By comparison of the lists in Josh, xv, 10 ; xix, 41, 43, and 1 Kings iv, 9, it will be seen that Ir-siiemesii (q. v.), "city of the sun," must have been identical with Beth-shemesh, Ir being probably the older form of the name ; and again, from Judg. i, 35, it appears as if Har-cheres, "mount of the sun," were a third name for the same pi ice, suggesting an early and ex- tensive worship of the sun in this neighborhood. — Kit- to, s. v. ; Smith, s. v. See Heres.
Beth-shemesh is no doubt the modern Ainshems found by Dr. Robinson in a position exactly according with the indications of Scripture, on the north-west slopes of the mountains of Judah — "a low plateau at the junction of two fine plains" {Later Researches, p. 153) — about two miles from the great Philistine plain, and seven from Ekron {Researches, iii, 17-20 ; comp. Schwarz, Pa'est. p. 98). It is a ruined Arab village constructed of ancient materials. To the west of the village, upon and around the plateau of a low swell or mound, are the vestiges of a former extensive city, consisting of many foundations and the remains of an- cient walls of hewn stone. With respect to the ex- change of Beth for Ain, Dr. Robinson remarks (iii, 19) : " The words Beit (Beth) and Ain are so very com- mon in the Arabic names of Palestine, that it can ex- cite no wonder there should be an exchange, even with- out an obvious reason. In the same manner the an- cient Beth-shemesh (Ileliopolis of Egypt) is known in Arabian writers as Aiu-shems" (sec below). See Beth-; En-.
2. A city near the southern border of Issachar, be- tween Mount Tabor and the Jordan (Josh, xix, '22) ; probably the same with the present village Kaukab ("the stir') el-Hawa (Schwarz, Palest, \>. 1C7), which is also identical with the Belvoir of the Crusaders (see Robinson, Researches, iii, 22C).
3. One of the "fenced cities" of Naphtali, named (Josh, xix, 38 ; Judg. i, 33) in connection with Beth- anath, from neither of which places were the Canaan- lte inhabitants expelled, but became tributaries to Is- rael. Jerome's expression (Onom. Bethsainis) in ref- erence to this is perhaps worthy of notice, " in which the original inhabitants (cultores, ? worshippers) re- mained ;" possibly glancing at the worship from which the place derived its name. Keil (Comment on Josh.
p. 440) confounds this place with the foregoing. M. De Saulcy suggests (Narrative, ii, 422) that it may have been identical with a village called Medjel esh- Shems, seen by him on the brow of a hill west of the road from Banias to Lake Phiala; it is laid down on Van de Velde's Map at 2i miles north of the latter.
4. By this name is mentioned (Jer. xliii, 13) an idolatrous temple or place in Egypt, usually called Ile- liopolis (q. v.) or On (Gen. xli, 45). In the Middle Ages Heliopolis was still called by the Arabs Ain- Shems, which is the modern name (Robinson, R< s< arch- es, i, 36). See Aven ; On.
Beth'-shemite (Heb. Beyth hish-Shimshi' ', rP2 nw,"C'i*l7 ; Sept. tK BaiSroafxvg, o BaiS<ra/zvfftV?jc), an inhabitant (1 Sam. vi, 14, 18) of the Beth-shemesh (q. v.) in Judaea;
Bath-shit'tah (Heb. Beyth hash - Shittuh' , n^2 H^'^n, house of the acacia ; Sept. B)]5a<jt ttc'i v. r. Btfi- (TicV and Boaairra), a place near the Jordan (comp. Josephus, who only names it as a "valley encompassed with torrents," Ant. v, 6, 5), apparently between Beth- shean and Abel-meholah, or at least in the vicinity of (Heb. toward) Zarerath, whither the flight of the Mid- ianites ext3nded after their defeat by Gideon in the valley of Esdraelon (Judg. vii, 20) ; probably the vil- lage of Shutta discovered by Robinson (Researches, iii, 219) south-east of Jebel Duhy (Schwarz says, incor- rectly, one mile west, Palest, p. 163), and east of Jez- reel (De Saulcy, Bead Sea, ii, 307) ; although this is west of Bethshean, and farther from the Jordan than wc should expect. See Shittim.
Bethso (BjjSww), a place mentioned by Josephus (War, v, 4, 2) as "so named" (icaXov/itvoc,'), through which the old or first wall of Jerusalem ran southward from the Gate Gennath around Mount Zion, and before reaching the Gate of the Essenes. It is apparently for the Heb. fiSOS rP3, Beyth-Tsoah' \ house of dung, q. d. dunghill ; probably from the adjoining Dung-gate (q. v.), through which ordure seems to have been car- ried to the valley of Hinnom. Schwarz (Palest, p. 254) incorrectly locates it on the north-east part of the city. See Jerusalem.
Bethsu'ra (// or tu Ba&aovpa), a Graecizcd form (1 Mace, iv, 29, 61 ; vi, 7, 26, 31, 49, 50 ; ix, 52; x, 14 ; xi, 65 ; xiv, 7, 33 ; 2 Mace, xi, 5 ; xiii, 19, 22) of the Beth-zur (q. v.) of Judah (Josh, xv, 58).
Beth-tap'puah (Heb. Beyth-Tappu itch. "FPS man, apple-house, i. e. orchard; Sept. BifiScnrcpovi. v. r. B«<3-n Yoi>), a town of Judah, in the mountainous dis- trict, and near Hebron (Josh, xv, 53; comp. 1 Chr. ii, 43), where it has been discovered by Robinson (Re- searches, ii,-428) under the modern name of Tejpuh, If hour, about five miles, west of Hebron, on a ridge of high table-land. The terraces of the ancient culti- vation still remain in use; and though the "apples" have disappeared, yet olive-groves and vineyards, with fields of grain, surround the place on every side (Schwarz, Palest, p. 105).— Smith, s. v. See Apple.