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Beer-Sheba – Boanerges
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Beer-Sheba
The well of the oath, ; ,, a city twenty-eight miles southwest of Hebron, at the southern extremity of the Holy Land. Dan lay at the northern extremity; so that the phrase, "from Dan to Beersheba," means, the whole length of the land, . At Beersheba, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob often dwelt, ; ; ; ; . The town that afterwards rose here was first assigned to Judah, and then to Simeon, ; . Here Samuel established his sons as judges, . Elijah rested here on his way to Horeb, . It was a seat of idolatry in the time of Uzziah, ; . After the captivity, it was repeopled by the Jews, ,, and continued a large village many centuries after the coming of Christ. Dr. Robinson found its site at Bir-es-Seba, on the border of the great desert south of Canaan-the ruins of a small straggling city, and two deep stone wells of excellent water, surrounded by stone troughs, and bearing the marks of great antiquity.
Beeshterah
A Levitical city, in Manasseh beyond the Jordan, . It is also called Ashtaroth, , and is perhaps a contraction of Beth-Ashtaroth.
Beetle
In , a species of locust.
Beeves
Cattle, including the larger antelopes, . It is the old plural of beef.
Bee’roth
Wells, a city of Benjamin, near Gibeon, . It is now El- Bireh, a village of 700 inhabitants, on a ridge seven miles north of Jerusalem.
Behemoth
A huge amphibious animal, described in . Commentators are now generally agreed that it is the hippopotamus, or river horse, which is found only in the Nile and other great rivers of Africa. This is a very large, powerful, and unwieldy animal, which lives in the water, but comes out upon the banks to feed on grass, grain, green herbs, and branches of trees. The appearance of the hippopotamus when on land is altogether uncouth, the body being extremely large, flat, and round, the head enormously large in proportion, and the legs as disproportionately short. Then length of a male has been known to be seventeen feet, the height seven feet, and the circumference fifteen; the head three feet; the mouth in width about two feet. The general color of the animal is brownish; the ears small and pointed; the eyes small and black; the lips very thick and broad; the nostrils small. The armament of teeth is its mouth is truly formidable; more particularly the tusks of the lower jaw, which are of a curved form, somewhat cylindrical; these are so strong and hard that they will strike fire with steel, are sometimes more that two feet in length, and weigh upwards of six pounds each. The other teeth are much smaller. The tail is short and thick; and the whole body is protected by a thick and tough hide, which swords and arrows cannot penetrate, thickly covered with short hair.
Mr. Ruppell gives the following graphical account of a combat on the upper Nile.
"One of the hippopotami which we killed was a very old male, and seemed to have reached his utmost growth. He measured, from the snout to the end of the tail, about fifteen feet; and his tusks, from the root to the point, along the external curve, twenty-eight inches. We had a battle with him four hours long, and that too in the night. Indeed, he came very near destroying our large bark; and with it, perhaps, all our lives. The moment he saw the hunters in the small canoe, as they were about to fasten the long rope to the buoy in order to draw him in, he threw himself with on rush upon it, dragged it with him under water, and shattered it to pieces. Out of twenty- five musket ball, which were fired into the monster’s head at the distance of five feet, only on penetrated the hind and the bones near the nose; so that, every time he breathed, he snorted a stream of blood upon the bark. All the other balls remained sticking in the thickness of the hide. We had at last to employ a small cannon; but it was only after five of its balls, fired at the distance of a few feet, had mangled most shockingly the head and body of the monster, that he died. This gigantic hippopotamus dragged our large bark at his will in every direction of the stream."
Bekah
A half-shekel; in weight, five pennyweights; in money, about twenty- five cents. This sum each Israelite over twenty years old was to pay as a poll tax for the temple service, .
Bel
The chief idol of the Babylonians.
Bela
.
Belial
Worthlessness, always so used in a moral sense. A man or son of Belial is a wicked, worthless man; one resolved to endure no subjection; a rebel; a disobedient, uncontrollable fellow, ; . In later writings, Belial is put for the power or lord of evil, Satan, .
Belshazzar
Prince of Bel, the Chaldean name given to Daniel at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, ; .
Ben-Hadad
1. A king of Dama scene Syria, hired by Asa king of Judah to make war upon Baasha king of Israel, . He ravaged a large part of Naphtali.
2. Son and successor of the preceding. In two successive years he raised large armies, and made war upon Ahab king of Israel. He was utterly routed by the aid of Jehovah, God of the hills and the plains also, . Ahab spared him, contrary to the command of God and gave him conditions of peace. These do not seem to have been fulfilled, for three years after, Ahab renewed the war and was slain, After about nine years, Ben-hadad again invaded Israel, and the prophet Elisha was instrumental in frustrating his plans, . But once more renewing the war, he laid siege to Samaria, and reduced it to extremities by famine. God sent a sudden panic upon his army by night, and they fled precipitately, ; ; . Shortly before his death, Ben-hadad, being sick, sent Hazael to ask the prophet Elisha, then at Damascus, what the issue would be. The prophet answered that the disease was not mortal, and yet he would surely die; a paradox which Hazael soon after solved by stifling his master in bed,
3. Son of the Hazael just named. His father had greatly afflicted and oppressed Israel; but he lost all that his father had gained, being thrice defeated by king Jehoash, .
Benaiah
Son of Jehoiada, and commander of David’s bodyguards. Several instances of his rare bravery are recorded, ; . He adhered to Solomon when some favored the pretensions of Adonijah, slew Joab at the command of Solomon, and was made general of the army in his stead, ; .
Benjamin
The youngest son of Jacob and Rachel, . Rachel died immediately after he was born, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, the son of my sorrow; but Jacob called him Benjamin, son of my right hand. He was a great comfort to his father, who saw in him the beloved wife he had buried, and Joseph whose loss he mourned. He could hardly be persuaded to let him go with his brethren to Egypt, . The tribe of Benjamin was small at first and was almost exterminated in the days of the Judges, , but afterwards greatly increased, ; . It was valiant, , and "beloved of the Lord," dwelling safely by him, ; for its territory adjoined Judah and the Holy City on the north. At the revolt of the ten tribes, Benjamin adhered to the cause of Judah; and the two tribes were ever afterwards closely united, ; ; ; . King Saul and Saul of Tarsus were both Benjamites, .
Bera
King of Sodom in the days of Abraham, .
Berachah
Blessing, a beautiful valley between Tekoa and Etham, where Jehoshaphat and all Judah held a thanksgiving for their miraculous victory over the Moabites and Ammonites, .
Berea
A city of Macedonia, not far from Pella towards the southwest, and near Mount Bermius. It was afterwards called Irenopolis, and is now called by the Turks, Boor; by others, Cara Veria. Paul preached the gospel here with success; the ingenuous Bereans examined his doctrine by the Old Testament scriptures, and many believed, ,; .
Bernice, Or Berenice
Eldest daughter of king Herod Agrippa I, and sister to the younger Agrippa, ,; . She was first married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis; and after his death, in order to avoid the merited suspicion of incest with her brother Agrippa, she became the wife of Polemon, king of Cilicia. This connection being soon dissolved, she returned to her brother, and afterwards became mistress of Vespasian and Titus.
Berothah, Berothai
A Syrian town, conquered by David, ; ; . Some find it in the modern Beyrout; but aside from the similarity of the name, the indications point to an inland site, nearer Hamath or Damascus.
Beryl
The name of a precious stone of a sea-green color, found principally in India, ; .
Besom
A broom or brush for sweeping. Before "the besom of destruction," the hosts of God’s enemies are like the dust of the floor, .
Besor
A brook flowing into the Mediterranean five miles south of Gaza. A part of David’s troops in pursuit of Amalekites halted there, . The stream dries up in spring.
Betah, Or Tibhath
A city of Syria-Zobath, taken by David, ; ; perhaps the modern Taibeh, between Aleppo and Tadmor.
Beth
House, forms a part of many compounds names of places, and sometimes means the place or dwelling; and at others the temple. This word becomes Beit in modern Arabic.
Beth-Abara
Place of the ford, a town on the east bank of the Jordan, where John baptized, . It was perhaps the same as Beth-barah, ; but the true site is unknown. Many of the best Greek manuscripts and recent editions have Bethany, also unknown, instead of Beth-abara.
Beth-Arbel
Probably Arbela, now Irbid. One place of this name lay twenty-five miles southeast of the sea of Galilee. Another was in Galilee, near Magdala. Here were some large and almost inaccessible fortified caverns, in the sides of precipices, .
Beth-Aven
A place and desert near Bethel on the east, ; ; ; . It seems to be reproachfully used at times for Bethel itself, after the golden calves were there set up, ; : Beth-el meaning the house of God; and Beth-aven, the house of sin, or of an idol.
Beth-Car
In Dan, near Mizpeh; noted for the defeat of the Philistines, and the Eben-Ezer set up by Samuel, .
Beth-Haccerem
Conjectured to be the Frank mountain, between Tekoa and Bethlehem, ; . This is a solitary conical hill, on which the crusaders had a strong fortress.
Beth-Hel
Son of Abraham’s uncle Nahor, and father of Rebekah, ,; .
Beth-Hoglah
A town of Benjamin, on the border of Judah, ; ,. Robinson traced this name at a place three miles from the mouth of the Jordan, on the way to Jericho; here was a fine grove, watered by a sweet and limpid fountain the best in the valley of the Jordan.
Beth-Horon
Now Beit-ur, the name common to two neighboring towns in the northwest corner of Benjamin, still distinguished as the Upper and the Lower. These lay on two ridges, with valleys on each side; Beth-horon the Nether being separated from the Upper by a small valley, and a rocky and rough pass up the ridge on which Upper Beth-horon stood. The latter was nearest to Jerusalem about twelve miles from it; and both were on the usual routed to the seacoast. Down this pass Joshua drove the Amorites, and here Paul passed by night on his way to Antipatris, ; ,.
Beth-Jeshimoth
A city of Reuben, taken from the Moabites, ; ; ; but retaken by them after the captivity, . It lay not far east of the mouth of the Jordan.
Beth-Nimrah
,; , and Nimrim, ; ; a town in Gad, a little east of the Jordan, on a watercourse leading, from near Ramoth-Gilead, southwest into that river.
Beth-Peor
A town of Moab, in the limits assigned to Reuben, and conquered from the Amorites, . It was infamous for the worship of Baal-peor. In the adjacent valley Moses rehearsed the law to Israel, and was buried, ; .
Beth-Shean, Or Beth-Shan
More generally known by the name of Scythopolis, was situated two miles west of the Jordan, at the extremity of the valley of Jezreel, and arm of the great plain of Esdraelon, running down from it to the valley of the Jordan in a southeasterly direction. It stood on the brow, just where the former valley drops down by a rather steep descent to the level of the latter. Bethshean was assigned to Manasseh, though not at once subdued,
,; . The dead body of Saul was fastened to its walls, ,; ; . The place is now called Beisan, and is about twenty-four miles south of Tiberias. The present village contains seventy of eighty houses, the inhabitants of which are in a miserable condition, owing to the depredations of the Bedaween. The ruins of the ancient city are of considerable extent, along the banks of the rivulet which ran by it, and on the side of the valley; and bespeak to it have been nearly three miles in circuit.
Beth-Shemesh
House of the sun,
1. A city of Judah given to the priests, ; ; . It lay fifteen miles west of Jerusalem, near the border of Dan and of the Philistines, ; . Probably the same as Irshemesh, . It is memorable for a battle between Judah and Israel, in which Amaziah was defeated, ; and for the return of the ark from among the Philistines, and the punishment of those who then profaned it, . There is reason to suppose the numbers in should be translated "threescore and ten men, even fifty out of one thousand," or one in two hundred of the men of the city.
2. A celebrated city in Egypt, .
Bethany
A village on the eastern slope of the Mount Olivet, about two miles east-south-east of Jerusalem, and on the road to Jericho. It was often visited by Christ, ; ,; . Here Martha and Mary dwelt, and Lazarus was raised from the dead, Here Mary anointed the Lord against the day of his burying, ; and from the midst of his disciples near this village which he loved, he ascended to heaven, . Its modern name, Aziriyeh , is derived from Lazarus. It is a poor village of some twenty families.
Bethel
House of God, the name of a city west of Hai, on the confines of the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin, ; , and occupying the spot where Jacob slept and had his memorable dream, the name he then gave it superseding the old name Luz, . Thirty years after, he again pitched his tent there, . It was captured by Joshua, and given to Benjamin, ; . The Ephraimites, however, expelled the Canaanites, . Here the ark of the covenant, and probably the tabernacle, long remained, ; . Samuel held his court here in turn, . After Solomon, it became a seat of gross idolatry; Jeroboam choosing it as the place for one of his golden calves, from the sacredness previously attached to it, . The prophets were charged with messages against Bethel, ,; ; ; . The first of these was fulfilled by Josiah, ; and the others in the later desolation of Bethel, where nothing but ruins can now be found. Its site was identified by Dr. Robinson, in the place now called Beitin. It is twelve miles from Jerusalem towards Shechem, on the southern side of a hill, with a narrow and fertile valley on the east, and the long-traveled road on the west. At the bottom of the hill are the remains of a vast stone reservoir, of an ancient Hebrew age.
Bethesda
House of mercy, the name of a pool or fountain near the temple in Jerusalem, with an open building over or near it, for the accommodation of the sick who came to try the healing efficacy of the water, . Tradition locates this pool in what is now a large dry reservoir, along the outside of he north wall of the temple area. Robinson, however, shows the probability that this is but a portion of the trench, which separated Mount Moriah from the adjacent hill on the north. He suggests that the true Bethesda may perhaps be "The Fountain of the Virgin," so called, in the lower part of the valley of Jehoshaphat, eight hundred and fifty feet south of the temple area. This pool is of great antiquity, and seems to be fed from ancient reservoirs under the temple. Two flights of steps, sixteen and thirteen in number, with a platform of twelve feet between them, lead down to the pool; this is fifteen feet long, and five or six feet wide. Its waters rise and fall at irregular intervals, and flow down by a subterraneous channel to the pool of Siloam. It is supposed to be the "king’s pool" of . Bethesda, even if known and accessible to us, has lost its healing power; but the fountain Christ has opened for sin, guilt, and death, is nigh to all and of never failing virtue.
Bethlehem
House of bread,
1. A celebrated city, the birthplace of David and of Christ. It was in the tribe of Judah, six miles south by west of Jerusalem, and probably received its appellation from the fertility of the circumjacent country. This also gave it its ancient name Ephrath, fruitful, ; . It was beautifully situated on an oblong ridge, twenty-seven hundred feet above the level of the sea, and affording a fine view in every direction. The hills around it were terraced, and clothed with vines, fig trees, and almonds; and the valleys around it bore rich crops of grain. It was fortified by Rehoboam, , but was comparatively an unimportant place, , and is not mentioned by Joshua or Nehemiah among the cities of Judah. Its memory is delightfully associated with the names of Boaz and Ruth; it is celebrated as the birthplace and city of David, ,; ; but above all, it is hallowed as the place where the Redeemer was born. Over that lovely spot the guiding star hovered; there the eastern sages worshipped the King of kings, and there where David watched his flock and praised God, were heard the songs of the angelic host at the Savior’s birth, . Bethlehem is now called Beit-lahm, and contains about three thousand inhabitants, almost exclusively nominal Christians. Half a mile north is the spot pointed out by traditional as Rachel’s tomb, ; and about two miles south-west are the great reservoirs described under Solomon’s Pools.
2. An unknown place in Zebulun, ; , in distinction from which the city of David was often called Bethlehem-Judah.
Bethphage
Place of figs, a little village at the eastern foot of the Mount of Olives, near to Bethany, ; ; .
Bethsaida
Place of fishing, 1. A city in Galilee, on the western shore of the lake of Gennesareth, a little north of Capernaum; it was the birthplace of the apostles Philip, Andrew, and Peter, and was often visited by our Lord, ; ; .
2. A city in Gaulonitis, north of the same lake, and east of the Jordan. Near this place Christ fed the five thousand. It lay on a gentle hill near the Jordan separated from the sea of Galilee by a plain three miles wide, of surpassing fertility, . Compare ; . This town was enlarged by Philip, tetrarch of that region, , and called Julias in honor of Julia, the daughter of Augustus. It is now little but ruins.
Bethuzur
A city in the hill country of Judah, near Hebron, . It was fortified by Rehoboam, , and assisted in rebuilding Jerusalem, . Josephus calls it one of the strongest fortresses in Judea; but its site has not yet been identified.
Betrothing
The engagement of a man and woman to marry each other at a future time. Parents anciently often betrothed their daughters without their consent, and even while very young, as is still the case in oriental countries. Sometimes a regular written contract was made, in which the bridegroom bound himself to give a certain sum as a portion to his bride. The marriage was not complete until the bride was at least twelve years old; yet the betrothal could be dissolved only by divorce or death, ; . God speaks of betrothing his people to himself, in bonds of tender affection, and pledging his word that all his gracious promised will be fulfilled to them, ; ,. Of this, ministers are the instruments, through the preaching of the gospel, . Hence the word BEULAH.
Beulah
Married, a term applied to the Israel of God, in , to signify his intimate and vital union with them.
Bezaleel
An artificer, endued by God with special skill for constructing and adorning the tabernacle, ; .
Bezek
A city of the Canaanites, of which Adoni-zedek was king. The account of its capture by Judah is in . Here Saul reviewed his forces before going to raise the siege of Jabesh-gilead, .
Bezer
A city of refuge, in the plain country of Reuben beyond Jordan. Its exact site is not known, ; ; .
Bible
This word signifies the Book, by way of distinction, the Book of all books. It is also called Scripture, or the Scriptures, that is, the writings. It comprises the Old and New Testaments, or more properly, Covenants, ; . The former was written mostly in Hebrew, and was the Bible of the ancient Jewish church; a few chapters of Daniel and Ezra only were written in Chaldee. The latter was wholly written in Greek, which was the language most generally understood in Judea and the adjacent countries first visited by the gospel. The entire Bible is the rule of faith to all Christians, and not the New Testament alone; though this is of especial value as unfolding the history and doctrines of our divine Redeemer and of his holy institutions. The fact that God gave the inspired writings to men in the languages most familiar to the mass of the people who received them, proves that he intended they should be read not by the learned alone, but by all the people, and in their own spoken language.
The Old Testament contains thirty-nine books. Josephus and the church fathers mention a division into twenty-two books, corresponding with the twenty-two letter of the Hebrew alphabet. But we have no sufficient evidence that such a division obtained among the Jews themselves. They arranged the books of the Old Testament in three divisions, called, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, that is, the Holy Writings. The Law embraces the five books of Moses. These are divided into convenient sections to be read through once a year in their synagogues. The second division, the Prophets, is subdivided into the former prophets, namely, the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings; and the later, that is, the prophets proper, with the exception of the book of Daniel. The later prophets are once more distributed into the greater-Isaiah, Jeremiah, (not including Lamentations,) and Ezekiel; and the less-the twelve minor prophets. Selection from both the earlier and the later prophets are read in the synagogues along with the sections of the Law; but these don not embrace the whole of the prophets, and the arrangement of them differs among different divisions of the Jews. The Holy Writings (Hagiographa) embrace all the remaining books of the Old Testament, namely, (according to the Masorectic arrangement,) Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles. In the arrangement of the Old Testament books now prevalent, the historical books come first, then the devotional and didactic, and lastly the prophetical. The Jews ascribe to Ezra the honor of arranging and completing the canon of the Old Testament books, being inspired for this work by the Spirit of God, and aided by the learned and pious Jews of his day. The New Testament writings were received each one by itself from the hands of the apostles, and were, as their inspired works, gradually collected into one volume to the exclusion of all others.
The division into chapters and verses was not made until comparatively modern time, though there appears to have been a more ancient separation into short sections or paragraphs. The chapters now used were arranged probably by Cardinal Hugo, above the year 1240. The division into verses was made in the Old Testament in 1450, and recognized in the Hebrew Concordance of Rabbi Nathan. The arrangement of the verses of the New Testament as we now have them was perfected in the Latin Vulgate, an edition of which with verses was published by Robert Stephens, a learned French printer, in 1551. He also modified and completed the division of the Old Testament into verses, in an edition of the whole Bible, the Vulgate, in 1555. This division into verses, and even into chapters, having regard more to convenience of reference than to the meaning must often be disregarded in reading in order to get the true sense.
The genuineness, authenticity, and divine origin of the Scriptures cannot be here discussed. The reader is referred to the treatises of Bogue, Gregory, Keith, McIlvaine, Nelson, Spring, etc., published by the American Tract Society, and numerous other valuable and standard works.
The first well-know English translation of the New Testament was that of Wicliffe, made about 1370, before the invention of printing; though others had been made, one as early as king Alfred, of parts of the Bible into Saxon. In the time of Edward I, 1250, it required the earnings of a day laborer for fifteen years to purchase a manuscript copy of the entire Bible. Now, a printed copy may be had for the earning of a few hours. The first printed English Testament was that of Tyndal, in 1526, which was afterwards followed by his translation of the Pentalteuch. The first complete English Bible is that of Myles Coverdale, in 1535. Matthew’s Bible appeared in 1537. Coverdale and some other prelates, who resided at Geneva during the bloody reign of Mary, published there another edition in 1560, hence called the Geneva Bible. At the accession of queen Elizabeth a new revision was made, which appeared in 1568, and is called the Bishop’s Bible. This continued in use till our present English version, made by order of James I, was published in 1611. The first copy of this was made by forty-seven of the most learned men in England, divided into six companies. This first copy was then revised by a committee of twelve, or two from each of the six companies; and then again by two others. The work of translation and revision occupied between four and five years; and the faithful, clear, and vigorous standard Bible thus secured, is an enduring monument of the learning, wisdom, and fidelity of the translators.
One of the most remarkable movements of modern time, and that which holds out the greatest promise of good for the coming triumphs of the Redeemer’s kingdom, and the temporal as well as spiritual welfare of future generations, is the mighty effort which is making to circulate the holy Scriptures, not only in Christian, but also in heathen lands. In the year 1804, the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed; and the success which has attended this glorious object has by far exceeded the most sanguine expectations of its founders and supporters. "Their voice has gone out through all the earth of the world." During the first fifty years of this society, it printed or assisted in printing the Scriptures in 148 languages, in about sixty of which they had never before been printed, and issued upwards of 29,000,000 copies of the sacred writings. The Scriptures have now been published in about 220 different languages and dialects. Other similar association have followed nobly this glorious example; and of these none had labored with more effect than the American Bible Society, which was formed in 1816, and has now, 1859, issued thirteen millions of Bibles and Testaments.
Bigthan
A eunuch at the court of Ahasuerus, whose conspiracy against that king was frustrated by the vigilance of Mordecai, .
Bildad
A descendant of Abraham by Keturah, ,. Shuah and his brethren were located in Arabia Petraea; and thus Bildad the Shuhite was a neighbor and friend of Job, and came to condole with him in his affliction, ; ; ; . His chief topics are the suddenness, swiftness, and terribleness of God’s wrath upon hypocrites and oppressors.
Bilhah
The handmaid of Rachel, given by her to her husband Jacob when herself childless, that she might become a mother through her handmaid. Bilhah was the mother of Dan and Naphtali, .
Birds
Birds, like other animals, were divided by Moses into clean and unclean; the former might be eaten, the latter not. The general ground of distinction is, that those which feed on grain or seeds are clean; while those which devour flesh, fish, or carrion, are unclean. Turtledoves, young pigeons, and perhaps some other kinds of birds, were prescribed in the Mosaic law as offerings, ; ; .
There is great difficulty in accurately determining the different species of birds prohibited in ; , and the proper version of the Hebrew names. The information we have respecting them may be found under the names by which they are translated in our Bible.
Moses, to inculcate humanity on the Israelites, ordered them, if they found a bird’s nest, not to take the dam with the young, but to suffer the old one to fly away, and to take the young only, ,.
Cages for singing birds are alluded to in ; and snares in ; . Birds of prey are emblems of destroying hosts, ; ; ; ; and the Lord comes to the defense of his people with the swiftness of the eagle, .
Birthright
The privilege of the firstborn son. Among the Hebrews, as indeed among most other nations, the firstborn enjoyed particular privileges; and wherever polygamy was tolerated, it was highly necessary to fix them, . Besides the father’s chief blessing, , and various minor advantages, the firstborn son was, first, specially consecrated to the Lord,
; ; and the firstborn son of a priest succeeded his father in the priestly office. Among the sons of Jacob, Reuben the firstborn forfeited the right of the firstborn, ; ,, and God gave it to Levi, ,; . Secondly, the firstborn was entitled to a share of his father’s estate twice as large as any of the other brethren received, . Thirdly, he succeeded to the official dignities and rights of his father, . In some of these privileges there is an allusion to Him, who is "the firstborn among many brethren," ; ; . Universal dominion is his, and an everlasting priesthood.
Bishop
An overseer, one who has the charge and direction of any thing. The most common acceptation of the word in the New Testament, is that which occurs ; , where it signifies Christ "the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls," . Paul describes the qualities requisite in bishops, ; , etc.; Christ himself is their great exemplar.
Bithynia
, a providence in the northern part of Asia Minor, on the shore of the Black sea, having Paphlagonia on the east, Phrygia and Galatia on the south, and Mysia on the southwest. It was directly opposite to Constantinople. It is famous as being one of the provinces to which the apostle Peter addressed his first epistle; also as having been under the government of Pliny, who, in a letter to the emperor Trajan, makes honorable mention of the number, character, and customs of the persecuted Christians there, about A. D. 106; also for the holding of the most celebrated council of the Christian church in the city of Nice, its metropolis, about A. D. 325. It may be, with some justice, considered as a province taught by Peter; and we read that when Paul attempted to go into Bithynia, the Spirit suffered him not, .
Bittern
A fowl about the size of a heron, and of the same genus. Nineveh and Babylon became a possession for "the bittern" and other wild birds, ; ; . According to some critics, the more probable meaning of the Hebrew word is hedge-hog, or porcupine; and Mr. Rich says he found "great quantities" of porcupine quills among the ruins of Babylon; but others think this inconsistent with , and understand the word is referring to the common night-heron, a bird like the bittern found among the marshes of Western Asia, resorting to ruined buildings, and uttering a peculiar harsh cry before and after its evening flight.
Blains
, burning ulcerous eruptions, miraculously caused by the ashes which Moses threw up among the Egyptians. If these ashes came from the brick-kilns where the Hebrews had toiled, the pains which the Egyptians suffered would naturally remind them of those which they had inflicted.
Blasphemy
A man is guilty of blasphemy, when he speaks of God, or his attributes, injuriously; when he calumniously ascribe such qualities to him as do not belong to him, or robs him of those which do. The law sentenced blasphemers to death, . In a lower sense, men are said to be blasphemed when abused by calumnious and reviling words, ; .
Blasphemy Against The Holy Ghost
,; ; This sin was committed by the Pharisees when they, in violation of their own convictions, willfully and maliciously ascribed the miracles of the Son of God and the work of the Holy Spirit to the evil one. It is often inquired whether this was the "sin unto death" spoken of , and whether it is committed in these days. However these questions may be answered, certain it is that when one can ridicule religion and its ordinances, when he can make sport with the work of the Holy Ghost in the human heart, when he can persist in a willful disbelief of the Gospel, and cast contempt upon Christianity and "the ministration of the Spirit," he is going to a fearful extremity of guilt, and provoking the final withdrawment of divine grace. While on the other hand the vilest blasphemer, who feels the relenting of godly sorrow for his sins, and the desire to confess them at the Savior’s feet, may be sure of realizing the truth of Christ’s word. "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."
Blastus
A chamberlain of Herod Agrippa, bribed to favor the men of Tyre and Sidon, .
Blemishes
Imperfections or deformities which unfitted men for the priesthood, and animals for sacrifice. Of theses we have a particular enumeration in ; . In this provision of the law there was an allusion to the great High priest of our profession, who offered himself without spot to God.
Blessing
Referring both to God and to man. When God blesses, he bestows that efficacy which renders his blessing effectual. His blessings are either temporal or spiritual, bodily or mental; but in every thing they really convey the good which they import, . The blessings of men to other men, unless they be inspired prophecies, as in ; ; , are only good wishes, personal or official, and as it were a peculiar kind of prayer to the Author of all good for the welfare of the subject of them. Blessing, on the part of man towards God, is an act of thanks-giving for his mercies, ; or rather, for that special mercy which at the time occasions the act of blessing: as for food, for which thanks are rendered to God, or for any other good, ; .
Blindness
This distressing malady is very prevalent in the East. Many physical causes in those countries unite to injure the organs of vision. The sun is hot, and in the atmosphere floats a very fine dust, which enters and frets the eye. The armies of France and England, which were so long in Egypt during the French was, suffered severely from ophthalmic disease. In the cities of Egypt, blindness is perpetuated as a contagious disease by the filthy habits of the natives. It is of frequent occurrence also on the coast of Syria. In ancient times the eyes of person hated or feared were often torn out, ; ; . Blindness was sometimes inflicted as a punishment, ; ; and it was often threatened as a penalty, . The Jews were enjoined by the humane laws of Moses to show all kindness and consideration to the blind, ; . No one affected with this infirmity could officiate as priest, .
Our Savior miraculously cured many cases of blindness, both that which was caused by disease and that which had existed from birth. In these cases there was a double miracle; for not only was the organ of sight restored, but also the faculty of using it which is usually gained only by long experience, . The touching of the eyes of the blind, and anointing them with clay, ; , can not have had any medicinal or healing effect. The healing was miraculous, by the power of God.
"Blindness" is often used for ignorance and error, especially our sinful want of discernment as to spiritual things, ; . The abuse of God’s mercy increases this blindness, . Blessed are the eyes that fix their adoring gaze first of all on the Redeemer.
Blood
The life of all animals was regarded as especially in the blood, which was a sacred and essential part of the sacrifices offered to God, . It was solemnly sprinkled upon the altar and the mercy seat, "for it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul," the life of the victim for the life of the sinner. It was therefore most sacredly associated with the blood of the Lamb of God which "cleanseth us from all sin," ; . Hence the strict prohibition renewed in . In direct opposition to this are the heathen customs of drinking the blood of animals and even of men- of eating raw flesh, with the blood, and even fresh cut from the living animal, ; ; .
Besides the ordinary meaning of the word blood, it often signifies the guilt of murder, ; ; also relationship or consanguinity. "Flesh and blood" are placed in contrast with a spiritual nature, , the glorified body, , and evil spirits, . The cause "between blood and blood," , was one where life was depending on the judgment rendered.
Blood-Avenger
The sacredness of human life, and the justice of punishing a murderer by death, are grounded on the fact that man was made in the image of God, . With justice, the passion for revenge often conspired to secure the death of the criminal. Among the Arabs, the nearest male relative of a murdered person was to pursue the homicide until by force or craft he put him to death. The law of Moses expressly forbade the acceptance of any ransom for a life thus forfeited, ; but it interfered between an accused person and his pursuer, by providing a sanctuary-at the altar of God and in the cities of refuge-where the accused might be safe until it was proved that he had committed the act, willfully or accidentally, ,. In the former case, he was at once given up to his pursuer for death, ; ,. In the latter case, he might dwell with safety in the city of refuge; but should he go elsewhere before the death of the high priest, he was liable to be slain by the avenger of blood, .
Blue
See PURPLE.
Boanerges
Sons of thunder, a name given by our Savior to James and John the sons of Zebedee, ; perhaps on account of their power as preachers. Some suppose it was given on the occasion of their request that Christ would call for fire from heaven, and destroy a village of the Samaritans, which had refused to entertain them, ,.
William W. Rand (ed.), A Dictionary of the Holy Bible, for General Use in the Study of the Scriptures (American Tract Society, 1859). Public domain. Text from the CrossWire Bible Society.