Hebrew word · H1052

בֵּית שְׁאָן

beit-

Beth-shean

Proper name, 'house of Shean'. 'Beth-' (house) in place names often points to a sanctuary or the seat of a clan or god. 'Shean' is not explained with certainty.

Appears 18 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Beth-shean or Beth-Shan = "house of ease"

a place in Manasseh, west of the Jordan

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Kings 4:12

Range of meaning

Proper name, 'house of Shean'. 'Beth-' (house) in place names often points to a sanctuary or the seat of a clan or god. 'Shean' is not explained with certainty.

Against the English

Translations spell it Beth-shean, Beth Shean or Beth Shan (NIV). The Greek tradition partly translates it as 'house of San'.

Used elsewhere in the period

An Egyptian garrison and administrative centre in the Late Bronze Age (stelae of Seti I and Ramesses II found at the site). Saul's body was hung on its wall by the Philistines (1 Sam 31:10–12). Listed among the Canaanite cities Manasseh did not take (Josh 17:11, 16; Judg 1:27). Named in Shoshenq I's list. In Greek times it became Scythopolis.

From the study of Joshua 17:16

Range of meaning

Beth-shean is a fortified city at the eastern end of the Jezreel–Harod corridor. Jezreel means 'God sows' and names the wide fertile plain between the Carmel ridge and the Gilboa hills.

Against the English

Translations agree here. The only differences are spelling (Beth-shean / Beth Shean).

Used elsewhere in the period

Excavations at Beth-shean found Egyptian administrative buildings and stelae of Seti I and Ramesses II. Egyptian control lasted into the 12th century BC. The Jezreel was crossed by the main international road (the route later called the Via Maris), and great battles were fought there (Megiddo, Thutmose III; Judg 4-5; 1 Sam 31; 2 Kgs 23:29).

Where it appears

Joshua · 4

  1. Joshua 17:11 בֵּית־ שְׁאָ֣ן Beth, Shean

    Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor, Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.

    Here: First half of the place name Beth-shean. 'Beth' means 'house', a common element in Canaanite place names, often meaning a shrine or estate.

  2. Joshua 17:16 בְּבֵית־ שְׁאָן֙ [are] in Beth, Shean

    “The hill country is not enough for us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the Valley of Jezreel.”

    Here: First part of the place name Beth-shean ('house of Shean'), with 'in' attached.

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 1:27 בֵּית־ שְׁאָ֣ן Beth, Shean

    At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.

    Here: First half of the city's name. Beth-shean guarded the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, where it meets the Jordan Valley.

1 Samuel · 4

  1. 1 Samuel 31:10 בֵּ֥ית שָֽׁן׃ Beth, Shan

    They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

  2. 1 Samuel 31:12 בֵּ֣ית שָׁ֑ן Beth, Shan

    all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 21:12 בֵּֽית־ שַׁ֗ן Beth, Shan

    he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa.

1 Kings · 4

  1. 1 Kings 4:12 בֵּ֣ית שְׁאָ֡ן מִבֵּ֤ית שְׁאָן֙ Beth, Shean, from Beth

    Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

    Here: First part of the name Beth-shean, literally 'house of'. In place names 'Beth-' often refers to a temple or the place of a god or clan.

1 Chronicles · 2

  1. 1 Chronicles 7:29 בֵּית־ שְׁאָ֤ן Beth, Shan

    And along the borders of Manasseh were Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.

    Here: First half of the place name Beth-shean, "house of Shean." Here it is simply part of the name, not a separate word.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.