BEERSHEBA (Mod. BIR Es-SEBA`), Simeonite town on the border line between the waste and the cultivated land and re ferred to frequently in the Bible as the southern limit of Pales tine. A famous sanctuary, it was the scene of several theophanies. The digging of its well is attributed in Genesis to both Abraham and Isaac, and into the wilderness of Beersheba Hagar wandered forth with Ishmael. Here the two sons of Samuel exercised judge ship and Elijah sought refuge in its neighbourhood from the vengeance of Jezebel. In Roman times it was the metropolis of a flourishing district and the ruined sites of many a town can still be seen in the waste land to the south. An important inscription of the time of the Constantines found at Beersheba, gives a list of towns and the military dues from each. Later the city be came an episcopal see. The name probably means "seven wells" in spite of efforts to prove otherwise. Three wells with evident marks of antiquity can be seen and four others are said to have been located. The outlines of the ancient town are still discernible and amongst them can be traced the foundations of a church.
The modern town has an installation of water pumped from the largest well, the "well of Abraham," by an oil engine. During the attack on Egypt in the World War it was the headquarters of the Turkish army and the amenities of the town were greatly im proved. The present population is about 2,000. Beersheba was captured by British troops on Oct. 31, a brilliant charge into the town by the Australian mounted division saving the wells from destruction by the Turks. The town is connected by rail with Rafa and has a British military cemetery.