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et-dagon
salem, and to blow the trumpet in Tekoa [in the south], and
to set up a sign of fire [i.e., beacons, massa’ot] in Beth-Cherem
[in the west]; for evil appeareth out of the north, and great
destruction.” Jeremiah referred specifically in this passage to
the ultimate territory of Jerusalem (a radius of five kilometers
around the city), demarcated specifically by the furthermost
sites of Tekoa and Beth-Cherem, to the south and west,
respectively, and with the northern limit set at the border between
Judah and Benjamin (probably at Gibeah/Tell el-Ful).
It again appears during the time of Nehemiah as the center
of one of the Judean districts; Malchijah, son of Rechab, the
ruler of the district of Beth-Cherem, took part in building the
walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah (Neh. 3:14). The valley of
Beth-Cherem appearing in later sources should apparently be
sought next to the town. According to the Mishnah (Mid. 3:4:
Biq’at Beth-Cherem), the stones for the temple altar and its
ramp were brought from the valley of Beth-Cherem (Ex. 20:25
(JPS 20:22); Deut. 27:5–6). The fertile valley in the proximity
of Ain Karim was also noted as a source of a specific kind of
flat stone, still seen there today. Elsewhere we hear that the
bright color of the valley soils was discussed by the sages in
reference to menstrual blood (Niddah 2:7). The town and its
valley are also mentioned in two Dead Sea Scrolls from the
end of the Second Temple period. In the Genesis Aprocryphon
on Genesis 14:17, the “vale of Shaveh – the same is the King’s
Vale” is thought by some scholars to be the same as “the valley
of Beth-Karma.” The Copper Scroll, which contains a list
of hiding places for treasure, describes Beth-Cherem as a depository
for treasure in a large water system (asyw). In Jerome’s
commentary on Jeremiah 6:1 (from the fifth century C.E.),
Bethacharma is incorrectly situated on a mountain between
Jerusalem and Tekoa. An attempt was made by Y. Aharoni
to identify Beth Cherem with Ramat Rahel – a site which he
excavated – in southern Jerusalem, based mainly on Jerome’s
misidentification.
Beth-Cherem should be identified as Ain Karim (“spring
of the vineyard”), situated within the western suburbs of modern
Jerusalem. In antiquity it was a major town in the hills east
of a broad valley basin, with excellent sources of natural water
and surrounded by rich agricultural lands. The main spring,
known as the Spring of the Virgin, provided 1,135 cubic meters
of water per day. Archaeological finds in the present village
date back to the Middle Bronze Age II, Iron Age II and Persian
periods. Later remains from the Roman, Byzantine and medieval
parts are also known. Ain Karim is important in Christian
sources as the birthplace of John the Baptist. Two churches in
the village – the Nativity and the Visitation – are associated
with the tradition of John the Baptist. In the hinterland is the
traditional Monastery of John in the Wilderness, and nearby
recent excavations have uncovered a Byzantine memorial cave
dedicated to the Baptist, with earlier remains connected to
baptism rituals dating back to the Roman period.
Bibliography: M.T. Petrozzi, Ain Karim (1971); 392–93 in Z.
Kallai, Historical Geography of the Bible: The Tribal Territories of Israel
(1986); Y. Aharoni, “Beth-Haccerem,” 171–84 in T.D. Winton (ed.),
Archaeology and Old Testament Study: Jubilee Volume of the Society
for Old Testament Study 1917–1967 (1967); Y. Tsafrir, L. Di Segni, and
J. Green (eds.), Tabula Imperii Romani. Iudaea – Palaestina: Maps
and Gazetteer (1994), 82; M. Piccirillo, “Ain Karim: les sanctuaries de
l’enfance de Jean,” Le Monde de la Bible, 89:24–5; S. Gibson, The Cave
of John the Baptist (2004), 26–43.
[Shimon Gibson (2nd ed.)]
BET(H)-DAGON (Heb. ןֹ וגָ ּד תי ּב), ֵ several biblical places,
named after a house (shrine) of the god Dagon (cf. the Temple
of Dagon in Ashdod, I Sam. 5:1ff.). (1) An unidentified city in
the southern Shephelah district of Judah (Josh. 15:41). (2) A
place in Galilee on the eastern border of the tribe of Asher,
northeast of Mount Carmel (Josh. 19:27), which is possibly
mentioned in a list of cities of Pharaoh Ramses III. (3) A city
mentioned as Bit-Daganna, near Jaffa, in the inscriptions of
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in whose time (701 B.C.E.) it was
under the rule of Ashkelon. The Tosefta in reference to it (Oho.
3:9) specifies that it is located “in Judah,” and distinguishes it
from Beth-Dagon located by Eusebius (Onom. 50:16) “between
Diospolis (Lydda) and Jamnia (Jabneh),” but called by
him Kefar Dagon. The original name appears on the Madaba
Map in the form (Bet)odegana. It was populated by Samaritans,
who built a synagogue there in the fourth century; their
presence is still attested to in the tenth century. The crusaders
erected a castle there, known as Casal Moyen or Castellum de
Maen, i.e., “midway” between Jaffa and Ramleh, which was
destroyed by Saladin in 1187, but rebuilt by Richard the Lion-
Hearted four years later.
[Michael Avi-Yonah]
Modern Period
This site is now the small town of Bet Dagan. In modern times
the Arab village Beit Dajan existed there, which increased in
population and wealth due to the development of nearby Tel
Aviv. Heavy fighting took place there during the War of Independence
(1948) to secure Jewish traffic to Jerusalem and the
south, and the village was abandoned. It was settled by immigrants
from Bulgaria at the end of 1948 and called Bet Dagan
(“House of Corn”). This soon developed from a moshav into
a semi-urban community. In 1953 Bet Dagan received municipal
council status. In 1962 the Israel Institute for Meteorology
was opened there along with a state-owned agricultural
experimental station. The town had 2,680 inhabitants in 1968
and 4,830 in 2002, occupying a municipal area of 0.6 sq. mi.
(1.5 sq. km.).
[Efraim Orni / Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)]
Bibliography: M. Avi-Yonah, Madaba Mosaic Map (1954),
62; Avi-Yonah, Land, 157; 107; Abel, Geog, 2 (1938), 269; G. Beyer, in:
ZDPV, 56 (1933), 227; E. Dhorme, in: RHR, 138 (1950), 130–1; Press,
Ereẓ, 1 (1951), 79; Aharoni, Land, 337. Website: www.beitdagan.
muni.il.
BET DIN AND JUDGES (Heb. ןי ּד ִ תי ּב; ֵ lit. “house of judgment”).
Bet din (pl. battei din) is the term, in rabbinic sources,
for a Jewish court of law. In modern times it usually refers to
512 ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3