Beth-haran

Beth-haran is a fortified city east of the Jordan in the territory of Gad. UPDV preserves both the form Beth-haran (Numbers) and the parallel form Beth-haram (Joshua), pointing to the same Gadite valley town.

A Fortified City Rebuilt by Gad

The rebuild list of the children of Gad pairs Beth-haran with its valley neighbor Beth-nimrah: "and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep" (Nu 32:36). The classification — fortified city with sheepfolds — fits the pastoral and defensive needs of the Gadite tribes settling the trans-Jordan plateau.

Beth-haram in Joshua's Allotment

The Joshua boundary description for Gad lists the same site under the parallel form Beth-haram: "and in the valley, Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, the Jordan and the border [of it], to the uttermost part of the sea of Chinnereth beyond the Jordan eastward" (Jos 13:27). The pairing with Beth-nimrah and the valley setting east of the Jordan match the Numbers entry, so that Beth-haran and Beth-haram name a single Gadite stronghold in what had been Sihon's kingdom.