Beloved – Beninu

Beloved

be-luv'-ed, be-luv'-d' (agapetos): A term of affectionate endearment common to both Testaments; in the Old Testament found, 26 out of 42 times, in Solomon's So of Love. Limited chiefly to two Heb words and their derivatives: 'ahebh, "to breathe" or "long for," hence, to love, corresponding to the New Testament, agapao, "to prefer," i.e. a love based on respect and benevolent regard; dodh, "love," chiefly love between the sexes, based on sense and emotion, akin to phileo (Latin amare). Used occasionally, in their nobler sense, interchangeably, e.g. the former of a husband's love for his wife (Deuteronomy 21:15,Deuteronomy 21:16); twice of a lover (Song of Songs 1:14,Song of Songs 1:16), thus lifting the affection of the So of Solomon out of mere amorousness into the realm of the spiritual and possibly Messianic. Both words used of God's love for His chosen: e.g. Solomon, "beloved of his God" (Nehemiah 13:26); Benjamin "beloved of Yahweh" (Deuteronomy 33:12); so even of wayward Israel (Jeremiah 11:15).

In the New Testament "beloved" used exclusively of Divine and Christian love, an affection begotten in the community of the new spiritual life in Christ, e.g. "beloved in the Lord" (Romans 16:8). The beauty, unity, endearment of this love is historically unique, being peculiarly Christian. "Brethren" in Christ are "beloved" (1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Corinthians 15:58; James 1:16; James 2:5). Many individuals are specified by name: Timothy (2 Timothy 1:2); Philemon (Philemon 1:1); Amplias, Urbane, Stachys, Persis (Romans 16:8,Romans 16:9,Romans 16:12), etc. The aged John is the conspicuous New Testament illustration of the depth and tenderness of Christian love. In his epistles alone he addresses his disciples 12 times as "beloved." Paul terms "God's elect" "holy and beloved" (Colossians 3:12).

The term rises to still Diviner significance as an epithet of Christ, whom Paul, grateful for His "freely bestowed" grace, terms "the Beloved." This is the word used repeatedly to express God the Father's infinite affection for Jesus His "beloved Son" (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 12:18; Matthew 17:5; Mark 1:11; Mark 9:7; Luke 3:22; Luke 20:13).

Agapetos rendered as above 47 times is 9 times "dearly beloved" (the Revised Version (British and American) uniformly omits "dearly") and 3 times "well beloved" (the Revised Version (British and American) omits "well"). The former rendering found only once in the Old Testament (yedhidhuth, "something beloved"), portraying God's tender love for His people: "dearly beloved of my soul" (Jeremiah 12:7). Thrice is Daniel spoken of as "greatly beloved" of Gabriel and of God (hamudhoth, "precious," i.e. delight = beloved; Daniel 9:23; Daniel 10:11,Daniel 10:19). Through the apostles the word has become familiar in pastoral and sermonic address. Few New Testament words better illustrate the power and impress of the Christian spirit on succeeding centuries than this.

Dwight M. Pratt

Belshazzar

bel-shaz'-ar (belsha'tstsar; Baltasar, Babylonian Bel-shar-usur): According to Daniel 5:30, he was the Chaldean king under whom Babylon was taken by Darius the Mede. The Babylonian monuments speak a number of times of a Bel-shar-usur who was the "firstborn son, the offspring of the heart of" Nabunaid, the last king of the Babylonian empire, that had been founded by Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, at the time of the death of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, in 626 BC. There is no doubt that this Belshazzar is the same as the Belshazzar of Dnl. It is not necessary to suppose that Belshazzar was at any time king of the Babylonian empire in the sense that Nebuchadnezzar and Nabunaid were. It is probable, as M. Pognon argues, that a son of Nabunaid, called Nabunaid after his father, was king of Babylon, or Babylonian king, in Harran (Haran), while his father was overlord in Babylon. This second Nabunaid is called "the son of the offspring of the heart" of Nabunaid his father. It is possible that this second Nabundid was the king who was killed by Cyrus, when he crossed the Tigris above Arbela in the 9th year of Nabunaid his father, and put to death the king of the country (see the Nabunaid-Cyrus Chronicle col. ii, 17); since according to the Eshki-Harran inscription, Nabunaid the Second died in the 9th year of Nabunaid the First. Belshazzar may have been the son of the king who is said in the same chronicle to have commanded the Babylonian army in Accad from the 6th to the 11th year of Nabunaid I; or, possibly longer, for the annals before the 6th and after the 11th year are broken and for the most part illegible. This same son of the king is most probably mentioned again in the same chronicle as having died in the night in which Babylon was captured by Gobryas of Gutium. As Nabunaid II, though reigning at Hatran under the overlordship of his father, is called king of Babylon on the same inscription on which his father is called by the same title; so Belshazzar may have been called king of Babylon, although he was only crown prince. It is probable also, that as Nabunaid I had made one of his sons king of Harran, so he had made another king of Chaldea. This would account for Belshazzar's being called in Daniel 5:30 the Chaldean king, although, to be sure, this word Chaldean may describe his race rather than his kingdom. The 3rd year of Belshazzar spoken of in Daniel 8:1, would then refer to his 3rd year as subking of the Chaldeans under his father Nabunaid, king of Babylon, just as Cambyses was later subking of Babylon, while his fathe r Cyrus was king of the lands. From the Book of Daniel we might infer that this subkingdom embraced Chaldea and Susiana, and possibly the province of Babylon; and from the Nabunaid-Cyrus Chronicle that it extended over Accad as well. That the city of Babylon alone was sometimes at least governed by an official called king is highly probable, since the father of Nergal-har-ucur is certainly, and the father of Nabunaid I is probably, called king of Babylon, in both of which cases, the city, or at most the province, of Babylon must have been meant, since we know to a certainty all of the kings who had been ruling over the empire of Babylon since 626 BC, when Nabopolassar became king, and the names of neither of these fathers of kings is found among them.

In addition to Nabunaid II, Belshazzar seems to have had another brother named Nebuchadnezzar, since the two Babylonian rebels against Darius Hystaspis both assumed the name of Nebuchadnezzar the son of Nabunaid (see the Behistun Inscription, I, 85, 89, 95). He had a sister also named Ina-esagilaremat, and a second named probably Ukabu'shai'-na.

Belshazzar had his own house in Babylon, where he seems to have been engaged in the woolen or clothing trade. He owned also estates from which he made large gifts to the gods. His father joins his name with his own in some of his prayers to the gods, and apparently appointed him commander of the army of Accad, whose especial duty it was to defend the city of Babylon against the attacks of the armies of Media and Persia.

It would appear from the Nabunaid-Cyrus Chronicle, that Belshazzar was de facto king of the Babylonian empire, all that was left of it, from the 4th to the 8th month of the 17th year of the reign of his father Nabunaid, and that he died on the night in which Babylon was taken by Gobryas of Gutium (that is, probably, Darius the Mede (see DARIUS)).

The objection to the historical character of the narrative of Daniel, based upon the fact that Belshazzar in 5:11,18 is said to have been the son of Nebuchadnezzar whereas the monuments state that he was the son of Nabunaid, is fully met by supposing that one of them was his real and the other his adoptive father; or by supposing that the queen-mother and Daniel referred to the greatest of his predecessors as his father, just as Omri is called by the Assyrians the father of Jehu, and as the claimants to the Medo-Pers throne are called on the Behistun Inscription the sons of Cyaxares, and as at present the reigning sheikhs of northern Arabia are all called the sons of Rashid, although in reality they are not his sons.

LITERATURE.

The best sources of information as to the life and times of Belshazzar for English readers are: The Records of the Past; Pinches, The Old Testament in the Light of the Historical Records of Assyria and Babylonia; Sayce. The Higher Criticism and the Monuments; and W. W. Wright's two great works, Daniel and His Prophecies and Daniel and His Critics.

R. Dick Wilson

Belt

See ARMOR; DRESS.

Belteshazzar

bel-te-shaz'-ar (belTsha'tstsar Babylonian BalaT-sharucur "protect his life"; Daniel 4:8): The Bah name given to Daniel (Daniel 1:7; Daniel 2:26; Daniel 5:12). Not to be confounded with Belshazzar.

Belus, Temple Of

be'-lus.

See BABEL.

Ben

ben (ben, "son"): A Levite appointed to assist as musician in the temple service (1 Chronicles 15:18). The text seems to be doubtful, since the name is omitted in 1 Chronicles 15:20 and not mentioned at all in the Septuagint.

Ben-

Ben (prefix) (singular ben, "son of"; plural bene, "sons of" = Aramaic bar): This word is used in the singular or plural to express relationship of almost any kind:

(1) to a person; as such it is found as part of many compound names like Benjamin, Benhur, etc. (compare Bar);

(2) to a clan; in this connection it is found in the plural only: "children of Israel," "children of Ammon," etc.;

(3) to a town; perhaps as place of birth ("son of Jabesh"; 2 Kings 15:10 ff);

(4) to occupation, state of life, age, character, quality even of things;

(5) peculiarly employed in the sense of "scholar disciple" ("son of prophet"), or in phrases like "son of death," etc.;

(6) in poetry, "sons of flame" for "sparks" (Job 5:7 margin), etc. The frequent metaphorical use of the word indicates that it was rarely used to express the relation of father to son like the Arabic Ibn. Compare HPN, 64 ff.

A. L. Breslich

Ben-Abinadab

ben-a-bin'-a-dab, ben-ab-i-na'-dab (ben 'abhinadhabh, "son of Abinadab"): One of the "captains" of Solomon who provided for the king and his household, each for a month in the year (1 Kings 4:11). His district was the region of Dor. In the King James Version he is called "the son of Abinadab." His wife was Tappath, the daughter of Solomon.

Ben-Ammi

ben-am'-i (ben `ammi, "son of my kinsman," Genesis 19:38): The progenitor of the Ammonites was a son of Lot's younger daughter, born after the destruction of Sodom. The account of his birth as well as that of Moab was commonly regarded as an expression of Israel's intense hatred and contempt toward these two nations. However, this idea is rather unwarranted, in view of the fact that the origin of the tribe of Judah (which is held in especial honor by J) is accounted for in a similiar way (Genesis 38:1–30). Gunkel (Schopfung und Chaos, 190) suggests that the narrative (Genesis 19:30–38) was originally a Moabitic account tracing the common origin of Moab and Ammon to Lot. It presupposes a universal catastrophe--such as the conflagration of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim suggests--in which all the human race, save Lot and his two daughters, perished. In order to avert the extinction of the race, his daughters resorted to incestuous practices. In this case we have here a Moabite parallel to the Deluge story (Skinner, Genesis, 313-14). While the common origin of the two brother tribes is undoubtedly a fact (Judges 10:6; Revelation 11:4,Revelation 11:7,Revelation 11:14; Deuteronomy 2:19; 2 Chronicles 20:1–37, etc.), the folk-etymology of their names is rather suspicious. The name Ben-Ammi is probably derived from the deity "Emu," which is the name for Nergal among the shuchites on the West of the Euphrates a land which corresponds to the position of the Bene-`Ammo, "children of his people" (Numbers 22:5). The chief god of the Kataban Arabs was called Ammi (Hom., ZDMG, V, 95, 525, note 1). In cuneiform inscriptions this name appears as part of the title of the Ammonite rulers (HDB). Neubauer (Studia Biblica, 1-26) suggests that the name Balaam is a compound of Bel plus Am, that is, "Am is Lord." For other compounds with Ammi see Gray, HPN, 41-60.

S. Cohon

Ben-Deker

ben-de'-ker (ben-deqer, "son of Deker," the King James Version "son of Dekar"): The word is derived from a Hebrew root meaning "to pierce." Compare HPN, 69. One of the 12 officers who provided victuals for King Solomon and his household (1 Kings 4:9).

Ben-Geber

ben-ge'-ber (ben-gebher, "son of Geber"; the King James Version son of Geber; the word is derived from a Hebrew root meaning "to be strong." Compare HPN, 66, 69): One of the twelve commissariat officers in the service of Solomon (1 Kings 4:13).

Ben-Hail

ben-ha'-il (ben-chayil, "son of strength"; compare HPN, 65, 231): One of the princes who was sent by Jehoshaphat "to teach in the cities of Judah" (2 Chronicles 17:7).

Ben-Hanan

ben-ha'-nan (ben-chanan, "son of grace"): A son of Shimon of the house of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:20).

Ben-Hesed

ben-he'-sed (ben-checedh, "son of Hesed"; the King James Version son of Hesed; the word is derived from a Hebrew root meaning "to be kind"): A commissariat officer in the service of Solomon (1 Kings 4:10).

Ben-Hur

ben-hur' (ben-chur, "son of Hur"; the King James Version son of Hur; from a Hebrew root meaning "to be white." Compare HPN, 69, note 3): One of the twelve commissariat officers in the service of Solomon (1 Kings 4:8).

Ben-Jaakan

ben-ja'-a-kan.

See BENE-JAAKAN.

Ben-Oni

ben-o'-ni (ben-'oni; huios odunes mou, "son of my sorrow"): The name given by the dying Rachel to her new-born son; changed by his father Jacob to BENJAMIN (Genesis 35:18) which see.

Ben-Zoheth

ben-zo'-heth (ben-zoheth, "son of Zoheth," from a Hebrew root meaning "to be strong(?)"): A son of Ishi of the house of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:20).

Benaiah

be-na'-ya, be-ni'-a (benayah, benayahu, "Yahweh has built." Compare HPN, 182, 265, 268):

(1) Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada of Kabzeel (compare Joshua 15:21), was a man of "mighty deeds" and was more honorable than any of the mighty men of David except the three chiefs. Therefore David made him his chief counselor (2 Samuel 23:23 m; month compare 1 Chronicles 27:34 where the order of names seems to be reversed) and set him over the Cherethites (compare Carites, 2 Kings 11:4 ff and margin) and Pelethites and he was made the 3rd captain of the host and chief over the course of the 3rd (1 Chronicles 27:5 2 Samuel 8:18; 2 Samuel 20:23; 1 Chronicles 18:17; 2 Samuel 23:20 2 Samuel 11:22 ff). Being a true friend of David (compare 2 Samuel 15:18) he did not take part in the usurpation of Adonijah (1 Kings 1:8,1 Kings 1:10,1 Kings 1:26), and was therefore with others chosen by the king to proclaim Solomon king over Israel (1 Kings 1:32 ff) and later by Solomon to execute Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25), Joab (1 Kings 2:29 ff), and Shimei (1 Kings 2:46). In recognition of his services Solomon appointed him over the host in Joab's place (1 Kings 2:35; 1 Kings 4:4).

(2) Benaiah, a Pirathonite (compare Judges 12:13,Revelation 11:15), was one of David's 30 mighty men (2 Samuel 23:30; 1 Chronicles 11:31). He was captain over the course of the 11th month numbering 24,000 (1 Chronicles 27:14).

(3) A ruler of the house of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:36).

(4) A Levite of second degree appointed as singer (1 Chronicles 15:18) with "psalteries Set to Alamoth" (1 Chronicles 15:20; 1 Chronicles 16:5).

(5) A priest appointed "to blow the trumpet before the ark of God" (1 Chronicles 15:24; 1 Chronicles 16:6).

(6) The father of Jehoiada (1 Chronicles 27:34), but see (1) above.

(7) An ancestor of Jahaziel of the house of Asaph (2 Chronicles 20:14).

(8) An overseer in the service of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:13).

(9, 10, 11, 12) Four different men of Israel who had taken "strange wives" (Ezra 10:25,Ezra 10:30,Ezra 10:35,Ezra 10:43).

(13) The father of Pelatiah who was seen by Ezekiel in his vision (Ezekiel 11:1,Ezekiel 11:13).

A. L. Breslich

Bench

(qeresh): Found only in English Versions of the Bible in Ezekiel 27:6, in the prophet's "lamentation over Tyre": "They have made thy benches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the isles of Kittim," where the word evidently stands for the "benches" of the boat whose "mast" (verse 5) and "oars" (verse 6) have just been described, in the vivid figs. of speech in which the city itself is pictured as a merchantship. Compare verse 8, "Thy wise men, O Tyre, were in thee, they were thy pilots."

See SEAT.

Bene-Berak

ben-e-be'-rak (bene beraq; Banebarak): A town in the territory of Da (Joshua 19:45), represented by the modern village Ibn Ibraq, about an hour Southeast of Jaffa.

Bene-Jaakan

ben-e-ja'-a-kan, be-ne-ja'-a-kan (bene ya`aqan: Numbers 33:31,Numbers 33:32).

See BEEROTH BENE-JAAKAN.

Beneath

be-neth': The adverb for "under" (kato). In John 8:23, the words "ye are from beneath," suggest hell in contrast to heaven. But the succeeding clause, "ye are of this world," gives the key for the interpretation. Earth, not hell, is expressed, although "that more awful meaning surely is not excluded" (Alford).

Benediction

ben-e-dik'-shun: From the earliest times the records bear testimony that pronouncing the benediction or giving the blessing was a common practice. In the temple service, this duty was assigned to the Aaronites and was made an impressive part of the service. The form of the benediction used is given in Numbers 6:22–27. References to this practice may be found in Leviticus 9:22; Deuteronomy 10:8; 2 Chronicles 30:27. After a time, minute directions were given concerning it and careful preparation was made for this part of the service. All Aaronites, of proper age, were entitled to perform this service, except those who by previous conduct or on account of physical defect were disqualified. One who had killed another, whether intentionally or otherwise, who had violated the marriage vows, had given himself excessively to wine drinking or other excesses, or indeed had been guilty of unrighteous conduct or life, was not only prohibited from pronouncing the blessing, but was required to withdraw before this part of the service was performed. If one was blind even of one eye, or had a defect in his hands or speech, or was a hunchback, he was also excluded. Before the priest could engage in this service he was required to wash his hands. Then, with uplifted hands, while the people stood, he uttered the words of blessing. The main idea was that thus the name of Yahweh was put on the people. Later it came to be regarded as having some special blessing in and of itself, a result against which the more spiritual of the priests protested.

It was common not only to pronounce the benediction in the public worship but also in the family. We have such instances in Genesis 9:26,Genesis 9:27; Genesis 27:27–30. This practice prevailed also on many other occasions not only in Israel, but among the heathen as well. We may readily see, therefore, that from the very beginning of the Christian church the use of the benediction was common. In the course of time an extensive liturgy developed on this subject and it may be said that there are now three distinct ideas in the church as to the benediction. That section of the church which regards the minister as clothed with sacerdotal powers, holds that the blessings pronounced are actually conferred in the act of the utterance of the words, because of the powers conferred upon him when he was set aside for the sacred office. On the other hand it is held that it is merely a prayer that God may bestow certain blessings on the people. From this position others dissent, and teach that it is the declaration of the special privileges and relations in which those stand who have entered into covenant fellowship with Christ; that the blessings now declared are theirs by fight of that relation, and are conferred upon them by the Holy Spirit. The Greek and Roman Catholic churches take the first portion, and therefore we find among them much of detail and minutiae as to the manner in which it should be pronounced. In the Greek church the priest raises his hand with the thumb touching the third finger, signifying the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father alone; or according to others to form the sacred name IHS. In the Roman church the form is, the thumb, first and second fingers are to be open, to symbolize the Trinity. In this church too, the benediction is pronounced in a multitude of cases and in each case the thing so blessed by the priest is made sacred. Crosses, church vessels, houses, paschal eggs, churchyards, are thus blessed. Every parish has a collection of these forms of blessing in what is known as the "Benedictionale." The authority for this is based on some documents claiming to reach back to early church history, but as they belong to the forged decretal class, the position of the Roman church on this subject is untenable.

Apostolic benedictions, as we find them in the epistles, present considerable variety. One of the striking features is that in a number of cases there is the omission of the Holy Ghost. The best explanation seems to be that the Father and the Son effect the redemption of the world and the Holy Ghost applies the blessing so wrought out. "Grace, mercy and peace" may then be said to be sent from the Father and the Son through the Holy Ghost to be the possession of all who have come into the kingdom. The third person of the Trinity, being thus in the act of applying the blessing, is not mentioned. The fact that in other cases Father, Son and Holy Ghost are mentioned, proves that the writers knew the character and office of the Holy Ghost. The most common form used today is that in 2 Corinthians 13:14. Occasionally some changes are introduced by ministers, but it would seem best to adhere strictly to the Scriptural forms.

See BLESSING; SALUTATION.

Jacob W. Kapp

Benefactor

ben-e-fak'-ter (Greek euergetes, Luke 22:25): There is here a probable allusion to two kings of Egypt (Ptolemy III and VII), who had the surname "Euergetes," of whom the period of the first was 247-242 BC, and of the second, 147-117 BC. Jesus draws the contrast between worldly kingdoms, in which the title "benefactor" is given those who rule with all the splendor of earthly display and luxury, and His kingdom, in which it belongs only to those whose work is that of humble, obscure and often menial service.

Benefit

ben'-e-fit (gemul = "a deed," 2 Chronicles 32:25); yaTabh = (causat.) "to make well," "to do good" (Jeremiah 18:10). The plural of gemul, is found is found in Psalms 103:2. Psalms 68:19 (the King James Version) should be translated "Blessed be the Lord. Day by day he sustains us; God is our salvation." charis = "gift"; "grace" (2 Corinthians 1:15, "a second benefit": that is, two visits in the same journey). euergesia = "good deed done" (1 Timothy 6:2: "because they that partake of the benefit (of their service) are believing and beloved"); agathos = "good" (Philemon 1:14, the King James Version; the Revised Version (British and American) "goodness").

Frank E. Hirsch

Benevolence

be-nev'-o-lens: the King James Version translation of phrase in Textus Receptus of the New Testament of 1 Corinthians 7:3, rejected by the Revised Version (British and American) which following Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek translates Greek opheile, "due." This reference to the marriage relation is explained in 7:4. Compare Exodus 21:10.

Benhadad

ben-ha'-dad (ben-hadhadh; Septuagint huios Hader):

The Name

I. BENHADAD I

1. The Kingdom of Syria Founded

2. Syria and Judah

3. Shortsightedness of Asa

II. BENHADAD II

1. Hadad-'idri of the Monuments

2. Expeditions against Israel

3. Alliance with Ahab

4. Biblical History Confirmed by the Monuments

5. Alliance Broken off

6. Benhadad and Elisha

7. Panic of Syrians at Samaria

8. Murder of Benhadad

III. BENHADAD III

1. His Contemporaries

2. The Assyrians in the West

3. Downfall of Damascus before Ramman-Nirari III

4. Breathing Space for Israel

The Name:

The name of three kings of Syria mentioned in the historical books. Hadad is the Syrian god of storms, and is apparently identical with Rimmon (2 Kings 5:18), the Assyrian Rammanu, "the Thunderer," whose temple was in Damascus. The name Benhadad, "son of Hadad," accords with the custom which obtained in Semitic mythology of calling a king or a nation the son of the national god, as we have Mesha`, son of Chemosh, and the Moabites, children of Chemosh. Benhadad seems to have become a general designation for the kings of Syria (Amos 1:4; Jeremiah 49:27).

I. Benhadad I

1. The Kingdom of Syria Founded:

Benhadad I was the son of Tabrimmon, who is called (1 Kings 15:18) "the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus." Hezion has been with some plausibility identified with Rezon (1 Kings 11:23,1 Kings 11:25) who founded the kingdom of Damascus and imparted to Syria that temper of hostility to Israel which became hereditary. Meanwhile the Arameans had shaken themselves free from the rule of the Hittites, and with Damascus for a center had planted strong settlements in the plains westward from the Euphrates. By the time that Benhadad entered into this succession, Syria was the strongest power in this region of Western Asia, and ready to take advantage of every opportunity of increasing her dominions.

2. Syria and Judah:

Such an opportunity presented itself in the appeal of Asa, king of Judah, for help against Baasha king of Israel. The two Hebrew kingdoms had been at feud ever since their disruption. Baasha had pushed his frontier southward to Ramah, within 5 miles of Jerusalem, and this commanding eminence he proceeded to fortify. The danger of a hostile fortress overlooking his capital, and the humiliation of his rival's presence so near, were more than Asa could bear. It was at this juncture that he bethought him of Benhadad. Taking all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasury of the house of the Lord, and the treasury of the king's house, he sent them to Benhadad with a request for an alliance begging him at the same time to break off the league he had with Baasha and thus enable Asa to dislodge his enemy. Benhadad saw an opening for the aggrandizement of his kingdom and broke off the alliance he had had with Jeroboam and Baasha. By an invasion of Northern Israel he obliged Baasha to withdraw from Ramah and confine himself to the neighborhood of his own capital (1 Kings 15:16 ff). Judah obtained relief, but the price paid for it was too great. Asa had surrendered his treasures, and very likely some of his independence.

3. Shortsightedness of Asa:

For his shortsightedness in laying himself under obligation to Benhadad and relying upon the help of Syria rather than upon the Lord his God, Asa was rebuked by the prophet Hanani (2 Chronicles 16:1 ff). Benhadad had extended his territories by the transaction and seems to have exercised henceforward some sort of sovereignty over both the Hebrew kingdoms.

LITERATURE.

McCurdy HPM, I, 256; H. P. Smith, Old Testament History, 186.

II. Benhadad II

1. Hadad-'idri of the Monuments:

Benhadad II was in all probability the son of Benhadad I. He is the Hadad-ezer, or Hadad-'idri, of the monuments. He comes first upon the scene of the Biblical history invading the land of Israel with a large host, in which were 32 tributary kings, and horses and chariots. He had penetrated as far as Samaria, the newly built city of Omri, now the capital of his son Ahab. Benhadad and his Syrian host had laid siege to Samaria and Ahab had been summoned to surrender. Ahab was disposed to come to terms, but the intolerable proposals made by Benhadad drove him to resistance. Encouraged by the elders of the people, and acting on the counsel of a prophet, Ahab made a sortie and falling upon the carousing Syrians put them so completely to rout that Benhadad himself only escaped on a horse with the horsemen.

2. Expeditions against Israel:

Next year the Syrians resolved to retrieve their defeat saying of the Israelites, "Their God is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we: but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they." Ahab had been warned to expect the return of the Syrians and was prepared for the fresh attack. For seven days the two armies faced each other, the Israelites "like two little flocks of kids" before a host that filled the country. On the seventh day they joined battle near to Aphek, and the Syrians met again an overwhelming defeat. Yahweh was proved to be God both of the plains and of the hills. Benhadad was taken prisoner, and appealing to the clemency of the victor, he persuaded Ahab to spare his life.

3. Alliance with Ahab:

A treaty was agreed upon between the two monarchs under which Ahab's people were to have bazaars of their own in Damascus, as it would appear Benhadad I had had for his subjects before in Samaria (1 Kings 20:1–34). The treaty was denounced by a prophet, and Ahab was warned that this man whom God had devoted to destruction would be the destruction of himself and his people. Under the treaty, however, there were three years without war between Syria and Israel.

4. Biblical History Confirmed by the Monuments:

The treaty and the resulting period of peace receive striking confirmation from the monuments. From the monolith inscription of Shalmaneser II we learn that this Assyrian king in the 6th year of his reign (854 BC) had crossed the Tigris and made his way across the Euphrates on boats of sheepskin into Syria to Chalman (Aleppo). At Karkar he encountered the combined forces of Damascus, Hamath, Israel and the states which had united to oppose his progress westward. Achabbu Sir-'lai, Ahab of Israel Damascus are Dad'idri Hadadezer (Benhadad II) of Damascus are named in the inscription with chariots, horsemen and infantry, making common cause against Shalmaneser and fighting on the same side. It was Benhadad, as we gather, that bore the brunt of the assault, but the result of the battle was the complete rout of the allies with the loss of 14,000 men. That the assistance of Israel on the occasion was the outcome of the treaty between Ahab and Benhadad, and that the combination against Shalmaneser took place dur ing the three years of peace, are in the highest degree probable.

5. Alliance Broken Off:

The disaster to the allies, however, seems to have broken up the confederacy. When the king of Syria is next mentioned in Biblical history, it is defending the city of Ramoth-Gilead against the attack made upon it by Ahab, who is found now in alliance with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, attempting unsuccessfully and with fatal results to himself, to recover this city of Israel from the weakened power of Damascus. At Ramoth-Gilead Benhadad is not said to have 32 tributary kings in his train, but 32 military commanders who have taken their place (1 Kings 22:2,1 Kings 22:29–31).

6. Benhadad and Elisha:

The peace between Israel and Syria having been broken, there was frequent, if not continuous, war between the kingdoms, in which the prophet Elisha is a prominent figure. He healed of his leprosy Naaman, Benhadad's commander-in-chief. He disclosed to the king of Israel the places wherever Benhadad pitched his camp. He smote with blindness a great host whom Benhadad had sent with horses and chariots to seize him at Dothan, and led them into Samaria where he saw them treated kindly and sent back to their master (2 Kings 6:8–23).

7. Panic of Syrians at Samaria:

Some time after Benhadad again assembled all his host and laid siege to Samaria. So great was the famine that women ate their own children. The king of Israel sent one of his men to put Elisha to death, but Elisha closed his house against him and announced that on the morrow there would be great plenty in the city. And so it happened. Certain lepers, despairing of relief, had gone into the Syrian camp and learned that the Syrians had abandoned their camp in a panic, believing that the king of Israel had hired the kings of the Mucri and the northern Hittites to raise the siege (2 Kings 6:24–7:20; compare Burney's note, 2 Kings 7:6).

8. Murder of Benhadad:

Still another notice of Benhadad II is found in the Annals of Shalmaneser, who records that in the 11th year of his reign he defeated a combination of 12 kings of the Hittites with Benhadad at their head, and slew 10,000 men. Of this. there is no record in Biblical history, but it must have been shortly before the tragedy which ended the career of the Syrian king. Benhadad had fallen sick and sent his commander-in-chief, Hazael, to inquire as to the issue of his sickness of the prophet Elisha, who was visiting Damascus. Elisha foretold the king's death, and wept as he read to Hazael the cruel purpose which the Syrian commander was even then maturing. Hazael professed to be incredulous, but he departed from Elisha and the very next day in cold blood put his master to death and ascended the throne (2 Kings 8:7–15). Thus ingloriously ended the reign of one of the most powerful of the Syrian kings.

LITERATURE.

McCurdy, HPM, I, 267 ff; Schrader, COT, I, 179 if; Winckler, Geschichte Israels, Theil I, 133-55.

III. Benhadad III

1. His Contemporaries:

Benhadad III was the son of the usurper Hazael, and though not in the dynastic succesion, assumed on the dent h of his father the dynastic name. He was contemporary with Amaziah, king of Judah; Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel; and Ramman-Nirari III, king of Assyria. The fortunes of Israel had fallen low in the days of Jehoahaz, and Hazael and Benhadad III were the instruments of Yahweh's displeasure with the nation. At this time Jehoahaz had no more than 53 horsemen and 10 chariots and 10,000 footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust in threshing (2 Kings 13:7). It was when the fortunes of Israel were at the lowest ebb by reason of the oppression of the king of Syria--by this time Benhadad--that help came to them and Yahweh gave Israel a savior, so that Israel went out from under the hands of the Syrians, "and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents (in their homes) as beforetime" (2 Kings 13:5).

2. The Assyrians in the West:

The "saviour" of the Biblical narrative is the one allusion in Scripture to the king of Assyria of that day, Ramman-Nirari III, whose inscriptions record his victorious expedition to the West. "From the Euphrates to the land of the Hittites," runs an inscription, "the west country in its entire compass, Tyre, Zidon, the land Omri, Edom, Philistia as far as the Great Sea of the sunsetting, I subjected to my yoke; payment of tribute I imposed upon them. Against Syria of Damascus I marched; Mari, the king of Syria, in Damascus his royal city I besieged." He then proceeds to tell of the subjugation of the monarch and of the spoils obtained from his capital. That Mari which means in Aramaic "lord," is Benhadad III, the son of Hazael, is now generally believed.

3. Downfall of Damascus before Ramman-Nirari III:

With the capture of Damascus and the collapse of the Syrian power under Marl (Benhadad III), an era of recuperation and prosperity became possible to Israel and Judah. So it came to pass that "Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz by war. Three times did Joash smite him, and recovered the cities of Israel" (2 Kings 13:25). 4. Breathing Space for Israel:

Israel was able to breathe freely for a time and Jeroboam II restored the Northern Kingdom to its former extent and glory. But the flame of war which had been sent into the house of Hazael and which devoured the palaces of Benhadad (Amos 1:4 ff) was only waiting the time when the Assyrians would be free to renew their expeditions to the West and carry Samaria and Israel "into captivity beyond Damascus" (Amos 5:27).

LITERATURE.

McCurdy, HPM, I, 291 ff; Schrader, COT, I, 202-ff.

T. Nicol.

Beninu

be-ni'-nu (beninu, "our son"): A Levite who with Nehemiah sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10:13).