Beth-Milo was a city mentioned in the Bible during the rise and reign of Abimelech, son of Gideon, who was king of the city of Shechem for 7 years.
The city’s biblical history is linked to political intrigue, conspiracies, assassinations and rebellions. Even though it was a small town or village, it played a big part in the political developments of chapter 9 of the book of Judges.
History of Beth-Milo
The Bible does not mention the origin of Beth-Milo or who founded it. It is believed that the town was founded by the inhabitants of the city of Shechem before the Israelites arrived in the region.
Even today, it is still unclear whether Beth-Milo was an independent city near Shechem, or whether it was a settlement belonging to the city, or even whether it was a fortification used to defend the great city of Shechem. Because of this lack of understanding about Beth-Milo and because it is always associated with the city of Shechem, its origin is associated with it.
Rise and reign of Abimelech, son of Gideon
The first mention of the city in the Bible is in Judges 9:6, when the citizens of Shechem and the whole house of Milo gathered to proclaim Abimelech, Gideon’s son, as king over Israel.
Abimelech was the half-brother of Gideon‘s seventy sons, because he was the son of one of Gideon’s concubines who lived in Shechem. He conspired with his relatives from Shechem to kill all his brothers, except Jotham, who escaped.
After killing his brothers, Abimelech went to Shechem, where he received the support of the Shechemites and Beth-Milo. But Jotham went up to Mount Gerizim and spoke a parable against Abimelech and his allies, prophesying their downfall.
Later, God sent a spirit of discord between Abimelech and the Shechemites, who rebelled against him.
King Abimelech attacked the city of Shechem and destroyed it, killing all its inhabitants, including those from Beth-Milo, who took refuge in the tower of the temple of Baal-Berith.
Abimelech set fire to the tower and killed about a thousand men and women. He then went to attack the city of Thebes, but was killed by a woman who threw a millstone at his head.
Assassination of King Joash of Judah (Southern Kingdom)
The second mention of Beth-Milo in the Bible is in 2 Kings 12:21, or 2 Chronicles 24:25, when King Joash of Judah was murdered by his servants in the house of Milo, who was going down to Shiloh. some believe that the expression “servants of Milo” referred to the inhabitants of the city.
Joash reigned in Judah for forty years, and at the beginning of his reign he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, following the advice of Jehoiada the priest. He restored the temple of the Lord, which was in ruins, and fought against the enemies of Judah.
But after Jehoiada’s death, Joash turned away from the Lord and followed the idols of the neighboring peoples. He also stopped paying tribute to King Hazael of Syria, who invaded Judah and Jerusalem, and handed over all the treasures of the temple and palace to him.
King Joash fell ill, and at that time some of his servants plotted against him because of the blood of Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah the priest, whom he had had killed in the temple court.
They murdered him in his bed, in the house of Milo, and buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
Possible location
Beth-Milo was associated with the city of Shechem, which was in the hill country of Ephraim, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.
It is not known for sure whether Beth-Milo was a building, a settlement, a village or even a city, nor where it was exactly. Some scholars suggest that it was a fortress protecting the entrance to Shechem, and that there was also one in Jerusalem, near the royal palace.
Others propose that it was a powerful clan that had influence in Shechem and Jerusalem, and that it was involved in political and religious intrigues. This doesn’t seem to tally very well with the accounts in the Bible.
In any case, Beth-Milo seems to have played an important role in Israel’s history, both during the period of the judges and the kings. It had a great influence on Israel’s politics.
Meaning of the name “Beth-Milo”
The word “Beth-milo” is made up of two Hebrew words: “bete”, which means “house”, and “milo”, which means “fortress” or “tower”. Therefore, a possible translation for this name would literally be “house of the fortress” or “house of the tower”. Others might consider its meaning to be “House of Milo” or “Clan of Milo”.
Learn more
[Podcast] Who were the judges? Btcast.
[Video] Who was GIDEON? The Story of GIDEON, ISRAEL’S MOST IMPORTANT JUDGE. Canal Ilustrarrando.
[Video] Judges. Bible Project.
Sources
[1] Bete-Milo. Annotated Bible.
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