Beth-shemesh

Beth-shemesh (meaning: house of the sun) was the name of several towns in ancient Palestine, the most significant being the Levitical city in the territory of Judah at the foot of the Judean hills, near the Sorek valley. This Beth-shemesh was a priestly city assigned to the sons of Aaron, situated on the northern border of Judah where the Shephelah meets the highland country. It commanded one of the main routes from the coastal plain to Jerusalem.

Beth-shemesh is most famous as the destination of the ark of the covenant when the Philistines returned it on a cart drawn by two milk cows. The ark came to rest in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemeshite, where it was received with joy and sacrifices—but the men of Beth-shemesh were struck down because they looked into the ark, and seventy men died. The city later witnessed the battle between Amaziah of Judah and Joash of Israel, in which Amaziah was defeated and captured. A second Beth-shemesh lay in the territory of Issachar, and a third in Naphtali.