Beth-shittah
Beth-shittah is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Samaria in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tel Salwim. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Beth-shittah, meaning "house of the acacia" or "place of acacia trees," appears in the dramatic account of Gideon's rout of the Midianite army in Judges 7:22. After Gideon's three hundred men shattered their jars and blew their trumpets in the darkness, panic seized the Midianite camp and the enemy fled in disarray. The biblical text records that the Midianites "fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath." This flight route traces a northward course across the Jezreel Valley and into the Jordan Valley, mapping the disorganized Midianite retreat in vivid geographical detail. The acacia (shittah in Hebrew) was a hardy tree prized for its wood, used in constructing the wilderness tabernacle, and its presence gave name to this community in the fertile plain of the Jezreel. Beth-shittah serves primarily as a geographical waypoint in the Gideon narrative, yet its single mention preserves the historical memory of the Midianite defeat's full extent. The event itself was celebrated as one of Israel's most celebrated military-theological victories, remembered in Psalm 83:9 and Isaiah 9:4 as the prototype of divine deliverance.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Beth-shittah is tentatively identified with Tel Salwim, situated in the eastern Jezreel Valley in the vicinity of the Beth-shean corridor. The identification is based on geographical proximity to the other sites mentioned in the Midianite flight account in Judges 7, Zererah, Abel-meholah, and Tabbath, which collectively suggest a northward and eastward flight toward the Jordan. Tel Salwim has not been the subject of major published excavation. Surface surveys in the Jezreel and Beth-shean valleys consistently reveal Iron Age I occupation, consistent with the Gideon narrative's setting in the pre-monarchic period. The broader region is archaeologically rich, and systematic investigation of smaller tells continues to fill in the settlement history of the valley.
Verse Appearances (1)
Judg
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]