### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **Bêyth hash-Shimshîy**, represented by `{{H1030}}`, is a patrial term identifying a **Bethshemite**, or an inhabitant of Bethshemesh. This specific designation appears **2 times** in **2 unique verses**, playing a key role in a single, significant narrative. It functions to ground a moment of divine intervention in a specific time and place, through a particular individual.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H1030}}` is used exclusively to identify Joshua, a **Bethshemite** whose field becomes the final destination for the ark of the LORD after its return from the Philistines. A cart `{{H5699}}` carrying the ark came into the field `{{H7704}}` of Joshua and stopped by a great stone `{{H68}}`. In an act of worship, the wood `{{H6086}}` of the cart was split and the kine `{{H6510}}` that pulled it were sacrificed as a burnt offering `{{H5930}}` to the LORD `{{H3068}}` [[1 Samuel 6:14]]. The location is further specified as the place where the Philistines' golden `{{H2091}}` mice `{{H5909}}` offering was also present, near the great stone of Abel `{{H59}}` in the field of Joshua, the **Bethshemite** [[1 Samuel 6:18]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words provide essential context for the events surrounding the **Bethshemite**:
* `{{H3091}}` **Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ** (Jehovah-saved): This is the name of the **Bethshemite** whose field `{{H7704}}` becomes the site where the ark `{{H727}}` of the LORD `{{H3068}}` comes to a standstill [[1 Samuel 6:14]].
* `{{H727}}` **ʼârôwn** (ark, chest, coffin): The narrative centers on the return of the **ark** of the LORD, which is set down on a great stone `{{H68}}` in the Bethshemite's field [[1 Samuel 6:18]].
* `{{H5930}}` **ʻôlâh** (a holocaust (as going up in smoke)): This describes the immediate act of worship that took place, where the kine `{{H6510}}` were offered as a **burnt offering** to the LORD [[1 Samuel 6:14]].
* `{{H6430}}` **Pᵉlishtîy** (Philistine): The return of the ark and the associated offerings are a direct result of the events that transpired while it was in the hands of the **Philistines** and their five `{{H2568}}` lords `{{H5633}}` [[1 Samuel 6:18]].
### Theological Significance
The significance of `{{H1030}}` is deeply tied to the narrative it frames:
* **A Specific Witness:** The term pinpoints a specific individual, Joshua the **Bethshemite**, whose property becomes the stage for a divine event. This connects God's miraculous intervention to a named person and a tangible location ([[1 Samuel 6:14]], [[1 Samuel 6:18]]).
* **Improvised Sanctuary:** The story illustrates the transformation of the ordinary into the sacred. A common field `{{H7704}}`, a cart `{{H5699}}`, and its wood `{{H6086}}` are immediately consecrated for an act of worship involving a burnt offering `{{H5930}}` to the LORD `{{H3068}}`.
* **Restoration and Atonement:** The arrival of the ark in the field of the **Bethshemite** marks the end of its exile among the Philistines `{{H6430}}`. Its return is accompanied by their offering of golden `{{H2091}}` mice `{{H5909}}`, symbolizing a resolution and the restoration of God's presence among His people [[1 Samuel 6:18]].
### Summary
In summary, **Bêyth hash-Shimshîy** `{{H1030}}` is more than a simple descriptor of origin. It serves to anchor a pivotal moment in Israel's history to a specific person, Joshua. Through this identification, the narrative of the ark's return from the Philistines is given a concrete setting, highlighting themes of divine guidance, spontaneous worship, and the transformation of a common field into a place of sacred encounter.
TRV