Bether

BETHER. There is mention of the Mountains of Bether in the Song of Solomon¹. The Author of the Vulgate reads the mountains of perfume, Cant. viii. 14. and several Latin copies read Bethel instead of Bether, Cant. ii. 17. But the Hebrew in both places reads Bether. Enquiry has been made, what this Bether is, and how it is situated. Some take it to be Bethoron, called Bether in Eusebius, Bethara in Josephus, and Bethra in an old Itinerary. There is frequent mention of Bether in the writings of the Hebrews; it was taken by the Emperor Adrian in Barchochebas’s rebellion. The number of Jews inclosed in it was so great, says the Gemara², That the blood which run from the dead bodies into the Sea, carried stones along with it as large as four Seahs, (the Seah or Satum³ was a hollow measure which held a peck and a pint) and that it ran four miles into the Sea: you will say perhaps, that it was a maritime Town, no, it was four miles distant from the sea. Several, as we have observed, are of opinion, that it is the same as Bethoron. Others will have it to be Betharis, between Cæsarea and Diospolis, set down in the antient Itinerary, which we have spoken of; or lastly to be Bæther, mentioned in the Septuagint, Jos. xv. 60. among the cities of Judah. For my part, I take it to be Upper Bethoron or Bethora, between Diospolis and Cæsarea. Eusebius⁴ speaks of Betharim near Diospolis, and when he mentions Bether, which was taken by Adrian, he says it was in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem⁵. Hist. l. iv. c. 6.

The Rabbins⁶ say, that in this one city only, there were four hundred Colleges, in every College four hundred Professors, and that every Professor had four hundred Scholars, who when assembled together composed a large army. They stood the first shocks of the Siege, tho’ they had no other weapons besides bodkins, which they used in writing upon table books covered with wax after the manner of those times. A famous Rabbin, whose name was Tryphon, having spoke something of surrendering the city, was put to death by Barchochebas; notwithstanding his resistance and that of the besieged, the city was taken, Barchochebas killed, the Scholars, who had so well defended the place, were tied up with their books and cast into the fire. The Massacre, ‘tis added, was so great, that more perished in this war than came out of Egypt with Moses; and that upon one stone were found the Skulls of three hundred Infants that had been dashed to pieces against it.

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