Wikipedia's first sentence called it “name for two adjacent towns”. Today it says “two neighboring towns in ancient israel”.
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The opening as it read in 2010
Bethoron (also transliterated Beth-Horon ) was the name for two adjacent towns, Bethoron Elyon ("Upper Bethoron"), and Bethoron Tahton ("Lower Bethoron"), named for the Egypto - Canaanite deity Horon mentioned in Ugaritic literature and other texts. Strategically located on the Gibeon - Aijalon road, the towns guarded the important "ascent of Beth-Horon." Both towns are mentioned in the Old Testament : Upper Bethoron in Joshua 16:5 and Lower Bethoron in 16:3 . According to 1 Chronicles 7:24 , Lower Bethoron was built by Sheerah, the daughter of Beriah , son of Ephraim . Eusebius ' Onomasticon also mentions the 'twin villages' and St. Jerome describes them as 'little hamlets' which it seems they have always been. The two Palestinian Muslim villages of Beit Ur al-Foqa ( , "Upper house of straw") and Beit Ur al-Tahta ( , "Lower house of straw") preserve part of the original Canaanite name for the towns, and have been identified as the sites of Upper and Lower Bethoron. Archaeological finds indicate that the Lower town was established before the Upper one; potsherds from the Late Bronze Age onward were discovered at Lower Beit Ur, whereas those in Upper Beit Ur date only from the Iron Age onward. An Israeli community named Beit Horon ( ) was founded in 1977 on a site adjacent to the two towns. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research . No. 84: 7– 12. : |volume= has extra text ( help ) John Gray (January 1949). Alternate English transliterations use Bayt for Beit , Ur for Ur , el for al and Fauqa , Fawka for, Foqa , and in any combination thereof. Alternate English transliterations for al-Tahta include et-Tahta , el-Tahta , and at-Tahta .1
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The opening as it stood in 2015 11 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Upper Bethoron, drawing from 1880 Bethoron (also Beth-Horon ) (House of Horon) was an ancient biblical town strategically located on the Gibeon - Aijalon road, guarding the "ascent of Beth-Horon." Upper Bethoron appears in Joshua 16:5 and Lower Bethoron in 16:3 . 7:24 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 666383847.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Upper Bethoron, drawing from 1880 Bethoron , also Beth-Horon meaning "House of Horon" ( ; in LXX ) was an ancient biblical town strategically located on the Gibeon - Aijalon road, guarding the "ascent of Beth-Horon".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 960525222.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Biblical town Upper Bethoron, drawing from 1880 Bethoron ( ; ), also Beth-Horon , was the name of two adjacent ancient towns strategically located on the Gibeon – Aijalon road, guarding the "ascent of Beth-Horon".The towns are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and in other ancient sources: Upper Bethoron appears in Joshua 16:5 and Lower Bethoron in Joshua 16:3 and 1 Chronicles 7:24 and I Maccabees 3:16.The ancient towns of Upper Bethoron and Lower Bethoron are identified respectively with the present day Palestinian Arab villages of Beit Ur al-Fauqa and Beit Ur al-Tahta , which are believed to preserve the ancient names.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175125537.
The opening as it stood in 2025 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Biblical town Upper Bethoron, drawing from 1880 Bethoron ( Hebrew : בֵית־חוֹרֹ֔ן , lit. ' house of Horon ' ; Ancient Greek : Ὡρωνείν ), also Beth-Horon , were two neighboring towns in ancient Israel , situated on the Gibeon – Aijalon road.They served as strategic points along the road, guarding the "ascent of Bethoron".While the Hebrew Bible sometimes distinguishes between the two towns—Upper and Lower Bethoron—it often refers to both simply as Bethoron.The towns are mentioned in the Bible and in other ancient sources: Upper Bethoron appears in Joshua 16:5 , Lower Bethoron in Joshua 16:3 , both in 1 Chronicles 7:24 , and the ascent in I Maccabees 3:16 . The ancient towns of Upper Bethoron and Lower Bethoron are identified respectively with the present-day Palestinian Arab villages of Beit Ur al-Fauqa and Beit Ur al-Tahta , which preserve the ancient names. Archaeological evidence suggests that Lower Bethoron was established first, as the earliest potsherds discovered there date back to the Late Bronze Age , while those from the upper town originate from the Iron Age onward.Historical dictionary of ancient Israel .Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1283735045. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “name for two adjacent towns”. Today it says “two neighboring towns in ancient israel”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
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2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
name for two adjacent towns
Now
two neighboring towns in ancient israel
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
