Beer
BEER
BEER (Heb. ??????; "a well"), the name of several biblical localities. (1) One of the stations where the Israelites stopped during the Exodus, north of the Brook of Zered in Transjordan (Num. 21:16–18). It is possibly identical with Beer-Elim (Isa. 15:8) in southern Moab. (2) The place where *Jotham, son of *Gideon, sought refuge when he fled from his brother Abimelech (Judg. 9:21). As this place is associated with the history of *Gideon's family, it is generally located north of the Jezreel Valley. The Septuagint mentions Beeroth, in the inheritance of Issachar, between Shion and Anaharath, i.e., in the vicinity of Mount Tabor (Josh. 19:19), where the Arab village of al-B?ra is located. Nearby is Khirbat al-B?ra, where remains of the early Israelite period have been discovered. The village was abandoned by its inhabitants during the War of Independence.
bibliography:
F.-M. Abel, in: jpos, 17 (1937), 42ff. (Fr.).
[Michael Avi-Yonah]
