Beth-zur

Beth-zur, 1920s Beth-Zur (beth'-zur), also spelled Bethsura, Beth-tsur, Belt Cur, or Baith-sour, is a historically and archaeologically significant site in the southern West Bank , referenced several times within the Hebrew Bible and in the writings of Josephus . It is the place where the Battle of Beth-Zur occurred. The ruined citadel can be found near the main road between Jerusalem and Hebron , approximately 4 miles north of latter. The site’s location is now disclosed by the presence of a ruined medieval tower. The name Beth-Zur means "house of rock," or less likely "house of the god Zur." Beth-Zur was inhabited in the lifetimes of Eusebius and Jerome . Beth-Zur is mentioned in Joshua as being near Halhul and Gedor , in the Judean hill country. Rehoboam is credited with its fortification. Nehemiah is said to have been the ruler of a half district of the same name. During the Maccabean wars , the site became quite significant, with the Battle of Beth-Zur in 164 BC. The site’s importance lay in its natural strength, on a hilltop dominating the highroad, and also in its guarding the one southerly approach for a hostile army by the Vale of Elah to the Judean plateau. Josephus describes Beth-Zur as the strongest place in all Judea . The battle was the confrontation between the Seleucid Greek general Lysias and the Maccabees , led by Judas Maccabeus , resulting in the defeat of Lysias and his forces. This victory was followed by the recapturing of Jerusalem by the Maccabees . The key to the battle was the exploitation of the natural terrain and fortifications, eventually causing the Seleucid Greeks to route.¹