ABSTRACT
While seldom mentioned in the Bible, Beth-Zur is frequently referred to in the Apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees and in Josephus’s Antiquities. According to the tradition in Joshua (15: 58), Beth-Zur, along with other cities, was given to Judah after the “conquest” of Canaan by the Israelites. However, many authorities believe that this list is much later than the assumed time of Joshua. 1 Chronicles 2: 45 traces the ancestry of the place back to the Calebites, and according to 2 Chronicles 11: 7, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, rebuilt BethZur. The first claim may or may not have any historical credibility, but the later is without any archaeological support (see below) if Khirbet et-Tubeiqa is, indeed, the location of the ancient city. The same problem exists for the last biblical reference to the place: Nehemiah 3: 16. Here the town is thought important enough to list as a “district” from which men came to help re-build Jerusalem. The archaeological evidence suggests that the site was sparsely occupied during this time.
