Bet Schemesch 5.59

Beit Shemesh is a city located approximately 30km west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of in. The history of Beit Shemesh goes back to pre-biblical times. The modern city of Beit Shemesh was founded in 1950.HistoryCanaanite and Israelite townThe ancient city of Beit Shemesh was originally named after the Canaanite sun-goddess Shemesh, who was worshipped there in antiquity. The ruins of the ancient biblical city can still be seen at Tel Beth-Shemesh, a tell located near the modern city. In the Amarna letters Shamash is mentioned several times, along with Addu, as one of the greatest gods: the Pharaoh is "like Addu and Shamash". The name Beth-Shemesh was shared by two other places in Palestine and one more in Egypt.Beit Shemesh is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Joshua, as a city in the territory of the tribe of Judah on the border between their territory and that of the tribe of Dan. In Joshua 21:16, this city was set aside as one of the 13 Kohanic cities for the priests of the tribe of Levi, the Kohanim. Another city by the same name, Beit Shemesh, is later mentioned in, being situated in the territory of the tribe of Naphtali.