בֵּית צוּר
Beth-Tsur, a place in Palestine
Definition
Beth-Tsur is a proper noun referring to a fortified town in the hill country of Judah, meaning 'house of the rock' or 'rock house'. It is listed among the cities of the tribe of Judah in Joshua 15:58. The name likely describes its strategic, defensible location on rocky terrain. In the post-exilic period, it is mentioned as a place where returning exiles lived and worked on rebuilding Jerusalem's walls (Nehemiah 3:16).
Biblical Usage
Beth-Tsur is used exclusively as a geographical place name in the Old Testament. It appears in historical and genealogical contexts: as a city in Judah's tribal allotment (Joshua 15:58), in a Judahite genealogy (1 Chronicles 2:45), as a city fortified by King Rehoboam for defense (2 Chronicles 11:7), and as a district whose residents helped repair Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 3:16). Its usage consistently marks it as a significant Judean settlement.
Etymology
The name Beth-Tsur is a compound of two Hebrew words: 'Bêyth' (H1004), meaning 'house' or 'household', and 'Tsûwr' (H6697), meaning 'rock' or 'cliff'. It is a construct phrase, 'house of the rock', a common naming pattern for locations (e.g., Beth-el, 'house of God'). The name directly describes the physical character of the place.
Semantic Range
While primarily a geographical marker, Beth-Tsur's mention in 2 Chronicles 11:7 as a city fortified by Rehoboam connects it to the theme of God's provision for the defense of His people in the divided kingdom. Its inclusion in Nehemiah's wall-building list (Nehemiah 3:16) highlights the communal effort and restoration of Judah after the exile, reflecting God's faithfulness in regathering His people.
As a 'house of the rock', Beth-Tsur was likely a town built upon or near a prominent rock formation, which provided natural defense. Its fortification by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:7) indicates it was a strategically important military outpost guarding the approaches to Jerusalem from the south or west. Its persistence from the conquest era (Joshua) through the post-exilic period (Nehemiah) shows its long-term significance as a Judean settlement.
Bêyth-'Êl (H1008) — Another 'house of...' place name, meaning 'house of God'. Tsûwr (H6697) — The root word for 'rock', used for God as a refuge (e.g., Psalm 18:2).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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