Beth-shemesh
The border town where, in 1 Samuel 6, men who looked into the returned Ark of the Covenant were struck dead.
- Location
- Sorek Valley, Shephelah, about 20 km west of Jerusalem
- Ancient site
- Tel Beth-Shemesh
- Name
- 'House of the sun'
- Excavated by
- D. Mackenzie (1911–12), E. Grant (1928–33), Tel Aviv University (from 1990)
- Biblical event
- Return of the Ark (1 Samuel 6)
- Destroyed
- By Sennacherib of Assyria, c. 701 BCE
What is Beth-shemesh known for?
Tel Beth-Shemesh sits in the Sorek Valley about 20 kilometers west of Jerusalem, on the old border between Philistine and Israelite territory. Its name means 'house of the sun'. Excavations since 1990 by Tel Aviv University found Iron Age houses, fortifications, a large underground water reservoir and an early iron workshop. The town was destroyed around 701 BCE, probably by Sennacherib.
In 1 Samuel 6, the Philistines send the captured Ark back on a cart drawn by two cows, which walk straight to Beth-shemesh. The townspeople rejoice, but those who look into the Ark are struck down; the Hebrew text gives a large and much-debated number. The people ask who can stand before such a holy God and send the Ark on to Kiriath-jearim.
The story belongs to a group of biblical accounts about the danger of handling the Ark, alongside the death of Uzzah. The excavated town is real; the event is known only from the Bible.
Men of Beth-shemesh who looked into the Ark die in 1 Samuel 6.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeArk of the Covenant
Sources
- Tel Aviv University, Department of Archaeology, 'Beth-Shemesh'Reference
- 1 Samuel 6 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
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