Original Word: בֵּית הכֶּרֶם
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Beyth hak-Kerem
Pronunciation: bayth hak-keh'-rem
Phonetic Spelling: (bayth hak-keh'-rem)
KJV: Beth-haccerem
NASB: Beth-haccerem, Beth-haccherem
Word Origin: [from H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and H3754 (כֶּרֶם - vineyard) with the article interposed]

1. house of the vineyard
2. Beth-hak-Kerem, a place in Israel

Beth-haccerem

From bayith and kerem with the article interposed; house of the vineyard; Beth-hak-Kerem, a place in Palestine -- Beth-haccerem.

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW kerem

Word Origin
from bayith and kerem
Definition
"vineyard place," a place in Judah
NASB Translation
Beth-haccerem (1), Beth-haccherem (1).

בֵּית הַכֶּ֫רֶם proper name, of a location in Judah (vineyard place) Jeremiah 6:1, הַכָּ֫רֶם ׳בּ Nehemiah 3:14; on location compare Schick^{ZPV iii. 83 f.}, but see editorial remarks ib., & Bd^{Pal 136}.

Geographical Setting

Beth Haccherem lay in the hill country of Judah between Jerusalem and Tekoa, commanding a ridgeline that overlooks the northern approach to the Hebron–Bethlehem corridor. Its elevation, clear sight lines, and proximity to the capital made it an ideal place for watchfires and signal beacons. Later Jewish writers located it about three miles south of Jerusalem, identifying the site with modern Ramat Rahel or possibly with the high knoll known today as Jebel ‘Ali.

Biblical Occurrences

1. Nehemiah 3:14 places Beth Haccherem within the administrative district of Judah in the Persian period. Malchijah son of Rechab, the official of Beth Haccherem, “repaired the Dung Gate” as part of Jerusalem’s wall-building project.
2. Jeremiah 6:1 names Beth Haccherem as the strategic hill from which trumpet and beacon warned Judah of the Babylonian approach: “Raise a signal over Beth Haccherem!”.

Historical Background

During the late Iron Age the ridge functioned as part of Judah’s frontier defense system. Signal stations linked towns such as Tekoa, Beth Zur, and Beth Haccherem to Jerusalem, relaying military intelligence by fire, smoke, or trumpet blast. When the Babylonians advanced (circa 605–586 BC), Jeremiah called for the network to be activated so that city and countryside might flee to fortified places. Two centuries later, under Persian rule, Beth Haccherem remained an organized district (Hebrew: pechah), supplying manpower and resources for Nehemiah’s restoration of Jerusalem.

Prophetic Significance

Beth Haccherem embodies the prophetic burden to watch, warn, and repent. Jeremiah’s call to “sound the trumpet” underscores Yahweh’s mercy in giving advance notice of judgment. Yet the same height that offered warning also testified against Judah when the people ignored the signal. Thus Beth Haccherem illustrates the balance of divine compassion and human responsibility (Ezekiel 33:3–6).

Lessons for Ministry

• Watchfulness: Believers are appointed as spiritual sentinels (1 Peter 5:8).
• Urgency of Warning: Clear, public calls to repentance must precede looming judgment (Acts 20:31).
• Cooperative Service: Like Malchijah working on Jerusalem’s gate, every local community contributes to the health of the wider covenant people (Nehemiah 4:6).

Christological Foreshadowing

The hilltop that once signaled impending wrath anticipates the hill of Calvary, where warning and salvation converge. Christ both fulfilled the role of the faithful Watchman—proclaiming the kingdom and exposing sin—and bore the judgment the warning announced. Beth Haccherem therefore points forward to the cross, where the greatest alarm became the greatest deliverance (Colossians 2:14).

Archaeological Insights

Excavations at Ramat Rahel have uncovered Persian-period administrative buildings, store rooms, and stamped jar handles, confirming an official center capable of coordinating regional labor—consistent with Nehemiah 3:14. Pottery and fortification remnants on adjacent heights show continuity of military use from the late eighth through the sixth centuries BC, aligning with Jeremiah’s timeframe.

Summary

Beth Haccherem was more than a vineyard estate; it was a strategic sentinel of Judah’s heartland and a living parable of prophetic vigilance. From its slopes rose trumpet calls to flee Babylon’s armies and, later, the coordinated effort to rebuild a broken city. Its account challenges every generation to heed God’s warnings, join His work, and look to the greater Watchman who guards the people of faith.

הַכֶּ֖רֶם הַכָּ֑רֶם הכרם hak·kā·rem hak·ke·rem hakKarem hakkārem hakkeremInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts