Part 5
2. In support of the doctrine of infant baptism, i.e., of the baptism of the infants, or rather the "children," of believing parents, the following considerations may be adduced:
The Church of Christ exists as a divinely organized community. It is the "kingdom of God," one historic kingdom under all dispensations. The commonwealth of Israel was the "church" (Acts 7:38; Romans 9:4) under the Mosaic dispensation. The New Testament church is not a new and different church, but one with that of the Old Testament. The terms of admission into the church have always been the same viz., a profession of faith and a promise of subjection to the laws of the kingdom. Now it is a fact beyond dispute that the children of God's people under the old dispensation were recognized as members of the church. Circumcision was the sign and seal of their membership. It was not because of carnal descent from Abraham, but as being the children of God's professing people, that this rite was administered (Romans 4:11). If children were members of the church under the old dispensation, which they undoubtedly were, then they are members of the church now by the same right, unless it can be shown that they have been expressly excluded. Under the Old Testament parents acted for their children and represented them. (See Genesis 9:9; 17:10; Exodus 24:7, 8; Deuteronomy 29:9-13.) When parents entered into covenant with God, they brought their children with them. This was a law in the Hebrew Church. When a proselyte was received into membership, he could not enter without bringing his children with him. The New Testament does not exclude the children of believers from the church. It does not deprive them of any privilege they enjoyed under the Old Testament. There is no command or statement of any kind, that can be interpreted as giving any countenance to such an idea, anywhere to be found in the New Testament. The church membership of infants has never been set aside. The ancient practice, orginally appointed by God himself, must remain a law of his kingdom till repealed by the same divine authority. There are lambs in the fold of the Good Shepherd (John 21:15; comp. Luke 1:15; Matthew 19:14; 1 Corinthians 7:14).
"In a company of converts applying for admission into Christ's house there are likely to be some heads of families. How is their case to be treated? How, for example, are Lydia and her neighbour the keeper of the city prison to be treated? Both have been converted. Both are heads of families. They desire to be received into the infant church of Philippi. What is Christ's direction to them? Shall we say that it is to this effect: 'Arise, and wash away your sins, and come into my house. But you must come in by yourselves. These babes in your arms, you must leave them outside. They cannot believe yet, and so they cannot come in. Those other
little ones by your side, their hearts may perhaps have been touched with the love of God; still, they are not old enough to make a personal profession, so they too must be left outside...For the present you must leave them where they are and come in by yourselves.' One may reasonably demand very stringent proofs before accepting this as a fair representation of the sort of welcome Christ offers to parents who come to his door bringing their children with them. Surely it is more consonant with all we know about him to suppose that his welcome will be more ample in its scope, and will breathe a more gracious tone. Surely it would be more like the Good Shepherd to say, 'Come in, and bring your little ones along with you. The youngest needs my salvation; and the youngest is accessible to my salvation. You may be unable as yet to deal with them about either sin or salvation, but my gracious power can find its way into their hearts even now. I can impart to them pardon and a new life. From Adam they have inherited sin and death; and I can so unite them to myself that in me they shall be heirs of righteousness and life. You may without misgiving bring them to me. And the law of my house requires that the same day which witnesses your reception into it by baptism must witness their reception also'" (The Church, by Professor Binnie, D.D.).
•BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD only mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:29. This expression as used by the apostle may be equivalent to saying, "He who goes through a baptism of blood in order to join a glorified church which has no existence [i.e., if the dead rise not] is a fool." Some also regard the statement here as an allusion to the strange practice which began, it is said, to prevail at Corinth, in which a person was baptized in the stead of others who had died before being baptized, to whom it was hoped some of the benefits of that rite would be extended. This they think may have been one of the erroneous customs which Paul went to Corinth to "set in order."
•BAPTISM, JOHN'S was not Christian baptism, nor was that which was practised by the disciples previous to our Lord's crucifixion. Till then the New Testament economy did not exist. John's baptism bound its subjects to repentance, and not to the faith of Christ. It was not administered in the name of the Trinity, and those whom John baptized were rebaptized by Paul (Acts 18:24; 19:7).
•BAPTISM OF CHRIST Christ had to be formally inaugurated into the public discharge of his offices. For this purpose he came to John, who was the representative of the law and the prophets, that by him he might be
introduced into his offices, and thus be publicly recognized as the Messiah of whose coming the prophecies and types had for many ages borne witness.
John refused at first to confer his baptism on Christ, for he understood not what he had to do with the "baptism of repentance." But Christ said, "'Suffer it to be so now,' NOW as suited to my state of humiliation, my state as a substitute in the room of sinners." His reception of baptism was not necessary on his own account. It was a voluntary act, the same as his act of becoming incarnate. Yet if the work he had engaged to accomplish was to be completed, then it became him to take on him the likeness of a sinner, and to fulfil all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).
The official duty of Christ and the sinless person of Christ are to be distinguished. It was in his official capacity that he submitted to baptism. In coming to John our Lord virtually said, "Though sinless, and without any personal taint, yet in my public or official capacity as the Sent of God, I stand in the room of many, and bring with me the sin of the world, for which I am the propitiation." Christ was not made under the law on his own account. It was as surety of his people, a position which he spontaneously assumed. The administration of the rite of baptism was also a symbol of the baptism of suffering before him in this official capacity (Luke 12:50). In thus presenting himself he in effect dedicated or consecrated himself to the work of fulfilling all righteousness.
•BAR used to denote the means by which a door is bolted (Nehemiah 3:3); a rock in the sea (Jonah 2:6); the shore of the sea (Job 38:10); strong fortifications and powerful impediments, etc. (Isaiah 45:2; Amos 1:5); defences of a city (1 Kings 4:13). A bar for a door was of iron (Isaiah 45:2), brass (Psalm 107:16), or wood (Nah. 3:13).
•BARABBAS i.e., son of Abba or of a father, a notorious robber whom Pilate proposed to condemn to death instead of Jesus, whom he wished to release, in accordance with the Roman custom (John 18:40; Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19). But the Jews were so bent on the death of Jesus that they demanded that Barabbas should be pardoned (Matthew 27:16-26; Acts 3:14). This Pilate did.
•BARACHEL whom God has blessed, a Buzite, the father of Elihu, one of Job's friends (Job 32:2, 6).
•BARACHIAS, BERECHIAH 4 (q.v.), whom Jehovah hath blessed, father of the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 1:1,7; Matthew 23:35).
•BARAK lightning, the son of Abinoam (Judges 4:6). At the summons of Deborah he made war against Jabin. She accompanied him into the battle, and gave the signal for the little army to make the attack; in which the host of Jabin was completely routed. The battle was fought (Judges 4:16) in the plain of Jezreel (q.v.). This deliverance of Israel is commemorated in Judges 5. Barak's faith is commended (Hebrews 11:32). "The character of Barak, though pious, does not seem to have been heroic. Like Gideon, and in a sense Samson, he is an illustration of the words in Hebrews 11:34, 'Out of weakness were made strong.'" (See DEBORAH.)
•BARBARIAN a Greek word used in the New Testament (Romans 1:14) to denote one of another nation. In Colossians 3:11, the word more definitely designates those nations of the Roman empire that did not speak Greek. In 1 Corinthians 14:11, it simply refers to one speaking a different language. The inhabitants of Malta are so called (Acts 28:1,2, 4). They were originally a Carthaginian colony. This word nowhere in Scripture bears the meaning it does in modern times.
•BARBER Found only once, in Ezekiel 5:1, where reference is made to the Jewish custom of shaving the head as a sign of mourning. The Nazarites were untouched by the razor from their birth (Numbers 6:5). Comp. Judges 16:19.
•BAREFOOT To go barefoot was a sign of great distress (Isaiah 20:2, 3, 4), or of some great calamity having fallen on a person (2 Samuel 15:30).
•BARIAH fugitive, one of Shemaiah's five sons. Their father is counted along with them in 1 Chronicles 3:22.
•BAR-JESUS son of Joshua, the patronymic of Elymas the sorcerer (Acts 13:6), who met Paul and Barnabas at Paphos. Elymas is a word of Arabic origin meaning "wise."
•BAR-JONA son of Jonah, the patronymic of Peter (Matthew 16:17; John 1:42), because his father's name was Jonas. (See PETER.)
•BARKOS painter, (Ezra 2:53; Nehemiah 7:55). The father of some of the Nethinim.
•BARLEY a grain much cultivated in Egypt (Exodus 9:31) and in Palestine (Leviticus 27:16; Deuteronomy 8:8). It was usually the food of horses (1 Kings 4:28). Barley bread was used by the poorer people (Judges 7:13; 2 Kings 4:42). Barley of the first crop was ready for the harvest by the time of the Passover, in the middle of April (Ruth 1:22; 2 Samuel 21:9). Mention is made of barley-meal (Numbers 5:15). Our Lord fed five thousand with "five barley loaves and two small fishes" (John 6:9).
•BARN a storehouse (Deuteronomy 28:8; Job 39:12; Hag. 2:19) for grain, which was usually under ground, although also sometimes above ground (Luke 12:18).
•BARNABAS son of consolation, the surname of Joses, a Levite (Acts 4:36). His name stands first on the list of prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch (13:1). Luke speaks of him as a "good man" (11:24). He was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He was a native of Cyprus, where he had a possession of land (Acts 4:36, 37), which he sold. His personal appearance is supposed to have been dignified and commanding (Acts 14:11, 12). When Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion, Barnabas took him and introduced him to the apostles (9:27). They had probably been companions as students in the school of Gamaliel.
The prosperity of the church at Antioch led the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem to send Barnabas thither to superintend the movement. He found the work so extensive and weighty that he went to Tarsus in search
of Saul to assist him. Saul returned with him to Antioch and laboured with him for a whole year (Acts 11:25, 26). The two were at the end of this period sent up to Jerusalem with the contributions the church at Antioch had made for the poorer brethren there (11:28-30). Shortly after they returned, bringing John Mark with them, they were appointed as missionaries to the heathen world, and in this capacity visited Cyprus and some of the principal cities of Asia Minor (Acts 13:14). Returning from this first missionary journey to Antioch, they were again sent up to Jerusalem to consult with the church there regarding the relation of Gentiles to the church (Acts 15:2: Galatians 2:1). This matter having been settled, they returned again to Antioch, bringing the decree of the council as the rule by which Gentiles were to be admitted into the church.
When about to set forth on a second missionary journey, a dispute arose between Saul and Barnabas as to the propriety of taking John Mark with them again. The dispute ended by Saul and Barnabas taking separate routes. Saul took Silas as his companion, and journeyed through Syria and Cilicia; while Barnabas took his nephew John Mark, and visited Cyprus (Acts 15:36-41). Barnabas is not again mentioned by Luke in the Acts.
•BARREL a vessel used for keeping flour (1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16). The same word (cad) so rendered is also translated "pitcher," a vessel for carrying water (Genesis 24:14; Judges 7:16).
•BARREN For a woman to be barren was accounted a severe punishment among the Jews (Genesis 16:2; 30:1-23; 1 Samuel 1:6, 27; Isaiah 47:9; 49:21; Luke 1:25). Instances of barrenness are noticed (Genesis 11:30; 25:21; 29:31; Judges 13:2, 3; Luke 1:7, 36).
•BARSABAS son of Saba, the surname (1) of Joseph, also called Justus (Acts 1:23), some identify him with Barnabas; (2) of Judas, who was a "prophet." Nothing more is known of him than what is mentioned in Acts 15:32.
•BARTHOLOMEW son of Tolmai, one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:3; Acts 1:13); generally supposed to have been the same as Nathanael. In the synoptic gospels Philip and Bartholomew are always mentioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned; in the fourth gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together, but nothing is said of Bartholomew. He was one of the disciples to whom our Lord appeared at the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (John 21:2). He
was also a witness of the Ascension (Acts 1:4, 12, 13). He was an "Israelite indeed" (John 1:47).
•BARTIMAEUS son of Timaeus, one of the two blind beggars of Jericho (Mark 10:46; Matthew 20:30). His blindness was miraculously cured on the ground of his faith.
•BARUCH blessed. (1.) The secretary of the prophet Jeremiah (32:12; 36:4). He was of the tribe of Judah (51:59). To him Jeremiah dictated his prophecies regarding the invasion of the Babylonians and the Captivity. These he read to the people from a window in the temple in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Jeremiah 36). He afterwards read them before the counsellors of the king at a private interview; and then to the king himself, who, after hearing a part of the roll, cut it with a penknife, and threw it into the fire of his winter parlour, where he was sitting.
During the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, he was the keeper of the deed of purchase Jeremiah had made of the territory of Hanameel (Jeremiah 32:12). Being accused by his enemies of favouring the Chaldeans, he was cast, with Jeremiah, into prison, where he remained till the capture of Jerusalem (B.C. 586). He probably died in Babylon.
(2.) Nehemiah 3:20; 10:6; 11:5.
•BARZILLAI of iron. (1.) A Meholathite, the father of Adriel (2 Samuel 21:8).
(2.) A Gileadite of Rogelim who was distinguished for his loyalty to David. He liberally provided for the king's followers (2 Samuel 17:27). David on his death-bed, remembering his kindness, commended Barzillai's children to the care of Solomon (1 Kings 2:7).
(3.) A priest who married a daughter of the preceding (Ezra 2:61).
•BASHAN light soil, first mentioned in Genesis 14:5, where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth," where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, Og came out against them, but was utterly routed (Numbers 21:33-35; Deuteronomy 3:1-7). This country extended from Gilead in the south to Hermon in the north, and from the Jordan on the west to Salcah on the east. Along with the half of Gilead it
was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:29-31). Golan, one of its cities, became a "city of refuge" (Joshua 21:27). Argob, in Bashan, was one of Solomon's commissariat districts (1 Kings 4:13). The cities of Bashan were taken by Hazael (2 Kings 10:33), but were soon after reconquered by Jehoash (2 Kings 13:25), who overcame the Syrians in three battles, according to the word of Elisha (19). From this time Bashan almost disappears from history, although we read of the wild cattle of its rich pastures (Ezekiel 39:18; Psalm 22:12), the oaks of its forests (Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 27:6; Zechariah 11:2), and the beauty of its extensive plains (Amos 4:1; Jeremiah 50:19). Soon after the conquest, the name "Gilead" was given to the whole country beyond Jordan. After the Exile, Bashan was divided into four districts, (1.) Gaulonitis, or Jaulan, the most western; (2.) Auranitis, the Hauran (Ezekiel 47:16); (3.) Argob or Trachonitis, now the Lejah; and (4.) Batanaea, now Ard-el-Bathanyeh, on the east of the Lejah, with many deserted towns almost as perfect as when they were inhabited. (See HAURAN.)
•BASHAN-HAVOTH-JAIR the Bashan of the villages of Jair, the general name given to Argob by Jair, the son of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 3:14), containing sixty cities with walls and brazen gates (Joshua 13:30; 1 Kings 4:13). (See ARGOB.)
•BASHAN, HILL OF (Psalm 68:15), probably another name for Hermon, which lies to the north of Bashan.
•BASHEMATH sweet-smelling. (1.) The daughter of Ishmael, the last of Esau's three wives (Genesis 36:3, 4, 13), from whose son Reuel four tribes of the Edomites sprung. She is also called Mahalath (Genesis 28:9). It is noticeable that Esau's three wives receive different names in the genealogical table of the Edomites (Genesis 36) from those given to them in the history (Genesis 26:34; 28:9).
(2.) A daughter of Solomon, and wife of Ahimaaz, one of his officers (1 Kings 4:15).
•BASILISK (in R.V., Isaiah 11:8; 14:29; 59:5; Jeremiah 8:17), the "king serpent," as the name imports; a fabulous serpent said to be three spans long, with a spot on its head like a crown. Probably the yellow snake is intended. (See COCKATRICE.)
•BASIN or Bason. (1.) A trough or laver (Hebrews aggan') for washing (Exodus 24:6); rendered also "goblet" (Cant. 7:2) and "cups" (Isaiah 22:24).
(2.) A covered dish or urn (Hebrews k'for) among the vessels of the temple (1 Chronicles 28:17; Ezra 1:10; 8:27).
(3.) A vase (Hebrews mizrak) from which to sprinkle anything. A metallic vessel; sometimes rendered "bowl" (Amos 6:6; Zechariah 9:15). The vessels of the tabernacle were of brass (Exodus 27:3), while those of the temple were of gold (2 Chronicles 4:8).
(4.) A utensil (Hebrews saph) for holding the blood of the victims (Exodus 12:22); also a basin for domestic purposes (2 Samuel 17:28).
The various vessels spoken of by the names "basin, bowl, charger, cup, and dish," cannot now be accurately distinguished.
The basin in which our Lord washed the disciples' feet (John 13:5) must have been larger and deeper than the hand-basin.
•BASKET There are five different Hebrew words so rendered in the Authorized Version: (1.) A basket (Hebrews sal, a twig or osier) for holding bread (Genesis 40:16; Exodus 29:3, 23; Leviticus 8:2, 26, 31; Numbers 6:15, 17, 19). Sometimes baskets were made of twigs peeled; their manufacture was a recognized trade among the Hebrews.
(2.) That used (Hebrews salsilloth') in gathering grapes (Jeremiah 6:9).
(3.) That in which the first fruits of the harvest were presented, Hebrews tene, (Deuteronomy 26:2, 4). It was also used for household purposes. In form it tapered downwards like that called corbis by the Romans.
(4.) A basket (Hebrews kelub) having a lid, resembling a bird-cage. It was made of leaves or rushes. The name is also applied to fruit-baskets (Amos 8:1, 2).
(5.) A basket (Hebrews dud) for carrying figs (Jeremiah 24:2), also clay to the brick-yard (R.V., Psalm 81:6), and bulky articles (2 Kings 10:7). This
word is also rendered in the Authorized Version "kettle" (1 Samuel 2:14), "caldron" (2 Chronicles 35:13), "seething-pot" (Job 41:20).
In the New Testament mention is made of the basket (Gr. kophinos, small "wicker-basket") for the "fragments" in the miracle recorded Mark 6:43, and in that recorded Matthew 15:37 (Gr. spuris, large "rope-basket"); also of the basket in which Paul escaped (Acts 9:25, Gr. spuris; 2 Corinthians 11: 33, Gr. sargane, "basket of plaited cords").
•BASTARD In the Old Testament the rendering of the Hebrew word mamzer', which means "polluted." In Deuteronomy 23:2, it occurs in the ordinary sense of illegitimate offspring. In Zechariah 9:6, the word is used in the sense of foreigner. From the history of Jephthah we learn that there were bastard offspring among the Jews (Judges 11:1-7). In Hebrews 12:8, the word (Gr. nothoi) is used in its ordinary sense, and denotes those who do not share the privileges of God's children.
•BASTINADO beating, a mode of punishment common in the East. It is referred to by "the rod of correction" (Proverbs 22:15), "scourging" (Leviticus 19:20), "chastising" (Deuteronomy 22:18). The number of blows could not exceed forty (Deuteronomy 25:2, 3).
•BAT The Hebrew word (atalleph') so rendered (Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18) implies "flying in the dark." The bat is reckoned among the birds in the list of unclean animals. To cast idols to the "moles and to the bats" means to carry them into dark caverns or desolate places to which these animals resort (Isaiah 2:20), i.e., to consign them to desolation or ruin.
•BATH a Hebrew liquid measure, the tenth part of an homer (1 Kings 7:26, 38; Ezekiel 45:10, 14). It contained 8 gallons 3 quarts of our measure. "Ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath" (Isaiah 5:10) denotes great unproductiveness.
•BATH-RABBIM daughter of many, the name of one of the gates of the city of Heshbon, near which were pools (Cant.7:4).
•BATHS The use of the bath was very frequent among the Hebrews (Leviticus 14:8; Numbers 19:19, ect.). The high priest at his inauguration (Leviticus 8:6), and on the day of atonement, was required to bathe himself (16:4, 24). The "pools" mentioned in Nehemiah 3:15, 16, 2 Kings 20:20, Isaiah 22:11, John 9:7, were public bathing-places.
•BATH-SHEBA daughter of the oath, or of seven, called also Bath-shu'a (1 Chronicles 3:5), was the daughter of Eliam (2 Samuel 11:3) or Ammiel (1 Chronicles 3:5), and wife of Uriah the Hittite. David committed adultery with her (2 Samuel 11:4, 5; Psalm 51:1). The child born in adultery died (2 Samuel 12:15-19). After her husband was slain (11:15) she was married to David (11:27), and became the mother of Solomon (12:24;
1 Kings 1:11; 2:13). She took a prominent part in securing the succession of Solomon to the throne (1 Kings 1:11, 16-21).
•BATTERING-RAM (Ezekiel 4:2; 21:22), a military engine, consisting of a long beam of wood hung upon a frame, for making breaches in walls. The end of it which was brought against the wall was shaped like a ram's head.
•BATTLE-AXE a mallet or heavy war-club. Applied metaphorically (Jeremiah 51:20) to Cyrus, God's instrument in destroying Babylon.
•BATTLE-BOW the war-bow used in fighting (Zechariah 9:10; 10:4). "Thy bow was made quite naked" (Habakkuk 3:9) means that it was made ready for use. By David's order (2 Samuel 1:18) the young men were taught the use, or rather the song of the bow. (See ARMOUR, BOW.)
•BATTLEMENT a parapet wall or balustrade surrounding the flat roofs of the houses, required to be built by a special law (Deuteronomy 22:8). In Jeremiah 5:10, it denotes the parapet of a city wall.
•BAY denotes the estuary of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan (Joshua 15:5; 18:19), also the southern extremity of the same sea (15:2). The same Hebrew word is rendered "tongue" in Isaiah 11:15, where it is used with reference to the forked mouths of the Nile.
Bay in Zechariah 6:3, 7 denotes the colour of horses, but the original Hebrew means strong, and is here used rather to describe the horses as fleet or spirited.
•BAY TREE named only in Psalm 37:35, Authorized Version. The Hebrew word so rendered is ereh, which simply means "native born", i.e., a tree not transplanted, but growing on its native soil, and therefore luxuriantly. If the psalmist intended by this word to denote any particular tree, it may have been the evergreen bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), which is a native of Palestine. Instead of "like a green bay tree" in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version has, "like a green tree in its native soil."
•BDELLIUM occurs only in Genesis 2:12, where it designates a product of the land of Havilah; and in Numbers 11:7, where the manna is likened to it in colour. It was probably an aromatic gum like balsam which exuded from a particular tree (Borassus flabelliformis) still found in Arabia, Media, and India. It bears a resemblance in colour to myrrh. Others think the word denotes "pearls," or some precious stone.
•BEACON a pole (Hebrews to'ren) used as a standard or ensign set on the tops of mountains as a call to the people to assemble themselves for some great national purpose (Isaiah 30:17). In Isaiah 33:23 and Ezekiel 27:5, the same word is rendered "mast." (See Banner.)
•BEALIAH whose Lord is Jehovah, a Benjamite, one of David's thirty heroes of the sling and bow (1 Chronicles 12:5).
•BEALOTH citizens, a town in the extreme south of Judah (Joshua 15:24); probably the same as Baalath-beer (19:8). In 1 Kings 4:16, the Authorized Version has "in Aloth," the Revised Version "Bealoth."
•BEAM occurs in the Authorized Version as the rendering of various Hebrew words. In 1 Samuel 17:7, it means a weaver's frame or principal beam; in Habakkuk 2:11, a crossbeam or girder; 2 Kings 6:2, 5, a cross-piece or rafter of a house; 1 Kings 7:6, an architectural ornament as a projecting step or moulding; Ezekiel 41:25, a thick plank. In the New Testament the word occurs only in Matthew 7:3, 4, 5, and Luke 6:41, 42, where it means (Gr. dokos) a large piece of wood used for building purposes, as contrasted with "mote" (Gr. karphos), a small piece or mere splinter. "Mote" and "beam" became proverbial for little and great faults.
•BEANS mentioned in 2 Samuel 17:28 as having been brought to David when flying from Absalom. They formed a constituent in the bread Ezekiel (4:9) was commanded to make, as they were in general much used as an
article of diet. They are extensively cultivated in Egypt and Arabia and Syria.
•BEAR a native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the attacks of a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Bears came out of the wood and destroyed the children who mocked the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:24). Their habits are referred to in Isaiah 59:11; Proverbs 28:15; Lamentations 3:10. The fury of the female bear when robbed of her young is spoken of (2 Samuel 17:8; Proverbs 17:12; Hos. 13:8). In Daniel's vision of the four great monarchies, the Medo-Persian empire is represented by a bear (7:5).
•BEARD The mode of wearing it was definitely prescribed to the Jews (Leviticus 19:27; 21:5). Hence the import of Ezekiel's (5:1-4) description of the "razor" i.e., the agents of an angry providence being used against the guilty nation of the Jews. It was a part of a Jew's daily toilet to anoint his beard with oil and perfume (Psalm 133:2). Beards were trimmed with the most fastidious care (2 Samuel 19:24), and their neglet was an indication of deep sorrow (Isaiah 15:2; Jeremiah 41:5). The custom was to shave or pluck off the hair as a sign of mourning (Isaiah 50:6; Jeremiah 48:37; Ezra 9:3). The beards of David's ambassadors were cut off by hanun (2 Samuel 10:4) as a mark of indignity.
On the other hand, the Egyptians carefully shaved the hair off their faces, and they compelled their slaves to do so also (Genesis 41:14).
•BEAST This word is used of flocks or herds of grazing animals (Exodus 22:5; Numbers 20:4, 8, 11; Psalm 78:48); of beasts of burden (Genesis 45:17); of eatable beasts (Proverbs 9:2); and of swift beasts or dromedaries (Isaiah 60:6). In the New Testament it is used of a domestic animal as property (Revelation 18:13); as used for food (1 Corinthians 15:39), for service (Luke 10:34; Acts 23:24), and for sacrifice (Acts 7:42).
When used in contradistinction to man (Psalm 36:6), it denotes a brute creature generally, and when in contradistinction to creeping things (Leviticus 11:2-7; 27:26), a four-footed animal.
The Mosaic law required that beasts of labour should have rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10; 23:12), and in the Sabbatical year all cattle were allowed to roam about freely, and eat whatever grew in the fields (Exodus 23:11; Leviticus 25:7). No animal could be castrated (Leviticus 22:24).
Animals of different kinds were to be always kept separate (Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:10). Oxen when used in threshing were not to be prevented from eating what was within their reach (Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Corinthians 9:9).
This word is used figuratively of an infuriated multitude (1 Corinthians 15:32; Acts 19:29; comp. Psalm 22:12, 16; Ecclesiastes 3:18; Isaiah 11:6-8), and of wicked men (2 Peter 2:12). The four beasts of Daniel 7:3, 17, 23 represent four kingdoms or kings.
•BEATEN GOLD in Numbers 8:4, means "turned" or rounded work in gold. The Greek Version, however, renders the word "solid gold;" the Revised Version, "beaten work of gold." In 1 Kings 10:16, 17, it probably means "mixed" gold, as the word ought to be rendered, i.e., not pure gold. Others render the word in these places "thin plates of gold."
•BEATEN OIL (Exodus 27:20; 29:40), obtained by pounding olives in a mortar, not by crushing them in a mill. It was reckoned the best. (See OLIVE.)
•BEAUTIFUL GATE the name of one of the gates of the temple (Acts 3:2). It is supposed to have been the door which led from the court of the Gentiles to the court of the women. It was of massive structure, and covered with plates of Corinthian brass.
•BECHER first-born; a youth, the second son of Benjamin (Genesis 46:21), who came down to Egypt with Jacob. It is probable that he married an Ephraimitish heiress, and that his descendants were consequently reckoned among the tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 26:35; 1 Chronicles 7:20, 21). They are not reckoned among the descendants of Benjamin (Numbers 26:38).
•BED (Hebrews mittah), for rest at night (Exodus 8:3; 1 Samuel 19:13, 15, 16, etc.); during sickness (Genesis 47:31; 48:2; 49:33, etc.); as a sofa for rest (1 Samuel 28:23; Amos 3:12). Another Hebrew word (er'es) so rendered denotes a canopied bed, or a bed with curtains (Deuteronomy 3:11; Psalm 132:3), for sickness (Psalm 6:6; 41:3).
In the New Testament it denotes sometimes a litter with a coverlet (Matthew 9:2, 6; Luke 5:18; Acts 5:15).
The Jewish bedstead was frequently merely the divan or platform along the sides of the house, sometimes a very slight portable frame, sometimes only a mat or one or more quilts. The only material for bed-clothes is mentioned in 1 Samuel 19:13. Sleeping in the open air was not uncommon, the sleeper wrapping himself in his outer garment (Exodus 22:26,27; Deuteronomy 24:12,13).
•BEDAN one of the judges of Israel (1 Samuel 12:11). It is uncertain who he was. Some suppose that Barak is meant, others Samson, but most probably this is a contracted form of Abdon (Judges 12:13).
•BED-CHAMBER an apartment in Eastern houses, furnished with a slightly elevated platform at the upper end and sometimes along the sides, on which were laid mattresses. This was the general arrangement of the public sleeping-room for the males of the family and for guests, but there were usually besides distinct bed-chambers of a more private character (2 Kings 4:10; Exodus 8:3; 2 Kings 6:12). In 2 Kings 11:2 this word denotes, as in the margin of the Revised Version, a store-room in which mattresses were kept.
•BEDSTEAD used in Deuteronomy 3:11, but elsewhere rendered "couch," "bed." In 2 Kings 1:4; 16:2; Psalm 132:3; Amos 3:12, the divan is meant by this word.
•BEE First mentioned in Deuteronomy 1:44. Swarms of bees, and the danger of their attacks, are mentioned in Psalm 118:12. Samson found a "swarm of bees" in the carcass of a lion he had slain (Judges 14:8). Wild bees are described as laying up honey in woods and in clefts of rocks (Deuteronomy 32:13; Psalm 81:16). In Isaiah 7:18 the "fly" and the "bee" are personifications of the Egyptians and Assyrians, the inveterate enemies of Israel.
•BEELZEBUB (Gr. form Beel'zebul), the name given to Satan, and found only in the New Testament (Matthew 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22). It is probably the same as Baalzebub (q.v.), the God of Ekron, meaning "the Lord of flies," or, as others think, "the Lord of dung," or "the dung-God."
•BEER well. (1.) A place where a well was dug by the direction of Moses, at the forty-fourth station of the Hebrews in their wanderings (Numbers 21:16-18) in the wilderness of Moab. (See WELL.)
(2.) A town in the tribe of Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Judges 9:21). Some have identified this place with Beeroth.
•BEER-ELIM well of heroes, probably the name given to Beer, the place where the chiefs of Israel dug a well (Numbers 21:16; Isaiah 15:8).
•BEERI illustrious, or the well-man. (1.) The father of Judith, one of the wives of Esau (Genesis 26:34), the same as Adah (Genesis 36:2). (2.) The father of the prophet Hosea (1:1).
•BEER-LAHAI-ROI i.e., "the well of him that liveth and seeth me," or, as some render it, "the well of the vision of life", the well where the Lord met with Hagar (Genesis 16:7-14). Isaac dwelt beside this well (24:62; 25:11). It has been identified with 'Ain Muweileh, or Moilahhi, south-west of Beersheba, and about 12 miles W. from Kadesh-barnea.
•BEEROTH wells, one of the four cities of the Hivites which entered by fraud into a league with Joshua. It belonged to Benjamin (Joshua 18:25). It has by some been identified with el-Bireh on the way to Nablus, 10 miles north of Jerusalem.
•BEEROTH OF THE CHILDREN OF JAAKAN (Deuteronomy 10:6). The same as Bene-jaakan (Numbers 33:31).
•BEERSHEBA well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact (Genesis 21:31). On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Genesis 26:31-33). It was a favourite place of abode of both of these patriarchs (21:33-22:1, 19; 26:33; 28:10). It is mentioned among the "cities" given to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:2; 1 Chronicles 4:28). From Dan to Beersheba, a distance of about 144 miles (Judges 20:1; 1 Chronicles 21:2; 2 Samuel 24:2), became the usual way of designating the whole Promised Land, and passed into a proverb. After the return from the Captivity the phrase is narrowed into "from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom" (Nehemiah 11:30). The kingdom of the ten tribes extended from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim (2 Chronicles 19:4). The name is not found in the New Testament. It is still called by the Arabs Bir es-Seba, i.e., "well of the seven", where there are to the present day two principal wells and five smaller ones. It is nearly midway between the southern end of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean.
•BEETLE (Hebrews hargol, meaning "leaper"). Mention of it is made only in Leviticus 11:22, where it is obvious the word cannot mean properly the beetle. It denotes some winged creeper with at least four feet, "which has
legs above its feet, to leap withal." The description plainly points to the locust (q.v.). This has been an article of food from the earliest times in the East to the present day. The word is rendered "cricket" in the Revised Version.
•BEEVES (an old English plural of the word beef), a name applicable to all ruminating animals except camels, and especially to the Bovidce, or horned cattle (Leviticus 22:19, 21; Numbers 31:28, 30, 33, 38, 44).
•BEG That the poor existed among the Hebrews we have abundant evidence (Exodus 23:11; Deuteronomy 15:11), but there is no mention of beggars properly so called in the Old Testament. The poor were provided for by the law of Moses (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 12:12; 14:29). It is predicted of the seed of the wicked that they shall be beggars (Psalm 37:25; 109:10).
In the New Testament we find not seldom mention made of beggars (Mark 10:46; Luke 16:20, 21; Acts 3:2), yet there is no mention of such a class as vagrant beggars, so numerous in the East. "Beggarly," in Galatians 4:9, means worthless.
•BEHEAD a method of taking away life practised among the Egyptians (Genesis 40:17-19). There are instances of this mode of punishment also among the Hebrews (2 Samuel 4:8; 20:21,22; 2 Kings 10:6-8). It is also mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 14:8-12; Acts 12:2).
•BEHEMOTH (Job 40:15-24). Some have supposed this to be an Egyptian word meaning a "water-ox." The Revised Version has here in the margin "hippopotamus," which is probably the correct rendering of the word. The word occurs frequently in Scripture, but, except here, always as a common name, and translated "beast" or "cattle."
•BEKAH Both the name and its explanation, "a half shekel," are given in Exodus 38:26. The word properly means a "division," a "part." (R.V., "beka.")
•BEL the Aramaic form of Baal, the national God of the Babylonians (Isaiah 46:1; Jeremiah 50:2; 51:44). It signifies "Lord." (See BAAL.)
•BELA a thing swallowed. (1.) A city on the shore of the Dead Sea, not far from Sodom, called also Zoar. It was the only one of the five cities that
was spared at Lot's intercession (Genesis 19:20,23). It is first mentioned in Genesis 14:2,8.
(2.) The eldest son of Benjamin (Numbers 26:38; "Belah," Genesis 46:21).
(3.) The son of Beor, and a king of Edom (Genesis 36:32, 33; 1 Chronicles 1:43).
(4.) A son of Azaz (1 Chronicles 5:8).
•BELIAL worthlessness, frequently used in the Old Testament as a proper name. It is first used in Deuteronomy 13:13. In the New Testament it is found only in 2 Corinthians 6:15, where it is used as a name of Satan, the personification of all that is evil. It is translated "wicked" in Deuteronomy 15:9; Psalm 41:8 (R.V. marg.); 101:3; Proverbs 6:12, etc. The expression "son" or "man of Belial" means simply a worthless, lawless person (Judges 19:22; 20:13; 1 Samuel 1:16; 2:12).
•BELL The bells first mentioned in Scripture are the small golden bells attached to the hem of the high priest's ephod (Exodus 28:33, 34, 35). The "bells of the horses" mentioned by Zechariah (14:20) were attached to the bridles or belts round the necks of horses trained for war, so as to accustom them to noise and tumult.
•BELLOWS occurs only in Jeremiah 6:29, in relation to the casting of metal. Probably they consisted of leather bags similar to those common in Egypt.
•BELLY the seat of the carnal affections (Titus 1:12; Phil. 3:19; Romans 16:18). The word is used symbolically for the heart (Proverbs 18:8; 20:27; 22:18, marg.). The "belly of hell" signifies the grave or underworld (Jonah 2:2).
•BELSHAZZAR Bel protect the king!, the last of the kings of Babylon (Daniel 5:1). He was the son of Nabonidus by Nitocris, who was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and the widow of Nergal-sharezer. When still young he made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and when heated with wine sent for the sacred vessels his "father" (Daniel 5:2), or grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from the temple in Jerusalem, and he and his princes drank out of them. In the midst of their mad revelry a hand was seen by the king tracing on the wall the announcement of God's judgment, which that night fell upon him. At the
instance of the queen (i.e., his mother) Daniel was brought in, and he interpreted the writing. That night the kingdom of the Chaldeans came to an end, and the king was slain (Daniel 5:30). (See NERGAL-SHAREZER.)
The absence of the name of Belshazzar on the monuments was long regarded as an argument against the genuineness of the Book of Daniel. In 1854 Sir Henry Rawlinson found an inscription of Nabonidus which referred to his eldest son. Quite recently, however, the side of a ravine undermined by heavy rains fell at Hillah, a suburb of Babylon. A number of huge, coarse earthenware vases were laid bare. These were filled with tablets, the receipts and contracts of a firm of Babylonian bankers, which showed that Belshazzar had a household, with secretaries and stewards. One was dated in the third year of the king Marduk-sar-uzur. As Marduk-sar-uzar was another name for Baal, this Marduk-sar-uzur was found to be the Belshazzar of Scripture. In one of these contract tablets, dated in the July after the defeat of the army of Nabonidus, we find him paying tithes for his sister to the temple of the sun-God at Sippara.
•BELTESHAZZAR Beltis protect the king!, the Chaldee name given to Daniel by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:7).
•BENAIAH built up by Jehovah. (1.) The son of Jehoiada, chief priest (1 Chronicles 27:5). He was set by David over his body-guard of Cherethites and Pelethites (2 Samuel 8:18; 1 Kings 1:32; 1 Chronicles 18:17). His exploits are enumerated in 2 Samuel 23:20, 21, 22; 1 Chronicles 11:22. He remained faithful to Solomon (1 Kings 1:8, 10, 26), by whom he was raised to the rank of commander-in-chief (1 Kings 2:25, 29, 30, 34, 35; 4:4).
(2.) 2 Samuel 23:30; 1 Chronicles 11:31.
(3.) A musical Levite (1 Chronicles 15:18, 20).
(4.) A priest (1 Chronicles 15:24; 16:6).
(5.) The son of Jeiel (2 Chronicles 20:14).
•BEN-AMMI son of my kindred; i.e., "born of incest", the son of Lot by his youngest daughter (Genesis 19:38).
•BENCH deck of a Tyrian ship, described by Ezekiel (27:6) as overlaid with box-wood.
•BENE-JAAKAN children of Jaakan (Numbers 33:31, 32), the same as Beeroth.
•BEN-HADAD the standing title of the Syrian kings, meaning "the son of Hadad." (See HADADEZER.)
(1.) The king of Syria whom Asa, king of Judah, employed to invade Israel (1 Kings 15:18).
(2.) Son of the preceding, also king of Syria. He was long engaged in war against Israel. He was murdered probably by Hazael, by whom he was succeeded (2 Kings 8:7-15), after a reign of some thirty years.
(3.) King of Damascus, and successor of his father Hazael on the throne of Syria (2 Kings 13:3, 4). His misfortunes in war are noticed by Amos (1:4).
•BENJAMIN son of my right hand. (1.) The younger son of Jacob by Rachel (Genesis 35:18). His birth took place at Ephrath, on the road between Bethel and Bethlehem, at a short distance from the latter place. His mother died in giving him birth, and with her last breath named him Ben-oni, son of my pain, a name which was changed by his father into Benjamin. His posterity are called Benjamites (Genesis 49:27; Deuteronomy 33:12; Joshua 18:21).
The tribe of Benjamin at the Exodus was the smallest but one (Numbers 1:36, 37; Psalm 68:27). During the march its place was along with Manasseh and Ephraim on the west of the tabernacle. At the entrance into Canaan it counted 45,600 warriors. It has been inferred by some from the words of Jacob (Genesis 49:27) that the figure of a wolf was on the tribal standard. This tribe is mentioned in Romans 11:1; Phil. 3:5.
The inheritance of this tribe lay immediately to the south of that of Ephraim, and was about 26 miles in length and 12 in breadth. Its eastern boundary was the Jordan. Dan intervened between it and the Philistines. Its chief towns are named in Joshua 18:21-28.
The history of the tribe contains a sad record of a desolating civil war in which they were engaged with the other eleven tribes. By it they were almost exterminated (Judges 20:20, 21; 21:10). (See GIBEAH.)
The first king of the Jews was Saul, a Benjamite. A close alliance was formed between this tribe and that of Judah in the time of David (2 Samuel 19:16, 17), which continued after his death (1 Kings 11:13; 12:20). After the Exile these two tribes formed the great body of the Jewish nation (Ezra 1:5; 10:9).
The tribe of Benjamin was famous for its archers (1 Samuel 20:20, 36; 2 Samuel 1:22; 1 Chronicles 8:40; 12:2) and slingers (Judge. 20:6).
The gate of Benjamin, on the north side of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 37:13; 38:7; Zechariah 14:10), was so called because it led in the direction of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. It is called by Jeremiah (20:2) "the high gate of Benjamin;" also "the gate of the children of the people" (17:19). (Comp. 2 Kings 14:13.)
•BEOR a torch. (1.) The father of Bela, one of the kings of Edom (Genesis 36:32).
(2.) The father of Balaam (Numbers 22:5; 24:3, 15; 31:8). In 2 Peter 2:15 he is called Bosor.
•BERA gift, or son of evil, king of Sodom at the time of the invasion of the four kings under Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:2, 8, 17, 21).
•BERACHAH blessing. (1.) A valley not far from Engedi, where Jehoshaphat overthrew the Moabites and Ammonites (2 Chronicles 20:26). It has been identified with the valley of Bereikut. (R.V., "Beracah.")
(2.) One of the Benjamite warriors, Saul's brethren, who joined David when at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:3).
•BEREA a city of Macedonia to which Paul with Silas and Timotheus went when persecuted at Thessalonica (Acts 17:10, 13), and from which also he was compelled to withdraw, when he fled to the sea-coast and thence sailed to Athens (14, 15). Sopater, one of Paul's companions belonged to this city, and his conversion probably took place at this time (Acts 20:4). It is now called Verria.
•BERECHIAH blessed by Jehovah. (1.) Son of Shimea, and father of Asaph the musician (1 Chronicles 6:39; 15:17).
(2.) One of the seven Ephraimite chieftains, son of Meshillemoth (2 Chronicles 28:12).
(3.) The fourth of the five sons of Zerubbabel, of the royal family of Judah (1 Chronicles 3:20).
(4.) The father of the prophet Zechariah (1:1,7).
•BERED hail. (1.) A town in the south of Palestine (Genesis 16:14), in the desert of Shur, near Lahai-roi.
(2.) A son of Shuthelah, and grandson of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:20).
•BERIAH a gift, or in evil. (1.) One of Asher's four sons, and father of Heber (Genesis 46:17).
(2.) A son of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 7:20-23), born after the slaughter of his brothers, and so called by his father "because it went evil with his house" at that time.
(3.) A Benjamite who with his brother Shema founded Ajalon and expelled the Gittites (1 Chronicles 8:13).
•BERNICE bearer of victory, the eldest daughter of Agrippa I., the Herod Agrippa of Acts 12:20. After the early death of her first husband she was married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. After his death (A.D. 40) she lived in incestuous connection with her brother Agrippa II. (Acts 25:13, 23; 26:30). They joined the Romans at the outbreak of the final war between them and the Jews, and lived afterwards at Rome.
•BERODACH-BALADAN the king of Babylon who sent a friendly deputation to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:12). In Isaiah 39:1 he is called Merodach-baladan (q.v.).
•BERYL the rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word tarshish, a precious stone; probably so called as being brought from Tarshish. It was one of the stones on the breastplate of the high priest (Exodus 28:20; R.V. marg., "chalcedony;" 39:13). The colour of the wheels in Ezekiel's vision was as the colour of a beryl stone (1:16; 10:9; R.V., "stone of Tarshish"). It is mentioned in Cant. 5:14; Daniel 10:6; Revelation 21:20. In Ezekiel 28:13 the LXX. render the word by "chrysolite," which the Jewish historian Josephus regards as its proper translation. This also is the rendering given in the Authorized Version in the margin. That was a gold-coloured gem, the topaz of ancient authors.
•BESOM the rendering of a Hebrew word meaning sweeper, occurs only in Isaiah 14:23, of the sweeping away, the utter ruin, of Babylon.
•BESOR cold, a ravine or brook in the extreme south-west of Judah, where 200 of David's men stayed behind because they were faint, while the other 400 pursued the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:9, 10, 21). Probably the Wadyes Sheriah, south of Gaza.
•BESTEAD the rendering in Isaiah 8:21, where alone it occurs, of a Hebrew word meaning to oppress, or be in circumstances of hardship.
•BETAH confidence, a city belonging to Hadadezer, king of Zobah, which yielded much spoil of brass to David (2 Samuel 8:8). In 1 Chronicles 18:8 it is called Tibhath.
•BETH occurs frequently as the appellation for a house, or dwelling-place, in such compounds as the words immediately following:
•BETHABARA house of the ford, a place on the east bank of the Jordan, where John was baptizing (John 1:28). It may be identical with Bethbarah,
the ancient ford of Jordan of which the men of Ephraim took possession (Judges 7:24). The Revised Version reads "Bethany beyond Jordan." It was the great ford, and still bears the name of "the ford," Makhadhet 'Abarah, "the ford of crossing over," about 25 miles from Nazareth. (See BETHBARAH.)
•BETH-ANATH house of response, one of the fenced cities of Naphtali (Joshua 19:38). It is perhaps identical with the modern village 'Ainata, 6 miles west of Kedesh.
•BETH-ANOTH house of answers, a city in the mountainous district of Judah (Joshua 15:59). It has been identified with the modern Beit-'Anun, about 3 miles northeast of Hebron.
•BETHANY house of dates. (1.) The Revised Version in John 1:28 has this word instead of Bethabara, on the authority of the oldest manuscripts. It appears to have been the name of a place on the east of Jordan.
(2.) A village on the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives (Mark 11:1), about 2 miles east of Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho. It derived its name from the number of palm-trees which grew there. It was the residence of Lazarus and his sisters. It is frequently mentioned in connection with memorable incidents in the life of our Lord (Matthew 21:17; 26:6; Mark 11:11, 12; 14:3; Luke 24:50; John 11:1; 12:1). It is now known by the name of el-Azariyeh, i.e., "place of Lazarus," or simply Lazariyeh. Seen from a distance, the village has been described as "remarkably beautiful, the perfection of retirement and repose, of seclusion and lovely peace." Now a mean village, containing about twenty families.
•BETH-ARABAH house of the desert, one of the six cities of Judah, situated in the sunk valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea (Joshua 18:22). In Joshua 15:61 it is said to have been "in the wilderness." It was afterwards included in the towns of Benjamin. It is called Arabah (Joshua 18:18).
•BETH-ARAM house of the height; i.e., "mountain-house", one of the towns of Gad, 3 miles east of Jordan, opposite Jericho (Joshua 13:27). Probably the same as Beth-haran in Numbers 32:36. It was called by king Herod, Julias, or Livias, after Livia, the wife of Augustus. It is now called Beit-haran.
•BETH-ARBEL house of God's court, a place alluded to by Hosea (10:14) as the scene of some great military exploit, but not otherwise mentioned in Scripture. The Shalman here named was probably Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:3).
•BETH-AVEN house of nothingness; i.e., "of idols", a place in the mountains of Benjamin, east of Bethel (Joshua 7:2; 18:12; 1 Samuel 13:5). In Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5 it stands for "Bethel" (q.v.), and it is so called because it was no longer the "house of God," but "the house of idols," referring to the calves there worshipped.
•BETH-BARAH house of crossing, a place south of the scene of Gideon's victory (Judges 7:24). It was probably the chief ford of the Jordan in that district, and may have been that by which Jacob crossed when he returned from Mesopotamia, near the Jabbok (Genesis 32:22), and at which Jephthah slew the Ephraimites (Judges 12:4). Nothing, however, is certainly known of it. (See BETHABARA.)
•BETH-CAR sheep-house, a place to which the Israelites pursued the Philistines west from Mizpeh (1 Samuel 7:11).
•BETH-DAGON house of Dagon. (1.) A city in the low country or plain of Judah, near Philistia (Joshua 15:41); the modern Beit Degan, about 5 miles from Lydda.
(2.) A city near the south-east border of Asher (Joshua 19:27). It was a Philistine colony. It is identical with the modern ruined village of Tell D'auk.
•BETH-DIBLATHAIM house of two cakes of figs, a city of Moab, upon which Jeremiah (48:22) denounced destruction. It is called also
Almon-diblathaim (Numbers 33:46) and Diblath (Ezekiel 6:14). (R.V., "Diblah.")
•BETHEL house of God. (1.) A place in Central Palestine, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. It was originally the royal Canaanite city of Luz (Genesis 28:19). The name Bethel was at first apparently given to the sanctuary in the neighbourhood of Luz, and was not given to the city itself till after its conquest by the tribe of Ephraim. When Abram entered Canaan he formed his second encampment between Bethel and Hai (Genesis 12:8); and on his return from Egypt he came back to it, and again "called upon the name of the Lord" (13:4). Here Jacob, on his way from Beersheba to Haran, had a vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder whose top reached unto heaven (28:10, 19); and on his return he again visited this place, "where God talked with him" (35:1-15), and there he "built an altar, and called the place El-beth-el" (q.v.). To this second occasion of God's speaking with Jacob at Bethel, Hosea (12:4,5) makes reference.
In troublous times the people went to Bethel to ask counsel of God (Judges 20:18, 31; 21:2). Here the ark of the covenant was kept for a long time under the care of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron (20:26-28). Here also Samuel held in rotation his court of justice (1 Samuel 7:16). It was included in Israel after the kingdom was divided, and it became one of the seats of the worship of the golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-33; 13:1). Hence the prophet Hosea (Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, 8) calls it in contempt Beth-aven, i.e., "house of idols." Bethel remained an abode of priests even after the kingdom of Israel was desolated by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:28, 29). At length all traces of the idolatries were extirpated by Josiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 23:15-18); and the place was still in existence after the Captivity (Ezra 2:28; Nehemiah 7:32). It has been identified with the ruins of Beitin, a small village amid extensive ruins some 9 miles south of Shiloh.
(2.) Mount Bethel was a hilly district near Bethel (Joshua 16:1; 1 Samuel 13:2).
(3.) A town in the south of Judah (Joshua 8:17; 12:16).
•BETHELITE a designation of Hiel (q.v.), who rebuilt Jericho and experienced the curse pronounced long before (1 Kings 16:34).
•BETHER dissection or separation, certain mountains mentioned in Cant. 2:17; probably near Lebanon.
•BETHESDA house of mercy, a reservoir (Gr. kolumbethra, "a swimming bath") with five porches, close to the sheep-gate or market (Nehemiah 3:1; John 5:2). Eusebius the historian (A.D. 330) calls it "the sheep-pool." It is also called "Bethsaida" and "Beth-zatha" (John 5:2, R.V. marg.). Under these "porches" or colonnades were usually a large number of infirm people waiting for the "troubling of the water." It is usually identified with the modern so-called Fountain of the Virgin, in the valley of the Kidron, and not far from the Pool of Siloam (q.v.); and also with the Birket Israel, a pool near the mouth of the valley which runs into the Kidron south of "St. Stephen's Gate." Others again identify it with the twin pools called the "Souterrains," under the convent of the Sisters of Zion, situated in what must have been the rock-hewn ditch between Bezetha and the fortress of Antonia. But quite recently Schick has discovered a large tank, as sketched here, situated about 100 feet north-west of St. Anne's Church, which is, as he contends, very probably the Pool of Bethesda. No certainty as to its identification, however, has as yet been arrived at. (See FOUNTAIN; GIHON.)
•BETH-GAMUL camel-house, a city in the "plain country" of Moab denounced by the prophet (Jeremiah 48:23); probably the modern Um-el-Jemal, near Bozrah, one of the deserted cities of the Hauran.
•BETH-GILGAL house of Gilgal, a place from which the inhabitants gathered for the purpose of celebrating the rebuilding of the walls on the return exile (Nehemiah 12:29). (See GILGAL.)
•BETH-HACCEREM house of a vineyard, a place in the tribe of Judah (Nehemiah 3:14) where the Benjamites were to set up a beacon when they heard the trumpet against the invading army of the Babylonians (Jeremiah 6:1). It is probable that this place is the modern 'Ain Karim, or "well of the vineyards," near which there is a ridge on which are cairns which may have served as beacons of old, one of which is 40 feet high and 130 in diameter.
•BETH-HORON house of the hollow, or of the cavern, the name of two towns or villages (2 Chronicles 8:5; 1 Chronicles 7:24) in the territory of Ephraim, on the way from Jerusalem to Joppa. They are distinguished as Beth-horon "the upper" and Beth-horon "the nether." They are about 2 miles apart, the former being about 10 miles north-west of Jerusalem. Between the two places was the ascent and descent of Beth-horon, leading from Gibeon down to the western plain (Joshua 10:10, 11; 18:13, 14), down which the five kings of the Amorites were driven by Joshua in that great battle, the most important in which the Hebrews had been as yet engaged, being their first conflict with their enemies in the open field. Jehovah interposed in behalf of Israel by a terrific hailstorm, which caused more deaths among the Canaanites than did the swords of the Israelites. Beth-horon is mentioned as having been taken by Shishak, B.C. 945, in the list of his conquests, and the pass was the scene of a victory of Judas Maccabeus. (Comp. Exodus 9:19, 25; Job 38:22, 23; Psalm 18:12-14; Isaiah 30:30.) The modern name of these places is Beit-ur, distinguished by el-Foka, "the upper," and el-Tahta, "the nether." The lower was at the foot of the pass, and the upper, 500 feet higher, at the top, west of Gibeon. (See GIBEON.)
•BETH-JESHIMOTH house of wastes, or deserts, a town near Abel-shittim, east of Jordan, in the desert of Moab, where the Israelites encamped not long before crossing the Jordan (Numbers 33:49; A.V., "Bethjesimoth"). It was within the territory of Sihon, king of the Amorites (Joshua 12:3).
•BETH-LE-APHRAH (R.V. Micah 1:10), house of dust. The Authorized Version reads "in the house of Aphrah." This is probably the name of a town in the Shephelah, or "low country," between Joppa and Gaza.
•BETHLEHEM house of bread. (1.) A city in the "hill country" of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Genesis 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1 Samuel 17:12), and "the city of David" (Luke 2:4). It is first noticed in Scripture as the place where Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside," directly to the north of the city (Genesis 48:7). The valley to the east was the scene of the story of Ruth the Moabitess. There are the fields in which she gleaned, and the path by which she and Naomi returned to the town. Here was David's birth-place, and here also, in after years, he was anointed as
king by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:4-13); and it was from the well of Bethlehem that three of his heroes brought water for him at the risk of their lives when he was in the cave of Adullam (2 Samuel 23:13-17). But it was distinguished above every other city as the birth-place of "Him whose goings forth have been of old" (Matthew 2:6; comp. Micah 5:2). Afterwards Herod, "when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men," sent and slew "all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under" (Matthew 2:16, 18; Jeremiah 31:15).
Bethlehem bears the modern name of Beit-Lahm, i.e., "house of flesh." It is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem, standing at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above the sea, thus 100 feet higher than Jerusalem.
There is a church still existing, built by Constantine the Great (A.D. 330), called the "Church of the Nativity," over a grotto or cave called the "holy crypt," and said to be the "stable" in which Jesus was born. This is perhaps the oldest existing Christian church in the world. Close to it is another grotto, where Jerome the Latin father is said to have spent thirty years of his life in translating the Scriptures into Latin. (See VERSION.)
(2.) A city of Zebulun, mentioned only in Joshua 19:15. Now Beit-Lahm, a ruined village about 6 miles west-north-west of Nazareth.
•BETH-PEOR house of Peor; i.e., "temple of Baal-peor", a place in Moab, on the east of Jordan, opposite Jericho. It was in the tribe of Reuben (Joshua 13:20; Deuteronomy 3:29; 4:46). In the "ravine" or valley over against Beth-peor Moses was probably buried (Deuteronomy 34:6).
•BETH-PHAGE house of the unripe fig, a village on the Mount of Olives, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho (Matthew 21:1; Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29), and very close to Bethany. It was the limit of a Sabbath-day's journey from Jerusalem, i.e., 2,000 cubits. It has been identified with the modern Kefr-et-Tur.
•BETHSAIDA house of fish. (1.) A town in Galilee, on the west side of the sea of Tiberias, in the "land of Gennesaret." It was the native place of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, and was frequently resorted to by Jesus (Mark 6:45; John 1:44; 12:21). It is supposed to have been at the modern 'Ain Tabighah, a bay to the north of Gennesaret.
(2.) A city near which Christ fed 5,000 (Luke 9:10; comp. John 6:17; Matthew 14:15-21), and where the blind man had his sight restored (Mark 8:22), on the east side of the lake, two miles up the Jordan. It stood within the region of Gaulonitis, and was enlarged by Philip the tetrarch, who called it "Julias," after the emperor's daughter. Or, as some have supposed, there may have been but one Bethsaida built on both sides of the lake, near where the Jordan enters it. Now the ruins et-Tel.
•BETH-SHEAN house of security or rest, a city which belonged to Manasseh (1 Chronicles 7:29), on the west of Jordan. The bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened to its walls. In Solomon's time it gave its name to a district (1 Kings 4:12). The name is found in an abridged form, Bethshan, in 1 Samuel 31:10, 12 and 2 Samuel 21:12. It is on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, about 5 miles from the Jordan, and 14 from the south end of the Lake of Gennesaret. After the Captivity it was called Scythopolis, i.e., "the city of the Scythians," who about B.C. 640 came down from the steppes of Southern Russia and settled in different places in Syria. It is now called Beisan.
•BETH-SHEMESH house of the sun. (1.) A sacerdotal city in the tribe of Dan (Joshua 21:16; 1 Samuel 6:15), on the north border of Judah (Joshua 15:10). It was the scene of an encounter between Jehoash, king of Israel, and Amaziah, king of Judah, in which the latter was made prisoner (2 Kings 14:11, 13). It was afterwards taken by the Philistines (2 Chronicles
28:18). It is the modern ruined Arabic village 'Ain-shems, on the north-west slopes of the mountains of Judah, 14 miles west of Jerusalem.
(2.) A city between Dothan and the Jordan, near the southern border of Issachar (Joshua 19:22), 7 1/2 miles south of Beth-shean. It is the modern Ain-esh-Shemsiyeh.
(3.) One of the fenced cities of Naphtali (Joshua 19:38), between Mount Tabor and the Jordan. Now Khurbet Shema, 3 miles west of Safed. But perhaps the same as No. 2.
(4.) An idol sanctuary in Egypt (Jeremiah 43:13); called by the Greeks Heliopolis, and by the Egyptians On (q.v.), Genesis 41:45.
•BETH-TAPPUAH house of apples, a town of Judah, now Tuffuh, 5 miles west of Hebron (Joshua 15:53).
•BETHUEL man of God, or virgin of God, or house of God. (1.) The son of Nahor by Milcah; nephew of Abraham, and father of Rebekah (Genesis 22:22, 23; 24:15, 24, 47). He appears in person only once (24:50).
(2.) A southern city of Judah (1 Chronicles 4:30); called also Bethul (Joshua 19:4) and Bethel (12:16; 1 Samuel 30:27).
•BETHZUR house of rock, a town in the mountains of Judah (Joshua 15:58), about 4 miles to the north of Hebron. It was built by Rehoboam for the defence of his kingdom (2 Chronicles 11:7). It stood near the modern ed-Dirweh. Its ruins are still seen on a hill which bears the name of Beit-Sur, and which commands the road from Beer-sheba and Hebron to Jerusalem from the south.
•BETROTH to promise "by one's truth." Men and women were betrothed when they were engaged to be married. This usually took place a year or more before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed (Deuteronomy 28:30; Judges 14:2, 8; Matthew 1:18-21). The term is figuratively employed of the spiritual connection between God and his people (Hos. 2:19, 20).
•BEULAH married, is used in Isaiah 62:4 metaphorically as the name of Judea: "Thy land shall be married," i.e., favoured and blessed of the Lord.
•BEWRAY to reveal or disclose; an old English word equivalent to "betray" (Proverbs 27:16; 29:24, R.V., "uttereth;" Isaiah 16:3; Matthew 26:73).
•BEYOND when used with reference to Jordan, signifies in the writings of Moses the west side of the river, as he wrote on the east bank (Genesis 50:10, 11; Deuteronomy 1:1, 5; 3:8, 20; 4:46); but in the writings of Joshua, after he had crossed the river, it means the east side (Joshua 5:1; 12:7; 22:7).
•BEZALEEL in the shadow of God; i.e., "under his protection", the artificer who executed the work of art in connection with the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 31:2; 35:30). He was engaged principally in works of metal, wood, and stone; while Aholiab, who was associated with him and subordinate to him, had the charge of the textile fabrics (36:1, 2; 38:22). He was of the tribe of Judah, the son of Uri, and grandson of Hur (31:2). Mention is made in Ezra 10:30 of another of the same name.
•BEZEK lightning. (1.) The residence of Adoni-bezek, in the lot of Judah (Judges 1:5). It was in the mountains, not far from Jerusalem. Probably the modern Bezkah, 6 miles south-east of Lydda.
(2.) The place where Saul numbered the forces of Israel and Judah (1 Samuel 11:8); somewhere in the centre of the country, near the Jordan valley. Probably the modern Ibzik, 13 miles north-east of Shechem.
•BEZER ore of gold or silver. (1.) A city of the Reubenites; one of the three cities of refuge on the east of Jordan (Deuteronomy 4: 43; Joshua 20:8). It has been identified with the modern ruined village of Burazin, some 12 miles north of Heshbon; also with Kasur-el-Besheir, 2 miles south-west of Dibon.
(2.) A descendant of Asher (1 Chronicles 7:37).
•BIBLE Bible, the English form of the Greek name Biblia, meaning "books," the name which in the fifth century began to be given to the entire collection of sacred books, the "Library of Divine Revelation." The name Bible was adopted by Wickliffe, and came gradually into use in our English language. The Bible consists of sixty-six different books, composed by many different writers, in three different languages, under different circumstances; writers of almost every social rank, statesmen and peasants, kings, herdsmen, fishermen, priests, tax-gatherers, tentmakers; educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles; most of them unknown to each other, and writing at various periods during the space of about 1600 years: and yet, after all, it is only one book dealing with only one subject in its numberless aspects and relations, the subject of man's redemption.
It is divided into the Old Testament, containing thirty-nine books, and the New Testament, containing twenty-seven books. The names given to the Old in the writings of the New are "the scriptures" (Matthew 21:42), "scripture" (2 Peter 1:20), "the holy scriptures" (Romans 1:2), "the law" (John 12:34), "the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms" (Luke 24:44), "the law and the prophets" (Matthew 5:17), "the old covenant" (2 Corinthians 3:14, R.V.). There is a break of 400 years between the Old Testament and the New. (See APOCRYPHA.)
The Old Testament is divided into three parts:, 1. The Law (Torah), consisting of the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. 2. The Prophets, consisting of (1) the former, namely, Joshua, Judges, the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings; (2) the latter, namely, the greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. 3. The Hagiographa, or holy writings, including the rest of the books. These were ranked in three divisions:, (1) The Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, distinguished by the
Hebrew name, a word formed of the initial letters of these books, emeth, meaning truth. (2) Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, called the five rolls, as being written for the synagogue use on five separate rolls. (3) Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Between the Old and the New Testament no addition was made to the revelation God had already given. The period of New Testament revelation, extending over a century, began with the appearance of John the Baptist.
The New Testament consists of (1) the historical books, viz., the Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles; (2) the Epistles; and (3) the book of prophecy, the Revelation.
The division of the Bible into chapters and verses is altogether of human invention, designed to facilitate reference to it. The ancient Jews divided the Old Testament into certain sections for use in the synagogue service, and then at a later period, in the ninth century A.D., into verses. Our modern system of chapters for all the books of the Bible was introduced by Cardinal Hugo about the middle of the thirteenth century (he died 1263). The system of verses for the New Testament was introduced by Stephens in 1551, and generally adopted, although neither Tyndale's nor Coverdale's English translation of the Bible has verses. The division is not always wisely made, yet it is very useful. (See VERSION.)
•BIER the frame on which dead bodies were conveyed to the grave (Luke 7:14).
•BIGTHA garden, or gift of fortune, one of the seven eunuchs or chamberlains who had charge of the harem of Ahasuerus (Esther 1:10).