BETH-EKEDbĕth e’ kĭd (Heb. בֵּֽית־עֵ֥קֶד), a place mentioned only in 2 Kings 10:12, 14. The KJV attempts a tr. and reads, “shearing house.” The LXX transliterates the name as a place name, Gr. Βαιθακαδ, which is followed by the RSV. Various rabbinical traditions are known in an attempt to tr. the term; “binding house,” “shearing yard,” and even “meeting house” have been proposed. A modern rendering based on the Arab. is “sand congested,” but it was undoubtedly a place name related to some aspect of sheep herding and should be read simply as Beth-eked.
