Beth-car

Beth-car (meaning: sheep-house or house of the lamb) was a place west of Mizpeh to which the Israelites pursued the Philistines after their great victory under Samuel's leadership. The pursuit began when the Lord thundered with a great thunder against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and Israel struck them down from Mizpeh to below Beth-car. The victory was commemorated by Samuel with the setting up of a stone called Ebenezer, saying, Thus far the Lord has helped us.

The exact location of Beth-car is unknown. It lay somewhere to the west of Mizpeh in the territory of Benjamin or the western highlands, marking the furthest extent of the Israelite pursuit on that occasion. The battle itself was a pivotal moment in the early monarchy period: Samuel had gathered Israel to repentance at Mizpeh, and the divine intervention validated his prophetic leadership and temporarily subdued Philistine pressure on Israel's territory throughout Samuel's lifetime.