Located 6 km (4 mi) north of Beit Shemesh,[2] it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council.

[1] In 2013, archaeological excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority near Eshtaol discovered the oldest structure ever found in the Shfela region of the Judean Hills, dating back to the first permanent human settlement in the area some 10,000 years ago.

[3][4] Excavations at the site continued into 2014, led by A. Yaroshevich on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

After his death in Gaza, Samson's body was brought back for burial in the tomb of his fatherManoah between Eshtaol and Zorah (Judges 16:31).

[6] Modern Eshtaol was founded on the lands of the depopulated Arab villages of Ishwa' and Islin after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.