Beth-anoth
Beth-anoth is an ancient city mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Judea in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Beit Anun. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Beth-anoth, meaning "house of Anoth" or possibly a variant of "house of Anath," appears in Joshua 15:59 within the list of cities assigned to the tribe of Judah in the hill country district southwest of Hebron. The city was part of a cluster of six towns in the southern Judean highlands, a rugged landscape of terraced agriculture and ancient villages. Beyond this single territorial reference, Beth-anoth does not figure prominently in the biblical narrative, suggesting it remained a small agricultural settlement within Judahite territory rather than a center of political or religious activity. The name's possible connection to the goddess Anath parallels the Galilean Beth-anath, and may indicate pre-Israelite Canaanite cultic activity at the site before Judahite settlement. The hill country of Judah was gradually settled by Israelite clans during the Iron Age I period, with many of these smaller towns developing from earlier Canaanite villages or new Israelite foundations. Beth-anoth's inclusion in the Judahite city list reflects the administrative organization of Judah's heartland, preserving a record of settlement density in a period when the highland population was growing significantly.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Beth-anoth is identified with Khirbet Beit Anun, located in the Judean hill country southeast of Hebron in the West Bank. The Arabic toponym Beit Anun closely preserves the ancient Hebrew name, providing strong etymological support for the identification. Surface surveys at Khirbet Beit Anun have documented ceramic evidence spanning the Iron Age through later periods, consistent with continuous Judahite settlement in the region. The site sits in a typical hill country landscape characterized by terraced slopes and ancient agricultural infrastructure. No major archaeological excavation has been conducted at the site, and knowledge of its material culture derives primarily from regional surveys. The Hebron hill country as a whole has yielded extensive evidence of Iron Age Judahite settlement.
Verse Appearances (1)
Josh
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]