Bethhaccerem
Beth-hac'cerem (Heb. Beyth hak-Ke'rem, הִכֶּרֶם בֵּית, house of the vineyard; Sept. Βηθακχαρίμ [v. r.' Βηθαγγαρίμ, Βηθαγγαβαρείμ] and Βαιθαχαρμά [v. r. Βηθθαχάρ, Βηθαχαρμά]), a place in the tribe of Judah, not far from Jerusalem (Ne 3:14), where the children of Benjamin were to set up a beacon when they blew the trumpet of warning at Tekoa against the invading army of Babylonians (Jer 6:1). From the notice in Nehemiah, it appears that the town, like a few other places, was distinguished by the application to it of the word pelek (פֶּלֶך, Auth. Ver. "part"), and that it had then a "ruler" (שִׂר). According to Jerome (Comment. in loc. Jer.), there was a village called Bethacharma, situated on a mountain between Jerusalem and Tekoa. The name also occurs in the Talmud (Nidda 2, 7; Middoth. 3, 4) as belonging to a valley containing a quarry. Hence Pococke (East, 2, 42) suggests that this was the fortress Herodium ( ῾Ηρώδιον or ῾Ηρώδειον), founded by Herod the Great (Josephus, Ant. 16, 2, 1; War, 1, 13, 8; 21, 10), and where he died (Josephus, Ant. 17, 8, 3), being 200 stadia from Jericho (Josephus, War, 1, 33, 8; comp. 3, 3, 5), and identical with the modern "Frank Mountain," or Jebel Fureidis (Wolcott, in the Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, p. 69, 70); but this is denied by Robinson (Researches, 2, 174), although affirmed by Wilson (Lands of Bible, 1, 396), Bonar (Mission to Jews, p. 247), Stanley .(Sinai and Palest. p. 163, 164), and Van de Velde (Narrative, 2, 39). SEE HERODIUM.
