mentioned among the cities of Judah, Jos 15:21 ; only as in the borders of it, Jos 21:10 ; and perhaps is the same Bethshemesh to which the ark was directed by the Philistines from Ashdod, Sa1 6:9 ; in it formerly was a temple dedicated to the sun, from whence it had its name: nine cities out of those two tribes; and they seem all but one, which is Ain, to be of the tribe of Judah, and that originally belonged to it; and as that tribe had the largest number of cities in its lot, the more were given out of it to the Levites, according to a rule prescribed, Num 35:8 .