Beth Haccherem

BETH-HACCHEREM bĕth’ hă kər’ əm (בֵּ֥ית הַכֶּ֖רֶם LXX 2 Esd 13:14; Βηθαχαρμ; Jer 6:1 Βαιθαχαρμα; house of the vineyard), KJV BETH-HACCEREM. The chief city of a district in Judah whose ruler, Malchijah, repaired the Dung Gate as the wall was rebuilt under Nehemiah (Neh 3:14). Its identification with ’Ain Karem c. six m. W of Jerusalem is rejected by Y. Aharoni (“Ramet Rahel,” ARC 18 [1965], 15-25), who suggests Ramet Rahel, a high hill between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, since it corresponds well with Jeremiah 6:1 which indicates a location suitable for signaling near Jerusalem.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

beth-ha-ke’-rem, beth-hak’-e-rem (the King James Version Beth-haccerem; beth ha-kerem; Bethachcharma (see DB), "place of the vineyard"): A district (in Ne 3:14) ruled over by one, Malchijah; mentioned in Jer 6:1 as a suitable signal station. From its association with Tekoa (Jer 6:1) and from the statement by Jerome that it was a village which he could see daily from Bethlehem, the Frank mountain (Herodium) has been suggested. It certainly would be a unique place for a beacon. More suitable is the fertile vineyard country around `Ain Karem (the "spring of the vineyard"). On the top of Jebel `Ali, above this village, are some remarkable cairns which, whatever their other uses, would appear to have been once beacons. `Ain Karem appears as Carem in the Septuagint (Jos 15:59).

See Beth-car.