BEEROTH Bit Sept. Bripdiv, Bnp(1)0), one of the cities of the Hivites who made a league with Joshua, and so were not destroyed by the Israel ites (Josh. ix. I-IS). Beeroth was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (2 Sam. iv. 2); it is mentioned along with other Benjamite cities among the places whose inhabitants returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra ii. 25 ; Neh. vii. 29). Eusebius places it seven miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Nicopolis (Onom. in Bnp60); whilst Jerome says it was the same distance on the road to Neapolis. It is corn monly identified with El-Bireh, between Jerusalem and Bethel) Robinson, ii. 132 ; Wilson, ii. 39; Stanley, 213 ; Nugent, ii. r II). There is, how ever, a difficulty here which has not been obviated. If el-Bireh be Beeroth, then Jerome is right in placing the latter on the road to Neapolis, but he is wrong as to the distance from Jerusalem. Again, if Eusebius be right in placing Beeroth on the road to Nicopolis, it cannot possibly be el-Bireh, which lies to the north of Jerusalem. Robinson tries to
obviate this by saying—' the traveller, on emerg ing from the hills into the plain round el-Jib, sees el-Bireh on his right after a little more than two hours from Jerusalem ' (ii. 132). But Eusebius says nothing of seeing it on the right ;' he says that it is a village near to Jerusalem, brt NocaroXty. The locality assigned by Eusebius is confirmed by the connection of Beeroth with Chephirah and Kiriath-jearim (Josh. ix. 17; Ezra ii. 25); both of which lay to the north-west of Jerusalem, on the way to Nicopolis (Arnold in Herzog's Encycl. xiv. . 732).
Another Beeroth, described as that of the chil dren of Jaakan,' is mentioned (Dent. x. 6) as one of the stations of the Israelites in the desert. In Num. xxxiii. 31, 32, the place is called simply Bene-jaakan. It has not been identified. [BENEI JAAKAN.j—W. L. A.