Beth-haccerem

Beth-haccerem (UPDV: Beth-haccherem) appears as both an administrative district in post-exilic Judah and a high signal-station from which alarms were raised against approaching evil from the north.

A District Whose Ruler Repairs the Dung Gate

When Nehemiah parcels out the wall repair, the dung gate falls to the chief of this district: "And the dung gate repaired Malchijah the son of Rechab, the ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem; he built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars" (Ne 3:14). Beth-haccherem here names an administrative territory near Jerusalem with its own ruler.

A Signal-Station Against the Coming Evil

Jeremiah pairs Beth-haccherem with Tekoa as the place from which alarms are sounded for the people of Benjamin: "Flee for safety, you⁺ sons of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looks forth from the north, and a great destruction" (Jer 6:1). The site is high enough and prominent enough to carry a signal across the country, fitting an elevated station in Judah from which the warning of imminent destruction can reach the surrounding settlements.