Beit HaKerem (Bible)

Beit HaKerem (Hebrew בית הכרם, literally "house of the vineyard"; Beth HakKerem in Biblical Hebrew) is a biblical place associated with the Tribe of Judah (Neh. 3:14).

Some identify Beit HaKerem with Ein Kerem. Others place Beit HaKerem south of Jerusalem, at Ramat Rachel, where cairns on the ridge may have served as beacons of old. [1] Others say it was near Tekoa, later known as Herodium[2][3] According to the Bible, the trumpet sounded against the invading army of Babylon at this place (Jer. 6:1).

Beit Hakerem was a district center during the Persian Period, (Nehemiah 3:14). Archeological finds at Ramat Rachel have yielded dozens of seal impressions on jar handles from the 4th-3rd centuries BCE bearing the inscription yehud, the official name of the province of Judah in this period. [1]


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ramat Rahel - A Royal Citadel and a Palace of the Last Kings of Judah", Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, June 24 2001. Retrieved on September 9, 2011
  2. ↑ "Bethhaccerem", Smith's Bible Dictionary. Retrieved on September 9, 2011.
  3. ↑ Morris Jastrow Jr. and Frants Buhl. "BETH-HACCEREM", JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved on September 9, 2011