house of the hollow, or of the cavern, the name of two towns or villages ( 2 Chronicles 8:5 ; 1 Chronicles 7:24 ) in the territory of Ephraim, on the way from Jerusalem to Joppa. They are distinguished as Beth-horon "the upper" and Beth-horon "the nether." They are about 2 miles apart, the former being about 10 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Between the two places was the ascent and descent of Beth-horon, leading from Gibeon down to the western plain ( Joshua 10:10 Joshua 10:11 ; Joshua 18:13 Joshua 18:14 ), down which the five kings of the Amorites were driven by Joshua in that great battle, the most important in which the Hebrews had been as yet engaged, being their first conflict with their enemies in the open field. Jehovah interposed in behalf of Israel by a terrific hailstorm, which caused more deaths among the Canaanites than did the swords of the Israelites. Beth-horon is mentioned as having been taken by Shishak, B.C. 945, in the list of his conquests, and the pass was the scene of a victory of Judas Maccabeus. (Compare Exodus 9:19 Exodus 9:25 ; Job 38:22 Job 38:23 ; Psalms 18:12-14 ; Isaiah 30:30 .) The modern name of these places is Beit-ur, distinguished by el-Foka, "the upper," and el-Tahta, "the nether." The lower was at the foot of the pass, and the upper, 500 feet higher, at the top, west of Gibeon. (See GIBEON .)
house of wrath
(house of caverns ), the name of two towns or villages, an "upper" and a "nether," ( Joshua 16:3 Joshua 16:5 ; 1 Chronicles 7:24 ) on the road from Gibeon to Azekah, ( Joshua 10:10 Joshua 10:11 ) and the Philistine plain. 1 Macc. 3:24. Beth-horon lay on the boundary line between Benjamin and Ephraim, ( Joshua 16:3 Joshua 16:5 ) and Josh 18:13,14 was counted to Ephraim, ( Joshua 21:22 ; 1 Chronicles 7:24 ) and given to the Kohathites. ( Joshua 21:22 ; 1 Chronicles 6:68 ) ( 1Chr 6:53 ) The two Beth-horons still survive in the modern villages of Beit-ur, et-tahta and el-foka .