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H1029 · Hebrew · Old Testament
בֵּית הַשִּׁטָּה
Beth-Shittah
Proper noun, place
House of the Acacia

Definition

A location mentioned in Judges 7:22 as one of the places the Midianites fled to during Gideon's surprise night attack. The name means "house of the acacia tree," the shittah (H7848) being the acacia tree from which the ark of the covenant and tabernacle furniture were constructed.

Usage & Theological Significance

Gideon's victory at Beth-Shittah is one of Scripture's most stunning examples of divine sovereignty overturning military logic. Three hundred men with torches and jars defeated an army "thick as locusts" (Judges 7:12). The acacia tree — from which the holy ark was built — lending its name to this battlefield suggests that where God's glory dwells, even the battlefield becomes holy ground. Gideon's famous "sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" remains a battle cry of faith: human instruments wielded by divine power accomplish impossible things.

Key Bible Verses

Judges 7:22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.
Judges 7:7 The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands."
Exodus 25:10 Have them make an ark of acacia wood — two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
Zechariah 4:6 Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD Almighty.

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