Beth-lebaoth
Where it is
31.39° N, 34.94° E · Located through Madmannah
Mentioned most in
About this place
Beth-lebaoth is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Joshua 19:6, as part of the list of towns allotted to the tribe of Simeon within the territory of Judah. The name Beth-lebaoth means "house of lionesses" or "house of lions" in Hebrew.
In the parallel list of Simeon's towns in 1Ch.4.31, the name Lebaoth appears instead of Beth-lebaoth. This suggests that the two names refer to the same place, with Beth-lebaoth being a more descriptive or formal name.
The exact location of Beth-lebaoth is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the Negev region, the southern part of Judah's territory. The towns allotted to Simeon were generally in the southern and western parts of Judah, as the tribe's inheritance was within the larger territory of Judah (Joshua 19:1, 9).
No other details about Beth-lebaoth are provided in the Bible, and the town is not mentioned in any other historical or archaeological context. The name "house of lionesses" or "house of lions" may refer to the presence of these animals in the area or to a local feature that resembled a lion.
Every mention
Joshua 1 mention
What the dictionary says
beth-le-ba'-oth, beth-leb'-aoth (beth lebha'oth; Baithalbath, "house of lionesses"): A town in the territory of Simeon (Jos 19:6).
Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain