BINDING HOUSE OF THE SHEPHERDS

[Heb., behth ʽeʹqedh ha·ro·ʽimʹ].

A place on the road from Jezreel to Samaria, at which place Jehu met and slew the brothers of King Ahaziah of Judah by a cistern. (2 Ki. 10:12-14) Its name apparently indicates a house where the sheep were bound to facilitate the work of shearing. Some versions render behth ʽeʹqedh as “meeting house,” indicating an inn where shepherds (ha·ro·ʽimʹ) met; others simply transliterate the Hebrew name, viewing it as the name of a town. It is generally identified with Beit-Qad about three miles (4.8 kilometers) E of En-gannim (modern Jenin). There are several cisterns at this place.