Beit Shemesh

Beit Shemesh בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ‎‎ بيت شيمش‎
Hebrew transcription(s)
• ISO 259	Beit Šemš
• Also spelled	Bet Shemesh (official)
Modern Beit Shemesh
Emblem of Beit Shemesh
Beit Shemesh
Coordinates: 31°44′44.47″N 34°59′11.93″E / 31.7456861°N 34.9866472°E / 31.7456861; 34.9866472Coordinates: 31°44′44.47″N 34°59′11.93″E / 31.7456861°N 34.9866472°E / 31.7456861; 34.9866472
District	Jerusalem
Founded	1950
Government
• Type	City
• Mayor	Moshe Abutbul
Area
• Total	34,259 dunams (34.259 km2 or 13.227 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	103,922
Name meaning	House of the sun

Beit Shemesh (Hebrew: בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ‎,; Arabic: بيت شيمش‎‎; Latin: Bethsames, Beth Shamesh or Bethshamesh and most often Beth-Shemesh in English translations of the Hebrew Bible) is a city located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of 103,922 in 2015. The history of Beit Shemesh goes back to pre-biblical times. The modern city of Beit Shemesh was founded in 1950.

The ancient city of Beit Shemesh ("house of the sun" or "temple of the sun" in Hebrew) was originally named after the Canaanite sun-goddess Shemesh, who was worshipped there in antiquity. The ruins of the ancient biblical city can still be seen at Tel Beth-Shemesh (Tell er-Rumeileh), a tell located near the modern city. In the Amarna letters Shamash is mentioned several times, along with Addu, as one of the greatest gods: the Pharaoh is "like Addu and Shamash". The name Beth-Shemesh was shared by (at least) two other places in Palestine and one more in Egypt.

Beit Shemesh is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Joshua, as a city in the territory of the tribe of Judah on the border between their territory and that of the tribe of Dan. In Joshua 21:16, this city was set aside as one of the 13 Kohanic cities for the priests of the tribe of Levi, the Kohanim. Another city by the same name, Beit Shemesh, is later mentioned in Joshua 19:38, being situated in the territory of the tribe of Naphtali.