Beth Shan

Ancient Beth Shan, situated in the central and northern part of the Jordan Valley, was known for it's strategic location because it sat at a crossroads for travel. You could go north and south to and from Jerusalem, and east-west between the Mediterranean coast and over to the Transjordan. The fertile Beth Shan valley provided crops for livelihood. Like so many prized locations in Israel, people group after people group came here wanting to stake their claim: the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Israelites, the Greeks and Romans. Today, you see a vast archaeological excavation site with a 7,000 seat Roman theater, a huge Byzantine bath house, a market place, and tall columns from the ruins of the false temples. In 500-700 A.D. there was a population of about 40,000!


In Joshua's day, Israel could not drive out the Canaanites from this location; the Bible tells us of the iron chariots used by Israel's enemy. The Philistine advanced weaponry proved too much (Josh. 17:16). Bible teachers customarily think it was not until David's time, about 1000 B.C., that Israel finally took possession of Beth Shan.

From Beth Shan, just 3-4 miles to the southwest, is Mt. Gilboa (pictured below). It was here that Saul and his army took refuge during a battle with the Philistines. Saul was thinking that the Canaanite-Philistine chariots wouldn't be able to handle the rocky terrain up around Gilboa.


But the Philistines advanced and slaughtered the Israelites, and Saul and Jonathan died in the battle (1 Samuel 31:1). The day after the battle, the Philistines found the bodies of Saul and his three sons, and they cut off Saul's head and stripped him of his armor. They took the armor and put it into the temple of the Philistine Ashtoreth-god, and then tied Saul's body and the bodies of his sons to a wall at Beth Shan (1 Sam. 31:8-10). David, still seeking to honor God with his treatment of Saul, had the bones of Saul and Jonathan recovered and buried in Benjamin (2 Sam. 21:12-14).

G. Mark Sumpter