Lexical Summary Beth Haarabah: Beth Haarabah Original Word: בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Beth-arabah From bayith and arabah with the article interposed; house of the Desert; Beth-ha-Arabah, a place in Palestine -- Beth-arabah. see HEBREW bayith see HEBREW arabah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom bayith and arabah Definition "place of the depression," a place near the Dead Sea NASB Translation Beth-arabah (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs בֵּית הָֽעֲרָבָה proper name, of a location (place of the depression) reckoned to Judah Joshua 15:6,61, to Benjamin Joshua 18:22 = הָֽעֲרָבָה Joshua 18:18, הָֽעֲרָבָ֑תָה Joshua 18:18; compare also adjective, of a people הָֽעַרְבָתִי 2 Samuel 23:31 (perhaps read ׳בֵּיתהָֽֿע Klo compare Dr) = 1 Chronicles 11:32; — site unknown. Topical Lexicon Geographical Setting Beth-ha-arabah occupied the floor of the Jordan Rift Valley, just northwest of the Dead Sea and east of the Judean hill country. Lying more than two hundred meters below sea level, the site sat in a harsh, arid environment yet along a major north–south route that linked Jericho with En-gedi and the Negev. Its location made it a natural landmark for border descriptions and a modest station for herdsmen, traders, and pilgrims traversing the wilderness. Biblical References Joshua 15:6 “Then the boundary went up to Beth-hoglah and crossed north of Beth-arabah, and it went up to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.” Joshua 15:61 groups Beth-ha-arabah among the six ‘desert towns’ allotted to Judah. Joshua 18:22 repeats the name in Benjamin’s inheritance list, situated between Beth-hoglah and Zemaraim. The triple citation marks the town as a fixed point shared by Judah and Benjamin, demonstrating how God provided clear and equitable borders for His people. Historical Background Because Beth-ha-arabah lay on tribal frontiers, its control would have mattered for security and commerce. The Jordan plain served as an agricultural hinterland to Jericho, and the wadis descending from the Judean hills offered seasonal pasturage. The settlement may never have been large, but its presence ensured access to water, grazing, and the east-west track that climbs toward Ai and Bethel. Over time the combination of extreme heat, saline soils, and political instability likely led to gradual abandonment, explaining its silence in later Old Testament books. Theological Significance 1. Covenant Fulfillment – The inclusion of even minor settlements in the land-grant chapters testifies that God made good on His promise to give Abraham’s descendants every place “the sole of your foot treads” (Joshua 1:3). Archaeological Observations Khirbet el-Beiyudhat and Tulul Abu Jideh are the two primary candidates for ancient Beth-ha-arabah. Both sites exhibit Iron Age sherds, terrace walls, and cisterns that match the period of the conquest. Pottery decline after the seventh century B.C. correlates with biblical silence, supporting the view that economic shifts and climatic stress hastened depopulation. Ministry Reflections • Small Places Matter – God’s redemptive narrative includes humble towns; likewise, small congregations and obscure mission fields possess kingdom value. Because Scripture preserves the name Beth-ha-arabah, the Church can draw assurance that every obedient step, however remote, is recorded before God and woven into His larger plan of redemption. Forms and Transliterations הָֽעֲרָבָ֛ה הָעֲרָבָ֑ה הָעֲרָבָ֔ה הערבה hā‘ărāḇāh hā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh haaraVahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 15:6 HEB: מִצְּפ֖וֹן לְבֵ֣ית הָעֲרָבָ֑ה וְעָלָ֣ה הַגְּב֔וּל NAS: on the north of Beth-arabah, and the border KJV: along by the north of Betharabah; and the border INT: and continued the north of Beth-arabah went and the border Joshua 15:61 Joshua 18:22 3 Occurrences |
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