1037. Beth Millo

Lexical Summary

Beth Millo: Beth Millo

Original Word: בֵּית מִלּוֹא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Beyth Millow'
Pronunciation: bayth mil-lo'
Phonetic Spelling: (bayth mil-lo')
KJV: house of Millo
NASB: Beth-millo
Word Origin: [from H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and H4407 (מִלּוֹא מִלּוֹא - Millo)]

1. house of (the) rampart
2. Beth-Millo, the name of two citadels

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

house of Millo

Or Beyth Mil-loh {bayth mil-lo'}; from bayith and millow'; house of (the) rampart; Beth-Millo, the name of two citadels -- house of Millo.

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW millow'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from bayith and Millo
Definition
"house of earthwork," a place near Shechem, also a citadel in Jer.
NASB Translation
Beth-millo (3).

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Setting and Meaning

“Beth Millo,” literally “house of the Millo,” is not the name of a single structure but a designation for inhabited quarters situated beside a massive earth-and-stone rampart (“the Millo,” a “filling” or embankment). Two separate regions are linked to the term: the fortified sector of ancient Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim and the outer defensive works on the northern spur of Jerusalem that David and Solomon incorporated into the City of David. In both locations the phrase marks the zone adjoining the great earthen fill that strengthened the city’s wall system.

Appearance in the Scriptural Narrative

1. Shechem in the era of the Judges
• Judges 9 recounts how the lords of Shechem and “all Beth-millo” assembled “by the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to make Abimelech king” (Judges 9:6). Their complicity in installing the ruthless son of Gideon exposes the spiritual and civic decay of the period. Abimelech later calls down judgment on both groups: “Let fire come from Abimelech and consume the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo” (Judges 9:20). The narrative ends with mutual destruction, underscoring that any society that rejects covenant faithfulness ultimately undermines its own security no matter how formidable its walls.

2. Jerusalem in the united monarchy
• After capturing Jebus, “David built up the surrounding area from the Millo inward” (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8). The Millo served as the northern bulwark of the City of David, protecting its most vulnerable approach.
• Solomon expanded the work: “This was the account of the forced labor King Solomon imposed… to repair the foundation of the House of the LORD and his own palace and to strengthen the Millo in Jerusalem” (1 Kings 9:15). The inclusion of the Millo in temple-age construction shows that worship and civic defense were interwoven purposes in Israel’s theocratic ideal.
• A century later Joash of Judah was assassinated “at the house of the Millo on the road that goes down to Silla” (2 Kings 12:20). Political intrigue had crept into the very place once fortified for covenant purposes, a sober reminder that outward structures cannot preserve a nation whose leaders abandon the LORD.

Historical and Archaeological Perspectives

Excavations on the eastern slope of Jerusalem’s ancient Ophel ridge have revealed stepped stone structures dating to the late second millennium B.C.—immense fills that shore up the fortress area. Many scholars identify this complex with “the Millo.” Similar fills have been documented at Shechem. In both sites the “house of the Millo” would have housed administrators, soldiers, and craftsmen whose daily life revolved around maintaining the defenses and managing city affairs. The archaeological evidence corroborates the Biblical picture of sizable engineering projects in the early monarchy and earlier tribal period.

Theological and Ministry Implications

Protection ultimately belongs to the LORD. Beth-Millo was impressive in engineering terms, yet the fate of Abimelech’s supporters and of Joash shows that fortifications avail nothing where covenant loyalty is absent (Psalm 127:1). Conversely, when David and Solomon dedicated their building efforts to the service of God, the same defensive system became an instrument of blessing, enabling Israel to worship in peace and to extend righteous influence.

Typological Reflections

The Millo’s “filling” suggests a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who “fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23). Just as the earthen fill stabilized Jerusalem’s walls, Christ is the fullness that secures the spiritual house of God (Ephesians 2:20-22). Human attempts at self-security parallel the tragic Beth-Millo of Shechem, while reliance on the Savior mirrors the blessed Millo of David’s capital.

Lessons for Today

• Civic strength is inseparable from spiritual integrity; moral decay erodes even the strongest defenses.
• Strategic planning and skilled labor are useful and commendable when dedicated to God’s purposes.
• Leaders bear grave responsibility; their choices can turn places of safety into arenas of judgment.
• Believers are called to build “with gold, silver, and precious stones” on the one true foundation (1 Corinthians 3:12-13), seeking a city whose architect and builder is God.

Summary

Beth-Millo stands as a double-edged witness: a testimony to practical wisdom when employed under divine lordship, and a warning of inevitable collapse when human ambition usurps God’s throne.

Englishman's Concordance

hā·rām — 1 Occ.
hā·rān — 1 Occ.
haš·šiṭ·ṭāh — 1 Occ.
haš·šim·šî — 2 Occ.
ḥā·ḡə·lāh — 3 Occ.
ḥō·w·rōn — 14 Occ.
kār — 1 Occ.
lə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
lā·ḥem — 19 Occ.
le·ḥem — 22 Occ.
ham·ma·‘ă·ḵāh — 1 Occ.
ma·‘ă·ḵāh — 1 Occ.
nim·rāh — 2 Occ.
‘az·mā·weṯ — 1 Occ.
‘ă·nō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
‘ă·nāṯ — 3 Occ.
‘ê·qeḏ — 1 Occ.
pā·leṭ — 2 Occ.
pə·‘ō·wr — 4 Occ.
paṣ·ṣêṣ — 1 Occ.