ness, and commended Barzillai's children to the and brazen gates (Josh. 13:30; 1 Kings 4:13). In care of Solomon (1 Kings 2:7). BASE (Heb. 12, kane, 1 Kings 7:31; mek-o-naw', pedestal, 1 Kings 7:27-40), a pedes tal or stand upon which the laver was placed. BAʼSHAN (Heb. 7, baw-shawn', light soil, fruitful). This country extended from Gilead in the S. to Hermon on the N., and from the Jordan to Salcah, the present Salkhat, on the E., and included Edrei (Deut. 3:10; Josh. 9:10), Ashtaroth (Deut. 1:4; Josh. 9:10, etc.), the present Tell-Ashtur, and Golan (Deut. 4:43; Josh. 20:8; 21:27). Golan, one of its cities, was a city of refuge. Its productiveness was remarked in the Old Testament (Psa. 22:12; Jer. 50:19). The western part is exceedingly fertile to-day. On the E. rise the Hauran Mountains to a height of six thousand feet. It was noted for its fine breed of cattle (Deut. 32:14; Ezek. 39:18). The cities are described by Moses as "fenced cities with high walls, gates, and bars." The gates were made of stone. Burckhardt speaks of Kuffer, where the gates of the town, nine feet high, “are of a single piece of stone." Some of the deserted towns are as perfect as when inhabited. When Israel entered Canaan, Argob, a province of Bashan, contained "sixty fenced cities" (Deut. 3:4, 5; 1 Kings 4:13). After the exile Bashan was divided into four districts: Gaulonitis, or Jaulan, the western; Auranitis, or Hauran (Ezek. 47:16); Argob, or Trachonitis; and Batanæa, now Ard-el-Bathanyeh. "In the Tel el-Amarna tablets the land of Bashan is called Ziri-Basana, 'the field of Bashan,' and the same name is found in an Egyptian text discovered at Abydos, which tells us that the prime minister of the first year of Meneptah's reign was a native of Zar-Basana'" (Sayce, Higher Crit. and Mon., p. 251). BA'SHAN, HILL OF. In Psa. 68:15 the poet says, "The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan (R. V. "A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; an high mountain is the mountain of Bashan"). "This epithet, not applicable to the long, level edge of the tableland, might refer either to the lofty triple summits of Hermon, or to the many broken cones that are scattered across Bashan, and so greatly differ in their volcanic form from the softer, less imposing heights of western Palestine" (Smith, Hist. Geog., p. 550). BA'SHAN-HA'VOTH-JA'IR (Heb. ♫, baw-shawn' khav-vothe' yaw-eer', the Bashan of the villages of Jair), the name given by Jair to the places he had conquered in Bashan (Deut. 3:14). It contained sixty cities with walls Num. 32:41 called Havoth-jair. BASH ́EMATH (Heb., bos-math”, fragrance, elsewhere, 1 Kings 4:15, more correctly, "Basmath"), a daughter of Ishmael, the last married of the three wives of Esau (Gen. 36:3, 4, 13), from whose son, Reuel, four tribes of the Edomites were descended. When first mentioned she is called Mahalath (Gen. 28:9), while, on the other hand, the name Bashemath is in the narrative (Gen. 26:34) given to another of Esau's wives, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. It may be that the name (Bashemath) has been assigned to the wrong person in one or other of the passages. Or it may have been the original name of one, and the name given to the other upon her marriage, for, "as a rule, the women received new names when they were married." BASIN, the rendering in the A. V. of several words in the original. In old editions it is spelled "Bason." 1. Ag-gawn' (Heb.), literally, pounded out; a vessel for washing, a laver (Exod. 24:6). 2. Kef-ore' (Heb. 1), a covered dish or tankard, such as the gold and silver vessels of the sanctuary (1 Chron. 28:17; Ezra 1:10; 8:27). 3. Miz-rawk' (Heb. P), a bowl from which anything was sprinkled. The sacrificial bowls in the Tabernacle were of "brass" (bronze or copper, Exod. 27:3), and those in the Temple of gold (2 Chron. 4:8). 4. Saf (Heb. ), utensils for holding the blood the sacred candlestick (1 Kings 7:50); basins for of victims (Exod. 12:22; Jer. 52:19); the oil for domestic purposes (2 Sam. 17:28); also a drinking cup (Zech. 12:2). the Lord washed the disciples' feet (John 13:5). 5. Nip-tare (Gr. vñτýp), the basin from which See BOWL, CUP. BASKET, the rendering of several Hebrew and Greek words: 1. Sal (Heb.), so called from the twigs of which it was originally made, specially used for holding bread (Gen. 40:16, sq.; Exod. 29:3, 23; Lev. 8:2, 26, 31; Num. 6:15, 17, 19). The form of the Egyptian bread basket is delineated in Wilkinson's Anc. Egypt., iii, 226, after the specimens represented in the tomb of Rameses III. We must assume that the term sal passed from its strict etymological meaning to any vessel applied to the purpose. In Judg. 6:19 meat is served up in a sal, which could hardly have been of wickerwork. The expression "white baskets" is of doubtful meaning, supposed to refer to the material of which they were made, to the white color of the peeled sticks, or to their being full of holes. 2. Sal-sil-loth' (Heb.), a word of kindred origin, applied to the basket used in gathering grapes (Jer. 6:9). BASMATH 3. Teh'-neh (Heb. BATH-SHUA BAT. See ANIMAL KINGDOM. BATH. See METROLOGY, p. 711. ), in which the first fruits to orders without a dispensation from the sov of the harvest were presented (Deut. 26:2, 4). | ereign or archbishop. From its being coupled with the kneading bowl (A. V. "store," Deut. 28:5, 17) we may infer that it was also used for household purposes, perhaps to bring the corn to the mill. 4. Kel-oob' (Heb. b), similarity to a bird cage or trap, probably in regard to its having a lid; it was used for carrying fruit (Amos 8:1, 2). so called from its 5. Dood (Heb. 777, a pot), used for carrying fruit (Jer. 24:1, 2), as well as on a large scale for carrying clay to the brickyard (Psa. 81:6; pots, A. V.), or for holding bulky articles (2 Kings 10: 7). In Egypt heavy burdens, as grain, were carried in large baskets, swung from a pole upon the shoulders. In 1 Sam. 2:14; 2 Chron. 35:13; Job 41:20, the same word appears to mean pots for boiling. 6. In the New Testament baskets are described under the three following terms: Kópivoç (kof'-eenos), σTupic (spoo-rece', hamper), capуávn (sar-gan'ay). The last occurs only in 2 Cor. 11:33, in describing St. Paul's escape from Damascus. With regard to the two former words, it may be remarked that the first is exclusively used in the description of the miracle of feeding the five thousand (Matt. 14:20; 16:9; Mark 6:43; Luke 9:17; John 6:13), and the second, in that of the four thousand (Matt. 15:37; Mark 8:8); the distinction is most definitely brought out in Mark 8: 19, 20 (Smith, Bib. Dict., s. v.). BASʼMATH (Heb., bas-math', fragrance), a daughter of Solomon, who became the wife of Ahimaaz, one of the king's purveyors (1 Kings 4:15), B. C. about 1000. BASTARD (Heb. 2, mam-zare', polluted). The word occurs in Deut. 23:2 and Zech. 9:6. Its etymology is obscure, but it appears to denote anyone to whose birth a serious stain attaches. The BATHE, BATHING (Heb. 77, raw-khats). The hot climate of the East, with its abundant dust, made bathing a constant necessity for the preservation and invigoration of the health. This natural necessity was greatly furthered among the Israelites by the religious purifications enjoined by the law. For, although these precepts had a higher object, the teaching of personal purity, they could not fail to intensify the instinct of cleanliness, and to make frequent washing and bathing an indispensable arrangement of the life. The Israelites, from early times, were accustomed not only to wash the hands and feet before eating, but also to bathe the body when about to visit a superior (Ruth 3:3), after mourning, which always implied defilement (2 Sam. 12:20), but especially before any religious service (Gen. 35:2; Exod. 19:10; Josh. 3:5; 1 Sam. 16:5), that they might appear clean before God. The high priest at his inauguration (Lev. 13:6), and on the day of atonement before each act of propitiation (Lev. 16:4, 24), was also to bathe. To cleanse the body snow water was used, or lye put into the water (Job 9:30), also bran, according to Mishna. Bathing in running water was specially favored (Lev. 15:13), or in rivers (2 Kings 5:10; Exod. 2:5). Baths were placed in the courts of private houses (2 Sam. 11:2; Susanna 15). In the later temple there were bath rooms over the chambers for the Siloam and Hezekiah (Neh. 3:15, 16; 2 Kings 20: use of the priests. The "pools," as those of 20; Isa. 22:11; John 9:7), were public baths, no doubt introduced in imitation of a Roman and Greek custom (Keil, Bib. Arch., ii, 144). BATH'-SHEBA (Heb. 2, bath-sheh'Rabbins applied the term not to any illegitimate bah, daughter of the oath), daughter of Eliam offspring, but to the issue of any connection with- (2 Sam. 11:3), or Ammiel (1 Chron. 3:5), the in the degrees prohibited by the law (see MAR-granddaughter of Ahithophel (2 Sam. 23:34), and RIAGE). A very probable conjecture is that which applies the term to the offspring of heathen prostitutes in the neighborhood of Palestine, and who were a sort of priestesses to the Syrian goddess Astarte. In Zech. 9:6 the word is, doubtless, used in the sense of foreigner, expressing the deep degradation of Philistia in being conquered by other people. 1. Persons of illegitimate birth among the Jews had no claim to a share in the paternal inheritance, or to the proper filial treatment of children of the family. This is what is referred to in Heb. 12:8, where a contrast is drawn between the treatment which God's true children might expect, as compared with that given to such as are not so related to him. wife of Uriah. She had illicit intercourse with David while her husband was absent at the siege of Rabbah, B. C. about 980. Uriah being slain by a contrivance of David, after a period of mourning for her husband Bath-sheba was legally married to the king (2 Sam. 11:3-27). The child which was the fruit of her adulterous intercourse with David died, but she became the mother of four sons-Solomon, Shimea (Shammuah), Shobab, and Nathan (2 Sam. 5:14; 1 Chron. 3:5). When Adonijah attempted to set aside in his own favor the succession promised to Solomon, Bath-sheba was employed by Nathan to inform the king of the conspiracy, and received from him an answer favorable to Solomon (1 Kings 1:11-31). After the accession of Solomon she, as queen-mother, requested permission of her son for Adonijah to take in marriage Abishag the Shunammite (1 Kings 2:21). The request was refused, and became the occasion of the execution of Adonijah (2:24, 25). 2. Persons of illegitimate birth are forbidden, by the canon law, from receiving any of the minor orders without a dispensation from the bishop; nor can they, in the Latin Church, be admitted to holy orders, or to benefices with cure of souls, except by a dispensation from the pope. In the Church of England a bastard cannot be admitted | 3:5). BATH'-SHUA, a variation of the name BATHSHEBA (q. v.), the mother of Solomon (1 Chron BATTERING-RAM BATTERING-RAM. See ARMOR. BATTLE. See WARFARE. BATTLE-AX. See ARMOR. BATTLE-BOW. See ARMOR. BATTLEMENT (Heb. 2, mah-ak-eh', ledge), a breast work, of wall or lattice, surrounding the flat roofs of Eastern houses, required as a protection against accidents (Deut. 22:8). "Battlements" is the rendering (Jer. 5:10) for —, net-ee-shaw', tendril, the parapet of a city wall. BAV'AI (Heb. 1, bav-vah'ee), a son of Henadad, and ruler of the half part of Keilah. He repaired a portion of the wall of Jerusalem on the return from Babylon (Neh. 3:18), B. C. 445. BAY (Heb., law-shone', tongue), the cove of the Dead Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan (Josh. 15:5; 18:19), and also of the southern extremity of the same sea (15:2). The same term is used (in the original) with reference to the forked mouths of the Nile ("the tongue of the Egyptian Sea," Isa. 11:15). BAY, the color, according to the English version, of one of the spans of horses in the vision of Zechariah (6:3, 7). It is the rendering of , aw-mohts', strong. Keil and Delitzsch translate "speckled, powerful horses" (Com., in loc.). BAY TREE. See VEGETABLE KINGDOM. BAZʼLITH (Heb., bats-leeth', nakedness), the head of one of the families of Nethinim that returned to Jerusalem from the exile (Neh. 7:54). He is called Bazluth in Ezra 2:52. BAZʼLUTH (Heb., bats-looth'), another form of BAZLITH. BDELLIUM. See MINERAL KINGDOM. BEACON (Heb. 1, to'-ren), a tree stripped of its branches and used like a flagstaff (Isa. 30: 17, marg., "tree bereft of branches"). In Isa. 33:23 and Ezek. 27:5 it is rendered "mast." BEALI'AH (Heb., beh-al-yau', whose Lord is Jehovah), one of the Benjamite heroes who went over to David at Ziklag (1 Chron. 12:5), B. C. before 1000. BE'ALOTH (Heb., beh-aw-loth, probably citizens). 1. A town in the southern part of Judah, i. e., in Simeon (Josh. 15:24), probably the same as Baalath-beer (19:8). 2. A district in Asher of which Baanah was commissary (1 Kings 4:16, “in Aloth;" R. V. "Baloth"). BEAM is the rendering in the A. V. of the following words: 1. Eh'-reg (Heb. 7, a web, Judg. 16:14), in the A. V. rendered beam. Keil and Delitzsch (Com., in loc.) understand this to mean the comb or press which was used to press the weft together and so increase the substance of the cloth. The meaning would then be, when Samson was awakened he tore out the weaver's comb and the warp from the loom with his plaits of hair that had been woven in. 6:9). 4. Obe (Heb. threshold step (1 “planks "). , cutting), a board (1 King 7), a term of architecture, Kings 7:6; Ezek. 41:25, A. V 5. Tsay'-law (Heb., a rib), joists of a building (1 Kings 7:3; "board" in 6:15, 16: "plank" in 6:15). 6. Keh-rooth-oth' (Heb. in, hewed), beams (1 Kings 6:36; 7:2, 12). 7. Ko-raw' (Heb.), a crosspiece or rafter (2 Kings 6:2, 5; 2 Chron. 3:7; Cant. 1:17). 8. Kaw-raw' (Heb.), to fit beams, hence to frame (Neh. 3:3, 6; Psa. 104:3). 9. Kaw-fece' (Heb. ), a crossbeam, girder (Hab. 2:11). In 10. Dok-os' (Gr. dokóç), stick of wood for build- BEAN. See VEGETABLE KINGDOM. See ANIMAL KINGDOM; GLOSSARY. is of frequent occurrence in Scripture, and genBEAST, in a figurative or symbolical sense, cious and brutal natures properly belonging to the erally refers to the sensual and groveling or ferobrute creation. The psalmist speaks of himself as being "like a beast before God," while giving way to merely sensuous considerations (Psa. 73:22). The word is sometimes used figuratively of brutal Hence the phrase, "I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus" (1 Cor. 15:32, comp. Acts 19:29), is a figurative description of a fight with strong and exasperated enemies. For a similar use of the word see Eccles. 3:18; 2 Pet. 2:12; Jude 10. men. A wild beast is the symbol of selfish, tyrannical monarchies. The four beasts in Dan. 7:3, 17, 23, represent four kingdoms (Ezek. 34:28; Jer. 12:9). In the Apocalypse the Beast obviously means a worldly power, whose rising out of the sea indicates that it owes its origin to the commotions of the people (Rev. 13:1; 15:2; 17:8). The four beasts (Gr. Ça, dzoʻ-ah, living crea tures, not Onpíov, thay-ree'-on, beast in the strict sense) should be rendered the four living ones (Rev. 4:6). BEATING, or BASTINADO, a punishment in universal use throughout the East. It appears to be designated by the Hebrew phrase “rod of correction" (7, shay-bet moo-saur', Prov. 22:15). Beating with rods ("scourging," Lev. 19:20; "chastising," Deut. 22:18) was established by law, and was very common among the Jews (Prov. 10:13; 26:3). The person to be punished was extended upon the ground, and blows, not exceeding forty, were applied to his back in the ΒΕΒΑΙ presence of a judge (Deut. 25:2, 3). Among the Egyptians, ancient and modern, minor offenses were generally punished with the stick, and persons who refused to pay taxes were frequently brought to terms by a vigorous use of the stick. Superintendents were wont to stimulate laborers by the persuasive powers of the rod. The bastinado was inflicted on both sexes. See PUNISH MENTS. BEB'AI (Heb. ", bay-bah'ee, father). 1. The head of one of the families that returned with Zerubbabel from Babylon (B. C. about 536) to the number of six hundred and twenty-three (Ezra 2:11) or six hundred and twenty-eight (Neh. 7:16). At a later period twenty-eight more, under Zechariah, returned with Ezra (Ezra 8:11), B. C. BED BED, the rendering of several Hebrew and Greek words: 1. Mit-taw' (Heb.), a bed as extended; used either for rest at night (Gen. 47:31; Exod. 8:3; 1 Sam. 19:13, etc.) or for ease and quiet, a couch, divan (1 Sam. 28:23; Esth. 7:8; Amos 3:12); a litter (Cant. 3:7). 2. Mish-kawb' (Heb.), generally the marriage bed (Gen. 49:4; Lev. 15:4); also a coffin or bier (2 Chron. 16:14; Isa. 57:2). 3. Yaw-tsoo'-ah (Heb. 1), spread as a bed (1 Chron. 5:1; Job 17:13; Psa. 63:6). 4. Eh-res (Heb. , with a canopy). This bed was of a more imposing style than ordinary (Job 7:13; Psa. 41:3; "bedstead," Deut. 3:11). Egyptian Bedsteads. about 457. Several of his sons were among those who had taken foreign wives (Ezra 10:28). 2. The name of one who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh. 10:15), B. C. 445. BECAUSE. See GLOSSARY. BE'CHER (Heb. 3, beh'-ker, firstborn, or a young camel). 1. The second son of Benjamin, according to the list of both in Gen. 46:21 and 1 Chron. 7:6, but omitted in 1 Chron. 8:1. Some suppose that the word "firstborn" in the latter passage is a corruption of Becher; others, that Becher in the two passages above is a corruption of the word sig. nifying firstborn." Yet 1 Chron. 7:8 gives Becher as a person, and names his sons. He was one of the sons of Benjamin that came down to Egypt with Jacob, being one of the fourteen descendants of Rachel who settled there. At the numbering of the Israelites in the plain of Moab (Num. 26) there is no family named after him. But there is a Becher and a family of Bachrites among the sons of Ephraim. This has given rise to the supposition that the slaughter of the sons of Ephraim by the men of Gath had sadly thinned the house of Ephraim of its males, and that Becher, or his heir, married an Ephraimitish heiress, a daughter of Shuthelah (1 Chron. 7:20, 21), and so his house was reckoned in the house of Ephraim. 2. Son of Ephraim; called Bered (1 Chron. 7:20); his posterity were called Bachrites (Num. 26:35). He is probably the same as the preceding. BECHO'RATH (Heb., bek-o-rath', firstborn), the son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the ancestors of King Saul (1 Sam. 9:1), B. C. long before 1030. (10) 5. Ar-oo-gaw' (Heb., piled up), probably referring to the custom of piling up cushions for the sake of comfort (Cant. 5:13; 6:2, A. V., "bed of spices"). 6. Klee'-nay (Gr. Khívn, Matt. 9:2, 6; Mark 4:21), a mere couch consisting of a litter and coverlet; krab'-bat-os (kpáßßarоç), a pallet or mattress (Mark 2:4; John 5:8, sq.; Acts 9:33); koy'-tay (Koirn), the marriage bed (Luke 11:7; Heb. 13:4). We distinguish in the Jewish bed five principal parts: (a) The mattress, a mere mat, or one or more Taking up the Bed (Mark 2:11, 12). quilts. (b) The covering, a finer quilt than used for a. In summer a thin blanket, or the outer garment Worn by day (1 Sam. 19:13), sufficed. Hence the after sunset, that the poor might not be without his law provided that it should not be kept in pledge covering (Deut. 24:13). (c) The pillow mentioned (1 Sam. 19:13) seems to have been material woven of goat's hair, with which persons in the East covered the head and face while sleeping. The 129 BEDAD Heb., keh'-seth, should be rendered “ covering.' It may be that pillows were made of cloth rolled up to suit individual taste, or, as at the present day, made of a sheep's fleece or goat's skin stuffed with cotton. (d) The bedstead. The bedstead was not always necessary, the divan, or platform along the side or end of an oriental room, sufficing as a support for the bedding. Yet some slight and portable frame seems implied among the senses of the word, which is used for a "bier" (2 Sam. 3:31), and for the ordinary bed (2 Kings 4:10), for the litter on which a sick person might be carried (1 Sam. 19:15), for Jacob's bed of sickness (Gen. 47:31), and for the couch on which guests reclined at a banquet (Esth. 1:6). (e) Ornamental portions. These consisted of pillows and a canopy, ivory carvings, gold and silver, and probably mosaic work, purple, and fine linen (Esth. 1:6; Cant. 3:9, 10; Amos 6:4). The ordinary furniture of a bedchamber in private life is given in 2 Kings 4:10. BE'DAD (Heb. 2, bed-ad', separation, or TIN, son of Adad), the father of Hadad, a king in Edom (Gen. 36:35; 1 Chron. 1:46). BE’DAN (Heb. 177, bed-awn'). 1. The name of a judge of Israel, not found in Judges, but only in I Sam. 12:11. It is difficult to identify him with any of the judges mentioned elsewhere, but it is probable that Bedan is a contracted form for the name of the judge ABDON (q.v.). 2. The son of Ulam, the great-grandson of Manasseh (1 Chron. 7:17), B. C. after 1600. BEDCHAMBER (Heb., khadar' ham-mee-toth', room of beds, 2 Kings 11:2; 2 Chron. 22:11; khad-arʼ mishkaub', sleeping room, Exod. 8:3; 2 Sam. 4:7; 2 Kings 6:12). The "bedchamber" in the temple where Joash was hidden was probably a store chamber for keeping beds (2 Kings 11:2; 2 Chron. 22:11). The position of the bedchamber in the most remote and secret parts of the palace seems marked in the passages, Exod. 8:3; 2 Kings 6:12. BEDE'IAH (Heb. 77, bay-de-yaw', servant of Jehovah), one of the family of Bani, who divorced his Gentile wife on the return from Babylon (Ezra 10:35), B. C. 456. BEER-SHEBA bah'-al ze-bool', the lord of the dwelling, in which evil spirits dwell. The fact that Jesus designates himself as "master of the house" would seem to indicate that Beelzeboul had a similar meaning. See GODS, FALSE. BE'ER (Heb. 7, bě-ayr', an artificial well, distinguished from En, a natural spring). It is usually combined with other words as a prefix, but two places are known by this name simply: 1. A place in the desert on the confines of Moab, where the Hebrew princes dug a well with their staves and received a miraculous supply of water (Num. 21:16-18). It is probably the same as Beerelim (Isa. 15:8). 2. A town in Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Judg. 9:21), probably about eight Roman miles N. of Eleutheropolis, the present el Birch, near the mouth of the Wady es Surâr. BEE'RA (Heb. N, be-ay-raw', a well), the last given of the sons of Zophah, a descendant of Asher (1 Chron. 7:37), B. C. after 1600. BEE'RAH (Heb. 7, bě-ay-raw', a well), the son of Baal, a prince of the tribe of Reuben, and carried into captivity by the Assyrian Tiglathpileser (1 Chron. 5:6). BE'ER-E'LIM (Heb. 8, be-aye̱ ayleem', well of heroes), a spot named in Isa. 15:8 as on the "border of Moab," probably the S., Eglaim being on the N. end of the Dead Sea. It seems to be the same as Beer (Num. 21:16). BEE'RI (Heb. 27, bě-ay-ree', of a fountain, illustrious). 1. A Hittite, and father of Judith, a wife of Esau (Gen. 26:34), B. C. about 1796. 2. The father of the prophet Hosea (Hos. 1:1), B. C. before 748. BEʼER-LAHAI'-ROI (Heb.b ¬ng, be-ayr' lakh-ah'ee ro-ee', the well of him that liveth and seeth me, or the well of the vision of life), the fountain between Kadesh and Bered, near which the Lord found Hagar (Gen. 16:7, 14). In Gen. 24:62; 25:11, the A. V. has "the well of Lahai-roi." BEE ́ROTH (Heb. ♫i, bě-ay-roth', wells). 1. One of the four cities of the Hivites who made a league with Joshua (Josh. 9:17). Beeroth was allotted to Benjamin (Josh. 18:25), in whose possession it continued at the time of David, the murderers of Ish-bosheth belonging to it (2 Sam. 4:2). Beeroth, with Chephirah and Kirjath-jearim, is in the list of those who returned from Babylon (Ezra 2:25; Neh. 7:29). 2. Beeroth of the children of Jaakan is named (Num. 33:31, 32; Deut. 10:6) as a place through which the Israelites twice passed in the desert, being their twenty-seventh and thirty-third station on their way from Egypt to Canaan, probably in the valley of the Arabah. BEELʼZEBUB(Gr. BɛɛλLɛßovλ, beh-el-zeb-ool′), a heathen deity, believed to be the prince of evil spirits (Matt. 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, sq.). By some Beelzebul is thought to mean 27, the dung-god, an expression intended to designate with loathing the prince of all moral impurity. It is supposed, at the same time, that the name Beelzebub, the Philistine god of flies, was BEʼER-SHE'BA (Heb. 2, bě-ayr changed to Beelzebul ("god of dung"), and em- sheh'-bah, well of the oath, or of seven), a city in ployed in a jocular way as a name of the devil. the southern part of Palestine, about midway beOthers prefer to derive the word from between the Mediterranean Sea and the southern end BEE ROTHITE, an inhabitant of BEEROTH (q. v.) of Benjamin (2 Sam. 4:2; 23:37). |