Beth-zur

About Beth-zur

Beth-zur, meaning "house of rock" or "house of the wall" in Hebrew, was a town located in the hill country of Judah, mentioned several times in the Old Testament. It was one of the towns allotted to Judah during the division of the Promised Land (Joshua 15:58).

Beth-zur was associated with Maon, as Maon was the father of Beth-zur (1Ch.2.45). This may suggest that Beth-zur was founded by the descendants of Maon or that it was a satellite settlement of Maon.

During the reign of King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, Beth-zur was one of the cities fortified for the defense of Judah (2Ch.11.7). This fortification was part of Rehoboam's strategy to strengthen his kingdom against potential threats from the northern tribes of Israel and neighboring nations.

Later, in the time of Nehemiah, after the return from the Babylonian exile, Beth-zur was one of the towns whose walls were repaired (Nehemiah 3:16). The mention of Beth-zur in this context suggests that it had been inhabited before the exile and was being restored as part of the rebuilding of Judah.

The exact location of Beth-zur is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the southern part of the hill country of Judah, possibly near the ancient city of Hebron. Its location in the hill country would have made it a strategic point for defense and control of the surrounding area.

No other significant events or people are directly associated with Beth-zur in the Bible.

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.