1012. Beth Barah

Lexical Summary

Beth Barah: House of the Ford

Original Word: בֵּית בָּרָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Beyth Barah
Pronunciation: bayth baw-raw'
Phonetic Spelling: (bayth baw-raw')
KJV: Beth-barah
NASB: Beth-barah
Word Origin: [probably from H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and H5679 (עֲבָרָה - ford)]

1. house of (the) ford
2. Beth-Barah, a place in Israel

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Beth-barah

Probably from bayith and abarah; house of (the) ford; Beth-Barah, a place in Palestine -- Beth-barah.

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW abarah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from bayith and abarah
Definition
"place of ford," a place in Pal.
NASB Translation
Beth-barah (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בֵּית בָּרָה proper name, of a location in combin. ׳בּ ׳עַד בּ וְאֶתהַֿיַּרְדֵּן Judges 7:24 (twice in verse) (? = בֵּית עֲבָרָה place of ford).

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrences

Judges 7:24 is the sole verse in which Beth Barah is named, yet the Hebrew text repeats the place-name twice, accounting for the two occurrences. The Berean Standard Bible reads:

“Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, ‘Come down to confront the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them, as far as Beth-barah.’ So every man of Ephraim was called out, and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah, together with all the fords.”

Geographic Setting

• Situated on or very near the Jordan River.
• Its name, commonly rendered “House of the Ford,” points to a strategic crossing-place.
• Likely lay opposite the central highlands of Ephraim, somewhere between the Wadi Farah and the modern Damieh (Adam) ford.
• The strategic value of fords in this stretch of the Jordan is repeatedly underscored in Scripture (Joshua 2:7; 2 Samuel 17:22; Isaiah 16:2).

Historical Context

The reference occurs during Gideon’s pursuit of the Midianites. After the surprise night attack (Judges 7:16-22), Gideon needed to cut off the enemy’s escape route eastward. He therefore summoned the tribe of Ephraim to secure the river crossings “as far as Beth-barah.” By occupying these fords, Ephraim trapped the Midianite commanders Oreb and Zeeb (Judges 7:25). The tactical move demonstrates:

1. The importance of river fords in ancient warfare.
2. Israel’s cooperative inter-tribal defense when God-appointed leadership acted in faith.
3. The divine provision of victory through strategic obedience rather than sheer numbers (Judges 7:2-7).

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: God had promised victory, yet Gideon still had to marshal volunteers and hold Beth Barah.
• Deliverance at the Waters: Beth Barah belongs to the biblical motif of decisive events at water crossings—Noah’s flood, the Red Sea, the Jordan under Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and later John’s baptism ministry.
• Judgment and Salvation: For Midian, the ford became a place of judgment; for Israel, it was the doorway to rest from oppression (Judges 8:28).

Spiritual and Ministry Applications

• Strategic Intercession: Just as Gideon identified the critical point to block the enemy, believers today are called to discern pivotal spiritual “fords” in prayer and ministry.
• Unity of the Body: Although Ephraim would later clash with Gideon (Judges 8:1–3), at Beth Barah they joined the fight. Cooperation around God’s mission remains essential for the Church’s effectiveness (Ephesians 4:3).
• Finishing the Task: Victory began with a miraculous rout but was completed only when the fords were secured. Likewise, initial breakthroughs in evangelism or discipleship must be followed by diligent follow-through (Colossians 1:28-29).

Related Sites and Later Traditions

• Many scholars equate Beth Barah with the New Testament Bethabara (“Bethany beyond the Jordan”) where John baptized (John 1:28). While the identification is not certain, both sites share the idea of a “house of crossing,” and both mark moments of divine intervention—one in military deliverance, the other in the heralding of Messiah.
• Early Christian pilgrims located Bethabara slightly south of modern Beit ‘Abara (Tell Abū Furāḳ), reinforcing the tradition of a longstanding ford in this region.

Summary

Beth Barah, though mentioned only in Judges 7:24, stands as a testament to the significance of the Jordan crossings in Israel’s story. It highlights the blend of divine promise and human action, the necessity of strategic obedience, and the power of united faith in securing God’s victory.

Forms and Transliterations

בָּרָ֖ה ברה bā·rāh baRah bārāh

Englishman's Concordance

Judges 7:24
HEB: עַ֛ד בֵּ֥ית בָּרָ֖ה וְאֶת־ הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן
NAS: before them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.
KJV: before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
INT: the waters far Beth-barah and the Jordan were summoned

Judges 7:24
HEB: עַ֛ד בֵּ֥ית בָּרָ֖ה וְאֶת־ הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃
NAS: as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.
KJV: the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
INT: the waters far Beth-barah and the Jordan

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1012
2 Occurrences

bā·rāh — 2 Occ.