the second administrative district overseen by Ben-Deker (1Ki.4.9).
Later, during the reign of King Amaziah of Judah, a battle took place between Amaziah and King Jehoash of Israel at Beth-shemesh. Amaziah was defeated and captured by Jehoash, who then proceeded to break down a section of the wall of Jerusalem (2Ki.14.11-13; 2Ch.25.21-23).
In the time of King Ahaz of Judah, the Philistines invaded the cities of the Shephelah, including Beth-shemesh, capturing and occupying them (2Ch.28.18).
The city of Beth-shemesh is also mentioned in Judges 1:35, where it is stated that the Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor. Mount Heres, meaning "mount of the sun," is likely another name for Beth-shemesh or the hill on which it was located.
Approximate location: 31.753, 34.977 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
19 verses in 7 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H1053
The border curled westward from Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim (that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to Timnah.
The territory of their inheritance included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine cities from these two tribes, together with their pasturelands.
And the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced labor.
but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”
And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.
The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;
But Amaziah would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.
Ashan, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands.
So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.
The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.