Sheerah, the City Builder

1 Chronicles 7:24

The Message (MSG)

The Family of Ephraim

^20-24 The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath his son, Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead, cattle-rustlers, killed on one of their raids by the natives of Gath. Their father Ephraim grieved a long time and his family gathered to give him comfort. Then he slept with his wife again. She conceived and produced a son. He named him Beriah (Unlucky), because of the bad luck that had come to his family. His daughter was Sheerah. She built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah.

She built... This is so unheard of in ancient Israel. Not only did she get her name listed in the bible but in history books as well. The cities she built were prime locations for a major battle. She had the presence of mind to build where she did, mostly likely from the family she descends from that it was faith lead decision. I can not begin to tell you what she must have thought in the world she was raised and lived in; but we can gain some insight by looking at the name of the cities she built. 

BETH-HORON - beth-ho'-ron (beth-choron (other Hebrew forms occur); Bethoron, probably the "place of the hollow"; compare Hauran, "the hollow"): 1. The Ancient Towns: The name of two towns, Beth-horon the Upper (Josh 16:5) and Beth-horon the Lower (Josh 16:3), said to have been built (1 Ch 7:24) by Sheerah, the daughter of Beriah. The border line between Benjamin and Ephraim passed by the Beth-horons (Josh 16:5; 21:22), the cities belonging to the latter tribe and therefore, later on, to the Northern Kingdom. Solomon "built Beth-horon the upper, and Beth-horon the nether, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars" (2 Ch 8:5; 1 Ki 9:17). From Egyptian sources (Muller, As. und Europa, etc.) it appears that Beth-horon was one of the places conquered by Shishak of Egypt from Rehoboam. Again, many centuries later, Bacchides repaired Beth-horon, "with high walls, with gates and with bars and in them he set a garrison, that they might work malice upon ("vex") Israel" (1 Macc 9:50,51), and at another time the Jews fortified it against Holofernes (Judith 4:4,5).
2. The Modern Beit Ur el foqa and el tachta: These two towns are now known as Beit Ur el foqa (i.e. "the upper") and Beit Ur el tachta (i.e. "the lower"), two villages crowning hill tops, less than 2 miles apart; the former is some 800 ft. higher than the latter. Today these villages are sunk into insignificance and are off any important lines of communication, but for many centuries the towns occupying their sites dominated one of the most historic roads in history. 3. The Pass of the Beth-horons: When (Josh 10:10) Joshua discomfited the kings of the Amorites "he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the `Ascent of Beth-horon.' " When the Philistines were opposing King Saul at Michmash they sent a company of their men to hold "the way of Beth-horon." This pass ascends from the plain of Ajalon (now Yalo) and climbs in about 3/4 hr. to Beit Ur el tachta (1,210 ft.); it then ascends along the ridge, with valleys lying to north and south, and reaches Beit Ur el foqa (2,022 ft.), and pursuing the same ridge arrives in another 4 1/2 miles at the plateau to the North of el Jib (Gibeon). At intervals along this historic route traces of the ancient Roman paving are visible. It was the great highroad into the heart of the land from the earliest times until about three or four centuries ago. Along this route came Canaanites, Israelites, Philistines, Egyptians, Syrians, Romans, Saracens and Crusaders. Since the days of Joshua (Josh 10:10) it has frequently been the scene of a rout. Here the Syrian general Seron was defeated by Judas Maccabeus (1 Macc 3:13-24), and six years later Nicanor, retreating from Jerusalem, was here defeated and slain (1 Macc 7:39 ff; Josephus, Ant, XII, x, 5). Along this pass in 66 AD the Roman general Cestius Gallus was driven in headlong flight before the Jews. Now the changed direction of the high road to Jerusalem has left the route forsaken and almost forgotten. See PEF, III, 86, Sh XVII. E. W. G. Masterman  http://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Beth%20Horon

Definition of hollow - A hole or depression in something.

Uzzen-sherah was a town that was believed to be located close to Beth-horon. It was named for its builder, Sherah, daughter of Ephraim. Defined named is the ear of the flesh( Sheerah ).

As I read the definitions of the cities, a look at the woman herself came to me, that we can HEAR her thoughts even between the emptiness! 

Even though there is not written about her life directly, what we do know is enough to value the woman as she was! 

So for all women, no matter how little is know about you by the world you make a difference just by living!