Benjamin – Beth-Horon

Benjamin

ben'-ja-min (binyamin, or binyamin; Beniaein, Beniamin):

1. The Patriarch:

The youngest of Jacob's sons. His mother Rachel died in giving him birth. As she felt death approaching she called him Benoni, "son of my sorrow." Fearing, probably, that this might bode evil for the child--for names have always preserved a peculiar significance in the East--Jacob called him Benjamin, "son of the fight hand" (Genesis 35:17 ff). He alone of Jacob's sons was born in Palestine, between Bethel and Ephrath. Later in the chapter, in the general enumeration of the children born in Paddan-ar am, the writer fails to except Benjamin (Genesis 35:24). Joseph was his full brother. In the history where Benjamin appears as an object of solicitude to his father and brothers, we must not forget that he was already a grown man. At the time of the descent of Israel to Egypt Joseph was about 40 years of age. Benjamin was not much younger, and was himself the father of a family. The phrase in Genesis 44:20, "a little one," only describes in oriental fashion one much younger than the speaker. And as the youngest of the family no doubt he was made much of. Remorse over their heartless treatment of his brother Joseph may have made the other brothers especially tender toward Benjamin. The conduct of his brethren all through the trying experiences in Egypt places them in a more attractive light than we should have expected; and it must have been a gratification to their father (Genesis 42:1–38). Ten sons of Benjamin are named at the time of their settlement in Egypt (Genesis 46:21).

2. The Tribe:

At the Exodus the number of men of war in the tribe is given as 35,400. At the second census it is 45,600 (Numbers 1:37; Numbers 26:41). Their place in the host was with the standard of the camp of Ephraim on the west of the tabernacle, their prince being Abidan the son of Gideoni (Numbers 2:22 f). Benjamin was represented among the spies by Palti the son of Raphu; and at the division of the land the prince of Benjamin was Elidad the son of Chislon (Numbers 13:9; Numbers 34:21).

3. Territory:

The boundaries of the lot that fell to Benjamin are pretty clearly indicated (Joshua 18:11 ff). It lay between Ephraim on the North and Judah on the South. The northern frontier started from the Jordan over against Jericho, and ran to the north of that town up through the mountain westward past Bethaven, taking in Bethel. It then went down by Ataroth-addar to Beth- horon the nether. From this point the western frontier ran southward to Kiriath-jearim. The southern boundary ran from Kiriath-jearim eas tward to the fountain of the waters of Netophah, swept round by the south of Jerrus and passed down through the wilderness northern by shore of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan. The river formed the eastern boundary. The lot was comparatively small. This, according to Josephus, was owing to "the goodness of the land" (Ant., V, i, 22); a description that would apply mainly to the plans of Jericho. The uplands are stony, mountainous, and poor in water; but there is much good land on the western slopes.

4. Importance of Position:

It will be seen from the above that Benjamin held the main avenues of approach to the highlands from both East and West: that by which Joshua led Israel past Ai from Gilgal, and the longer and easier ascents from the West, notably that along which the tides of battle so often rolled, the Valley of Aijalon, by way of the Beth-horons. Benjamin also sat astride the great highway connecting North and South, which ran along the ridge of the western range, in the district where it was easiest of defense. It was a position calling for occupation by a brave and warlike tribe such as Benjamin proved to be. His warriors were skillful archers and slingers, and they seem to have cultivated the use of both hands, which gave them a great advantage in battle (Judges 20:16; 1 Chronicles 8:40; 1 Chronicles 12:2, etc.). These characteristics are reflected in the Blessing of Jacob (Genesis 49:27). The second deliverer of Israel in the period of the Judges was Ehud, the left-handed Benjamite (Judges 3:15).

5. History:

The Benjamites fought against Sisera under Deborah and Barak (Judges 5:14). The story told in Judges 20:21 presents many difficulties which cannot be discussed here. It is valuable as preserving certain features of life in these lawless times when there was no details in Israel. Whatever may be said of the details, it certainly reflects the memory of some atrocity in which the Benjamites were involved and for which they suffered terrible punishment. The election of Saul as first king over united Israel naturally lent a certain prestige to the tribe. After the death of Saul they formed the backbone of Ish- bosheth's party, and most unwillingly conceded precedence to Judah in the person of David (2 Samuel 2:15,2 Samuel 2:25; 2 Samuel 3:17 ff). It was a Benjamite who heaped curses upon David in the hour of his deep humiliation (2 Samuel 16:5); and the jealousy of Benjamin led to the revolt on David's return, which was so effectually stamped out by Joab (2 Samuel 19:1–43). Part of the tribe, probably the larger part, went against Judah at the disruption of the kingdom, taking Bethel with them. 1 Kings 12:20 says that none followed the house of David but the house of Judah only. But the next verse tells us that Rehoboam gathered the men of Judah and Benjamin to fight against Jeroboam. It seems probable that as Jerusalem had now become the royal city of the house of David, the adjoining parts of Benjamin proved loyal, while the more distant joined the Northern Kingdom. After the downfall of Samaria Judah assumed control of practically the whole territory of Benjamin (2 Kings 23:15,2 Kings 23:19, etc.). Nehemiah gives the Valley of Hinnom as the south boundary of Benjamin in his time (Nehemiah 11:30), while westward it extended to include Lod and Ono. Saul of Tarsus was a member of this tribe (Philippians 3:5).

(4) A great-grandson of Benjamin, son of Jacob (1 Chronicles 7:10).

(5) One of those who had married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:32, and probably also Nehemiah 3:23; Nehemiah 12:34).

W. Ewing

Benjamin, Gate Of

See JERUSALEM.

Benjamite

ben'-ja-mit: One belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, such as Ehud (Judges 3:15), Saul (1 Samuel 9:1,1 Samuel 9:2), Sheba (2 Samuel 20:1), Shimei (1 Kings 2:8), etc.

Beno

be'-no (beno, "his son"): The son of Jaaziah of the house of Levi (1 Chronicles 24:26,1 Chronicles 24:27).

Beon

be'-on (Numbers 32:3).

See BAAL-MEON.

Beor

be'-or (be`or, "destroyer"(?)):

(1) Father of Bela, the first king of Edom (Genesis 36:32; 1 Chronicles 1:43).

(2) The father of the seer Balaam (Numbers 22:5; Numbers 24:3,Numbers 24:15; Numbers 31:8; Deuteronomy 23:4; Joshua 13:22; Joshua 24:9, omitted in Septuagint; Micah 6:5; 2 Peter 2:15, the King James Version and the Revised Version, margin "Bosor").

Bera

be'-ra (bera`, "gift"(?); compare HPN, 74 note): King of Sodom (Genesis 14:2) who in the battle of Siddim was subdued by Chedorlaomer.

Beracah

be-ra'-ka (berakhah, "blessing," the King James Version Berachah): A Benjamite who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:3).

Beracah, Valley Of

be-ra'-ka, ber'-a-ka (the King James Version Berachah; `emeq berkhah; koilas eulogias): After the victory of Jehoshaphat and his people over Moab and Ammon, "On the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Beracah; for there they blessed Yahweh: therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Beracah (i.e. of blessing) unto this day" (2 Chronicles 20:26). In the Wady `Arrub there is a ruin called Breikut and the valley in its proximity receives the same name. This is on the main road from Hebron to Jerusalem and not far from Tekoa; it suits the narrative well (see PEF, III, 352).

E. W. G. Masterman

Berachiah

ber-a-ki'-a.

See BERECHIAH.

Beraiah

be-ri'-a (bera'yah, "Yah hath created"): A son of Shimei of the house of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:21).

Berea

be-re'-a.

See BEROEA.

Bereave; Bereaver; Bereft

be-rev', be-rev'-er, be-reft': Bereave is frequently used in the Old Testament in the (now almost obsolete) meaning of "to deprive," "to take away," especially with reference to loss of children. The Hebrew word used here is shakhol, "to be childless," or in the Piel "to make childless" (compare Genesis 42:36 et al.). In the King James Version Ecclesiastes 4:8 (from the Hebrew chacer, "to lack") we read "and bereave my soul of good" (the Revised Version (British and American) "deprive"), and in Ezekiel 36:14 (from Hebrew kashal, "to stumble"), "neither bereave thy nations any more" (the Revised Version, margin "cause to stumble").

Bereaver, otherwise very rare, is found the Revised Version (British and American) Ezekiel 36:13 (from Hebrew shakhol "to be childless"), "a bereaver of thy nation" (the King James Version "hast bereaved").

Bereft is found in 1 Timothy 6:5 (from the Greek apostereo, "to rob") "bereft of the truth" (the King James Version "destitute"). The expression bereavement (the Revised Version (British and American) Isaiah 49:20) in the phrase "the children of thy bereft" means "the children born to thee in the time when God had afflicted thee."

A. L. Breslich

Berechiah

ber-e-ki'-a (berekhyah, berekhyahu, "Yahweh blesses," HPN, 216, 287):

(1) A descendant of David (1 Chronicles 3:20).

(2) The father of Asaph, the singer (1 Chronicles 6:39 the King James Version "Berachiah"; 1 Chronicles 15:17).

(3) A former inhabitant of Jerusalem, a Levee (1 Chronicles 9:16).

(4) A doorkeeper 'for the ark at David's time (1 Chronicles 15:23).

(5) One of the heads of the children of Ephraim (2 Chronicles 28:12).

(6) The father of Meshullam the builder (Nehemiah 3:4,Nehemiah 3:30; Nehemiah 6:18).

(7) The father of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 11:7).

A. L. Breslich

Bered (1)

be'-red (beredh, "hail," from a Hebrew root meaning "to be cold"): The son of Shuthelah of the house of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:20). Compare BECHER.

Bered (2)

be'-red (beredh; Barad): A place in the Negeb mentioned in the story of Hagar (Genesis 16:14). The well Beer-lahai-roi was "between Kadesh and Bered." The Onkelos Targum renders it Chaghra', which is the usual equivalent of Shur, while the Jerusalem Targum renders it Chalutsah, which is also Shur (Exodus 15:22). Chalutsah is clearly the city of Elusu mentioned by Ptolemy and from the 4th to the 7th centuries by various ecclesiastical writers. It was an important town on the road from Palestine to Kadesh and Mount Sinai. This is without doubt the very large and important ruin Kh. Khalasa, some 70 miles South of Jerusalem on the road from Beersheba and Rehoboth. "These ruins cover an area of 15 to 20 acres, throughout which the foundations and enclosures of houses are distinctly to be traced. .... We judged that here there must have been a city with room enough for a population of 15,000 to 20,000 souls" (Robinson, BR, I, 201).

E. W. G. Masterman

Berenice

ber'-e-nes.

See BERNICE.

Beri

be'-ri (beri, "wisdom"): A descendant of Asher (1 Chronicles 7:36).

Beriah; Beriites

be-ri'-a, be-ri'-its (beri`ah, "in shouting," probably derived from a Hebrew root meaning "to make noise," or "in evil," from another Hebrew root):

(1) A son of Asher and father of Heber and Malchiel (Genesis 46:17; 1 Chronicles 7:30,1 Chronicles 7:31; the head of the family of the Beriites, Numbers 26:44 ff).

(2) A son of Ephraim, called Beriah by his father because "it went evil with his house" (1 Chronicles 7:23).

(3) A descendant of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:13,1 Chronicles 8:16).

(4) A Levite in the line of Gershon (1 Chronicles 23:10 f).

Berites

be'-rits (berim; according to Klostermann and others, bikhrim): The word is found only once in the Old Testament (2 Samuel 20:14). The passage seems to be doubtful. The suggestion of Klostermann does not improve matters any; the other proposed reading, bachrim (Vulgate, viri electi), "choice young men," is to be preferred.

Berith

be'-rith (berith, "covenant").

See BAAL-BERITH.

Bernice

Henry E. Dosker

Berodach-Baladan

be-ro'-dak-bal'-a-dan.

See MERODACH-BALADAN.

Beroea

be-re'-a (Beroia or Berroia):

(1) A town of southwestern Macedonia, in the district of Emathia. It lay at the foot of Mt. Bermius, on a tributary of the Haliacmon, and seems to have been an ancient town, though the date of its foundation is uncertain. A passage in Thucydides (i.61) relating to the year 432 BC probably refers to another place of the same name, but an inscription (Inscr Graec, II, 5, 296i) proves its existence at the end of the 4th century BC, and it is twice mentioned by Polybius (xxvii.8; xxviii.8). After the battle of Pydba in 168 BC Berea was the first city to surrender to Rome and fell in the third of the four regions into which Macedonia was divided (Livy xliv.45; xlv.29). Paul and Silas came to Berea from Thessalonica which they had been forced by an uproar to leave, and preached in the synagogue to the Jews, many of whom believed after a candid examination of the apostolic message in the light of their Scriptures (Acts 17:10,Acts 17:11). A number of "Gr women of honorable estate and of men" also believed, but the advent of a body of hostile Jews from Thessalonica created a disturbance in consequence of which Paul had to leave the city, though Silas and Timothy stayed there for a few days longer (Acts 17:12–15). Perhaps the Sopater of Berea who accompanied Paul to Asia on his last journey to Jerusalem was one of his converts on this visit (Acts 20:4). Berea, which was one of the most populous cities of Macedonia early became a bishopric under the metropolitan of Thessalonica and was itself made a metropolis by Andronicus II (1283-1328): there is a tradition that the first bishop of the church was Onesimus. It played a prominent part in the struggles between the Greeks and the Bulgarians and Serbs, and was finally conquered by the Turks in 1373-74. The town, which still bears among the Greeks its ancient name (pronounced Verria) though called by the Turks Karaferia, possesses but few remains of antiquity with the exception of numerous inscriptions (Leake, Travels in Northern Greece, III, 290 if; Cousinery, Voyage dans la Macedoine, I, 57 ff; Dimitsas, Makedonia in Greek, 57 ff).

Marcus N. Tod

(2) The place where Menelaus the ex-high priest was executed by order of Antiochus Eupator, the victim, according to local custom, being cast from a tower 50 cubits high into a bed of ashes (2 Macc 13:3 ff). It was the ancient city of Chalab, lying about midway between Antioch and Hierapolis. Seleucus Nicator gave it the name Berea. It was a city of importance under the Moslems in the Middle Ages, when the old name again asserted itself, and remains to the present time.

The name "Aleppo" came to us through the Venetian traders in the days before the great overland route to India via Aleppo lost its importance through the discovery of the passage round the Cape. Aleppo is now a city of nearly 130,000 inhabitants. The governor exercises authority over a wide district extending from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean.

(3) (Berea); A place mentioned in 1 Macc 9:4. It may be identical with BEEROTH (which see) in Benjamin, a Hivite town, 8 miles North of Jerusalem, or with the modern Birez-Zait, 1 1/2 miles Northwest of Jifneh.

W. Ewing

Beroth

be'-roth (1 Esdras 5:19). See BEEROTH.

Berothah

be-ro'-tha (Ezekiel 47:16: berothah; Septuagint Codex Vaticanus, Abthera; or BEROTHAH #2Sa 8:8; berothai, where for mibberothai Septuagint reads ek ton eklekton poleon, "from the select cities"): Probably two forms of the same name. Ezekiel 47:16 places it on the ideal northern frontier of Israel, between Damascus and Hamath. According to 2 Samuel 8:8 it was a city of Hadadezer, king of Zobah. In the parallel passage (1 Chronicles 18:8) Cun is given in place of Berothai. Its site is unknown. Ewald connected it with Beirut (so also apparently H. P. Smith, ICC, "Samuel," 307), but Ezekiel's description excludes this view. Others have sought it in the Wady Brissa, in the East slope of Lebanon, North of Baalbec. A more plausible conjecture identifies it with Bereitan (Brithen), a village somewhat South of Baalbec (Baedeker, Pal3, 369). Possibly, however, the ideal northern frontier line should be drawn farther south. See HETHLON; ZEDAD; ZOBAH.

C. H. Thomson

Berothite

be'-roth-it.

See BEEROTHITE.

Berries

ber'-is: Occurs in James 3:12 (the King James Version) in the phrase "olive berries" (elaiai). The Revised Version (British and American) reads simply "olives."

Beryl

ber'-il.

See STONES, PRECIOUS.

Berytus

ber'-i-tus, be-ri'-tus (Berutos; Arabic: modern Beirut, Beyrout, Beyrouth): An ancient Phoenician city situated on the North side of a promontory jutting out from the base of Lebanon to the West into the Mediterranean and forming a bay on the North connected with the fable of George and the Dragon, and hence called George's Bay. The city is about 25 miles North of Sidon and about 12 South of the famous Lycus or Dog River, at the mouth of which are found the sculptured rocks bearing the monuments of the ancient kings of Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria.

The city has been thought by some to be the Berothai of 2 Samuel 8:8 or the Berothah of Ezekiel 47:16, but the connection in which these cities are mentioned seems to preclude the identification. The town is, however, an ancient one, for it occurs in Tell el-Amarna Letters as Beruti where it is closely connected with Gebal of which it may have been a dependency.

Though not mentioned in Old Testament or New Testament it appears in the history of Herod the Great as an important town where was assembled a court of 150 judges, presided over by Saturninus, a former Roman consul, to try the case which Herod brought against his two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, who were condemned there by the Roman court (Ant., XVI, xi, 2). Beirut was a Roman colony at this time where many veterans settled and it afterward became the seat of a great Roman law school which was attended, in the days of Justinian, by thousands of students. It was utterly destroyed by an earthquake in 551 AD, and for a time was abandoned. Many remains of temples and public buildings of the Roman period remain. It rose to some importance during the Crusades and is at present the chief seaport of Syria, and has the only harbor on the coast. It is a town of about 125,000 inhabitants.

H. Porter

Berzelus

ber-ze'-lus.

See ZORZELLEUS.

Besai

be'-si (becay, "downtrodden"): The descendants of Besai (Nethinim) returned with Zerubbabel to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:49; Nehemiah 7:52 = Basthai, 1 Esdras 5:31).

Beset

be-set' (euperistatos): The most common sense of this word is "to surround." This is the thought in Psalms 139:5, and teaches the omnipresence of God. Often wicked men find that the things which they have done so envelope them that they cannot escape ruin (Hosea 7:2). The reference in Hebrews 12:1 is first of all against the sin of apostasy against which repeated warning is given in this book. But the warning is also against any sin that is especially dangerous to us. It, again and again, surrounds us like a besieging army. To surrender would be traitorous and disgraceful, since the Captain of the Lord's host is with us.

Jacob W. Kapp

Beside

be-sid': Near to, or close to (Psalms 23:2). It is often used to refer to the mental state, to the derangement of the mind (existemi, Mark 3:21; Acts 26:24 the King James Version). Or it may refer to the condition of being out of the ordinary course of the life. A life consecrated to God and spent in the interest of humanity is so designated (2 Corinthians 5:13). It has the sense also of a state of being out of one's usual mind, but not of mental derangement, occasioned by something that causes amazement or ast onishment (Mark 5:42). Or it may refer to a state in which one is not conscious of present conditions, but is rapt in vision (Acts 10:10).

Besides is used in the sense of in addition to or that which is over and above what has been said or is possessed (Luke 16:26; see the American Revised Version, margin "in"; Philemon 1:19).

Jacob W. Kapp

Besiege

be-sej'.

See SIEGE.

Besodeiah

bes-o-de'-ya, bes-o-di'-a (becodheyah, "in the confidence or counsel of Yah"; compare Jeremiah 23:18,Jeremiah 23:22; and HPN, 207, 221, 286): Father of Meshullam, the builder (Nehemiah 3:6).

Besom

be'-zum: Occurs only once in Scripture: "I will sweep it with the besom of destruction" (Isaiah 14:23). Refers to what was in store for Babylon. The Hebrew word maT'ate', rendered "besom," is close of kin to the one (ti'te'thiha) rendered "sweep." In early English "besom" was synonymous with "broom," and is still so used in some parts of England.

Besor, The Brook

be'-sor, (nachal besor; Codex Alexandrinus, Bechor, Codex Vaticanus, Beana; 1 Samuel 30:9,1 Samuel 30:20,1 Samuel 30:21; Josephus, Ant, VI, xiv, 6): A torrent-bed (nachal) mentioned in the account of David's pursuit of the Amalekites. Thought to be Wady Ghazza, which enters the sea Southwest of Gaza.

Best

Of five Hebrew originals the chief is Tobh, "good," expressing quality, character. Variously used of objects pleasing to the senses, feelings, mind, moral sense, e.g. "best of the land" (Genesis 47:6); "of sheep" (1 Samuel 15:9); of persons "married to whom they think best" (Numbers 36:6); of abode, "where it liketh (the Revised Version (British and American) "pleaseth") him best" (Deuteronomy 23:16).

In Numbers 18:12 the revenues of the priests were to be "holy gifts," e.g. the "best of the oil," etc. (chelebh, "fat"); also 18:29,30,32, the gifts of the heave-offering were to be "of all the best," indicating that the richest elements of life were to go into the support and service of the sanctuary. So "the choice (best) fruits" (zimrah, literally, "the song of the land"), a beautifully poetic expression for the most celebrated fruits (Genesis 43:11); equally choice is pazaz, "separate," "the finest (best) gold," hence "purified" (1 Kings 10:18).

Used but twice in the New Testament:

(1) of spiritual gifts ((kreitton, "better" the Revised Version (British and American) "greater"); 1 Corinthians 12:31);

(2) of raiment (protos, "first"), "best robe" (Luke 15:22), of special significance as expressing the Father's lavish love for the repentant and returning sinner.

Dwight M. Pratt

Bestead

be-sted' (niqsheh, "caught in a snare," "entrapped"; as Judah hard pressed in their own land by the Assyrians (Isaiah 8:21 the King James Version)): Found only here. Old English word steden meaning "place," hence, "set," "beset"; usually with "ill," "sorely bested." In the Revised Version (British and American) rendered "sore distressed."

Bestiality

bes-ti-al'-i-ti.

See CRIMES.

Bestow

be-sto': The seven Hebrew words rendered by this term variously mean "to put" or "place," "to give"; "do," "deposit," as e.g. to locate chariots and horsemen in cities (1 Kings 10:26); or give a blessing (Exodus 32:29). Four Greek words so translated signify "to give," "to labor," "to feed," "to place around"; as sunago, "to stow away goods" (Luke 12:17); or psomizo, "give away" (1 Corinthians 13:3). The term has richest significance in expressing God's abundant gift of grace and love, didomi (2 Corinthians 8:1 the King James Version; 1 John 3:1).

Betah

be'-ta (2 Samuel 8:8).

See TIBHATH.

Betane

bet'-a-ne (Baitane): A place named in Judith 1:9, among those to which the messengers of Nebuchadnezzar were sent. From the order in which they are named we should seek for it South of Jerusalem. It may be identical with Beit `Ainun, about 3 miles North of Hebron.

Beten

be'-ten (beTen; Batne): A city of Asher mentioned between Hall and Achshaph (Joshua 19:25). Eusebius, Onomasticon places it 8 Roman miles East of Ptolemais, giving it the name Bethseten. It may be identical with the modern village el-B`aneh, but no certainty is possible.

Beth (1)

bath (b): The second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. With the daghesh it is transliterated in this dictionary as "b," and, without the daghesth, as "bh" ( = "v"). It came also to be used for the number two (2) and with the dieresis for 2,000. For name, etc., see ALPHABET; BAYITH.

Beth (2)

beth (in proper names; Greek transliteration in Septuagint, beth, baith, or beth): This is the English transliteration for the Hebrew beth, meaning "house," "tent," "place." It occurs in many compound proper names formed similarly to the method of compounding words in the German language, as shown in the articles immediately following. Thus we have beth `anath or `anoth = "house of replies" (Joshua 19:38; Judges 1:33); beth'el = "house of God" (Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3), etc. We also find the word in hybrid formations, e.g. Bethphage = Bethphage = "fig house" (Matthew 21:1).

Frank E. Hirsch

Beth-Anath

beth-a'-nath (beth`anath; Bainathath): A city in the territory of Naphtali, named with Horem and Bethshemesh (Joshua 19:38; Judges 1:33). It is represented by the modern village Ainatha, about 12 miles Northwest of Cafed. The name signifies the "house" or "temple" of Anath, a goddess of the Canaanites.

Beth-Anoth

beth-a'-noth (beth`anoth; Baithanam, probably "House of Anath"--a god; Joshua 15:59): The ruin of Beit `Ainun, 1 1/2 miles Southeast of Halhul, in the neighborhood also of Bethzur and Gedor--places mentioned in association with it as towns in the hill country of Judah--appears to be a probable site. The present surface ruins belong to later ages.

Beth-Arabah

beth-ar'-a-ba (beth ha-`arabhah; Baitharaba, "place of the Arabah"):

(1) One of the 6 cities of Judah "in the wilderness" (Joshua 15:61), on the borders of Benjamin and Judah (Joshua 15:6; Joshua 18:18 Septuagint). "The wilderness of Judah" is the barren land West of the Dead Sea. Beth-arabah is not yet identified.

(2) One of the cities of Benjamin (Joshua 18:22). Septuagint (Codex Vaticanus) reads Baithabara, and this may be correct. The names are early confounded.

See BETHABARA.

Beth-Arbel

beth-ar'-bel (beth 'arbe'l): The scene of a terrific disaster inflicted on the inhabitants by Shalman (Hosea 10:14). If the place intended was in Palestine, and was not the famous city of that name on the Euphrates, then probably it should be identified either with Irbid (or Irbil) in Galilee, or with Irbid, which corresponds to Arbela of the Eusebius, Onomasticon, East of the Jordan, about 12 miles Southeast of Gadara. If, as Schrader thinks (COT, II, 140), Shalman stands for the Moabite king, Shalamanu, a tributary of Tiglath-pileser, the eastern town would be the more natural identification. Possibly however the reference is to Shalmaneser III or IV. For the Galilean site, see ARBELA; see also DB, under the word

W. Ewing

Beth-Aven

beth-a'-ven (beth 'awen; Baithon, Baithaun): A place on the northern boundary of the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 18:12) East of Bethel, near Ai (Joshua 7:2), West of Michmash (1 Samuel 13:5; 1 Samuel 14:23). Beth-aven, "house of vanity," i.e. "idolatry," may possibly represent an original beth-'on, "house of wealth." Wilson (PEFS, 1869, 126) suggests Khirbet An, West of Michmash. The name is used in mockery for Bethel by Hosea (4:15; 10:5,8, etc.; compare Amos 5:5).

Beth-Azmaveth

beth-az-ma'-veth (Nehemiah 7:28).

See AZMAVETH.

Beth-Baal-Meon

beth-ba-al-me'-on (Joshua 13:17).

See BAAL-MEON.

Beth-Barah

beth-ba'-ra (beth barah; Baithera): Perhaps Beth-`abharu, the guttural being lost in copying. It is a ford which the Midianites were expected to pass in fleeing from Gideon. Messengers were therefore sent by Gideon to the Ephraimites bidding them "take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah, even (the Revised Version, margin "and also") the Jordan" (Judges 7:24). "The waters" were the streams emptying themselves into the Jordan: "even the Jordan" is a gloss on "the waters." Between the Jordan and the modern Wady Fari`ah an enemy could be entrapped; it is therefore probable that Beth-barah was on that stream near its entrance into the Jordan.

See BETHABARA.

S. F. Hunter

Beth-Biri

beth-bir'-i (the King James Version Beth-birei, beth-bir'-e-i) beth bir'i; oikos Braoumseoreim; 1 Chronicles 4:31 (called in Joshua 19:6, Beth-lebaoth, "abode of lions"): A site belonging to Simeon in the Negeb--unidentified.

Beth-Car

beth'-kar (beth-kar; Baithchor, Belchor): "And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, Until they came under Beth-car" (1 Samuel 7:11). `Ain Karem has been suggested; if Mizpah is nebi Samwil then this identification is probable, as the pursuit would be along the deep Wady beit Hannineh--a natural line of retreat for the Philistines to take.

See BETH-HACCHEREM.

Beth-Dagon

beth-da'-gon (bethdaghon; Bethdagon):

(1) A town in the Shephelah of Judah named with Gederoth, Naamah, and Makkedah (Joshua 15:41). It may be represented by the modern Beit Dijan, about 6 miles Southeast of Jaffa. This however is a modern site, and not in the Shephelah. Nearly 2 miles to the south is Khirbet Dajan, a Roman site. The connection in which it occurs leads us to expect a position farther Southeast

(2) A city on the border of Asher (Joshua 19:27) which Conder would identify with Tell D'auk, near the mouth of the Belus, in the plan of Acre.

The name seems to have been of frequent occurrence. There is a Beit Dejan about 6 miles East of Nablus, and Josephus speaks of a fortress called Dagon above Jericho (Ant., XII, viii, 1; BJ, I, ii, 3). This would seem to indicate a widespread worship of Dagon. But the name may mean "house of corn."

W. Ewing

Beth-Diblathaim

beth-dib-la-tha'-im (beth dibhlathayim; oikos Deblaithaim, literally, "house of Diblathaim"): A town in Moab mentioned with Dibon and Nebo (Jeremiah 48:22). It is probably identical with Almondiblathaim (Numbers 33:46 f). Mesha claims to have fortified it along with Mehedeba and Ba`al-me`on (see MOABITE STONE). The place is not yet identified.

Beth-Eden

beth-e'-den (Amos 1:5 King James Version, margin; English Versions of the Bible "house of Eden").

See CHILDREN OF EDEN.

Beth-Emek

beth-e'-mek (beth ha-'emeq; Bethaemek, "house of the valley"): A town in the territory of Zebulun (Joshua 19:27). It has not been identified, but must be sought somewhere East of Acre, not far from Kabul, the ancient Cabul.

Beth-Ezel

beth-e'-zel (beth ha-'etsel; oikos echomenous autes; literally, "adjoining house"): A place named along with other cities in the Philistine plain (Micah 1:11). The site has not been identified. By some it is thought to be the same as Azel of Zechariah 14:5; but see AZEL.

Beth-Gader

beth-ga'-der (bethgadher; Baithgedor, or (Codex Vaticanus) Baithgaidon): The name occurs between those of Bethlehem and Kiriath-jearim in 1 Chronicles 2:51. It is possibly identical with Geder of Joshua 12:13.

Beth-Gamul

beth-ga'-mul (beth gamul; oikos Gaimol; Codex Sinaiticus, Gamola): A city in Moab named with Dibon, Kiriathaim and Beth-meon (Jeremiah 48:23). Conder places it at Umm el-Jamal, toward East of the plateau, S. of Medeba (HDB, under the word). Others (Guthe, Kurz. bib. Worterbuch, under the word; Buhl, GAP, 268, etc.) favor Jemeil, a site 6 miles East of Dhiban. Since the town is not mentioned among the cities of Israel Buhl doubts if it should be sought North of the Arnon.

Beth-Gilgal

beth-gil'-gal (beth ha-gilgal; Bethaggalgal; the King James Version house of Gilgal): The Gilgal which lay in the plain East of Jericho (Nehemiah 12:29).

See GILGAL.

Beth-Haccherem

beth-ha-ke'-rem, beth-hak'-e-rem (the King James Version Beth-haccerem; beth ha-kerem; Bethachcharma (see DB), "place of the vineyard"): A district (in Nehemiah 3:14) ruled over by one, Malchijah; mentioned in Jeremiah 6:1 as a suitable signal station. From its association with Tekoa (Jeremiah 6:1) and from the statement by Jerome that it was a village which he could see daily from Bethlehem, the Frank mountain (Herodium) has been suggested. It certainly would be a unique place for a beacon. More suitable is the fertile vineyard country around `Ain Karem (the "spring of the vineyard"). On the top of Jebel `Ali, above this village, are some remarkable cairns which, whatever their other uses, would appear to have been once beacons. `Ain Karem appears as Carem in the Septuagint (Joshua 15:59).

See BETH-CAR.

E. W. G. Masterman

Beth-Haggan

beth-hag'-an (beth-ha-gan, "house of the garden"). The place where Ahaziah was slain by Jehu (2 Kings 9:27). The words are rendered in English Versions of the Bible "the garden house," but some take them to be a proper name. The location is doubtful.

Beth-Hanan; Elon-Beth-Hanan

beth-ha'-nan (1 Kings 4:9).

See ELON.

Beth-Haram

beth-ha'-ram (beth haram; Baitharan; Codex Alexandrinus, Baitharra; the King James Version wrongly, Beth-Aram): An Amorite city taken and fortified by the Gadites (Joshua 13:27; Numbers 32:36; in the latter passage the name appears as Beth-haran, probably the original form). It corresponds to Bethramphtha of Josephus (Ant., XVIII, ii, 1), which, according to Eusebius, was the name used by the Syrians. Here was a palace of Herod (Ant., XVII, x, 6; BJ, II, iv, 2). Eusebius, Onomasticon says it was called Livias. Josephus says it was fortified by Herod Antipas, who called it Julias for the wife of Augustus (Ant., XVIII, ii, 1; BJ, II, ix, 1). The name would be changed to Julias when Livia, by the will of the emperor, was received into the Gens Julia. It is represented by Tell er-Rameh in Wady Chesban, about 6 miles East of Jordan.

W. Ewing

Beth-Haran

beth-ha'-ran (beth haran): A fenced city East of the Jordan (Numbers 32:36) identical with BETH-HARAM, which see.

Beth-Hoglah

beth-hog'-la (beth-choghlah; Septuagint Baithaglaam, "house of partridge"): Mentioned in Joshua 15:6; Joshua 18:19, identified with Ain Haijab ("partridge spring") lying between Jericho and the Jordan, where in 1874 there was still a ruined Greek monastery called Kasr Hajlah, dating from the 12th century. The ruins are now destroyed. In Joshua 15:5; Joshua 18:19 it is said to be at the mouth of the Jordan on a Tongue (Lisan) of the Salt Sea. But it is now several miles inland, probably because the Jordan has silt edition up a delta to that extent.

See DEAD SEA.

George Frederick Wright

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 (Joshua 16:5) and Beth-horon the Lower (Joshua 16:3), said to have been built (1 Chronicles 7:24) by Sheerah, the daughter of Beriah. The border line between Benjamin and Ephraim passed by the Beth- horons (Joshua 16:5; Joshua 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 Chronicles 8:5; 1 Kings 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 (Joshua 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 (Joshua 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 highroad to Jerusalem has left the route forsaken and almost forgotten. See PEF, III, 86, Sh XVII.

E. W. G. Masterman