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One of the four Gibeonite towns — and the hometown of Ish-bosheth's assassins
BenjaminHistorically Verified
The site is variously identified with el-Bireh north of Jerusalem or with Khirbet el-Burj. Both lie within the Gibeonite confederation zone described in Joshua 9, and Iron Age settlement remains have been documented at multiple candidate sites.
One of the four Gibeonite towns that tricked Joshua into a peace treaty by pretending they were travelers from a distant land (Joshua 9:17). When Israel discovered the deception, Joshua honored the oath but consigned Beeroth and its allies to permanent service as woodcutters and water carriers at the sanctuary (Joshua 9:23-27). The town was allotted to Benjamin (Joshua 18:25). Two of its men — Baanah and Rechab — later assassinated Ish-bosheth, Saul's son and David's rival for the throne; David executed them in turn (2 Samuel 4:2-12). Beeroth families resettled the town after the Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29).
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