Place Old Testament
Beth-merhak
Also known as Beth-merhak =ASV; the last house =ESV; the edge of the city =NIV; a place that was far off =KJV
Beth-merhak was a place near Jerusalem where David stayed with his household during Absalom's revolt. (2Sa.15.17) Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Samuel 15:17.
Why it matters. Place near Jerusalem where David stayed during Absalom's revolt.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.392, 34.941 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Beth-merhak
Beth-merhak is mentioned only once in the Bible, in 2Sa.15.17, during the account of Absalom's revolt against his father, King David. The name Beth-merhak means "house of distance" or "house of the far place" in Hebrew.
As Absalom's conspiracy gained strength, David decided to flee from Jerusalem to escape the impending danger. The king left the city with his entire household, except for ten concubines who were left to take care of the palace.
David and his followers stopped at a place some distance from the city, which is referred to as Beth-merhak. The text does not provide the exact location of this place, but it was likely a short distance from Jerusalem, possibly a suburb or a neighboring village.
At Beth-merhak, David reviewed the people who were with him, including his servants and loyal followers. It was here that he encountered Ittai the Gittite, who pledged his loyalty to David despite being a foreigner.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Samuel (1 verse)