BENJAMIN GATE

BETHABARA

Gibeah, all primitive seats of Canaanitish worship and important centres in the cultus of Israel (cf ., e.g., Bethel, Am 7""-). Jericho, where in early times there may have been a cult of the moon-god (jarSac/i = ' moon'), and Jerusalem are also assigned to Benjamin. Dt 33'2, as commonly but not universally interpreted, also assigns Jerusalem to Benjamin, though later it belonged to Judah. Anathoth, the birth-place of Jeremiah, also lay in Benjamin (Jos 21" [P]). In the Blessing of Jacob (Gn 49^') a fierce and warlike character is ascribed to Benjamin. The statement is all the more important, since in this ' Blessing ' we have certainly to deal with vaticinia post eventum. The rugged and unfriendly nature of the tribal territory doubtless contributed to martial hardihood. The tribe participated in the war against Sisera (Jg 5"). A late and composite story is found in Jg 19-21 of an almost complete annihilation of the tribe by the rest of the Israelites. Later the tribe gave to united Israel its first king, Saul of Gibeah. It had in Asa's army, according to 2 Ch 148, 280,000 picked warriors — an exaggeration of course, but a very significant one in this connexion. Benjamin, under Sheba, a kinsman of Saul, led in the revolt against David when the quarrel provoked by David's partisan-ship broke out between Judah and the northern tribes (2 S 20'"). From the first the tribe was loyal to the house of Saul and violently opposed to David (cf . 2 S 16* 202). In the revolt against the oppressions of Rehoboam it joined with the North (1 K 122°). a variant account joins it with Judah (122"), but this is only a refiexion of later times. The history of the tribe is unimportant after David. Besides Saul and Jeremiah, St. Paul also traced descent to this tribe (Ph 3'). See also Tribes. 2. A great-grandson of Benjamin (1 Ch 7'°). 3. One of those who had married a foreign wife (Ezr lO'*; prob. also Neh 3^ 12«). James A. Craiq.

BENJAMIN CrATE.— See Temple.

BENO ('his son').— In both AV and RV a proper name in 1 Ch 24^- 27, but we should perhaps render, ' of Jaaziah his son, even the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son' (.Oxf. Heb. Lex. s.v.).

BENONI. — See Benjamin.

BEN-ZOHETH.— A man of Judah (1 Ch 42»).

BEON (Nu 323).— Prob. =Baal-ineon (^h. see).

BEOB.— 1. Father of Balaam, Nu 22= 24»- « J, Jos 24», also Nu 31», Dt 23S Jos 13k, Mic 6«, 2 P 2" (BOSOT, AV and RVm). 2. Father of Bela, king of Edom, Gn 36^ J, I Ch 1".

BEBA. — King of Sodom at time of Chedorlaomer's invasion (Gn 142).

BERACAH ('blessing').- 1. One of Saul's brethren who joined David at Ziklag (1 Ch 12'). 2. 'The vaUey of blessing,' where Jehoshaphat gave thanks for victory over the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, who had marched from Engedi to 'Tekoa (vv.'- 20). The name survives at the ruin BeretkUt on the main road from Jerusalem to Hebron, west of Tekoa.

BERAIAH.— A man of Benjamin (1 Ch 821).

BEBEA (1 Mac 9<).— See Behcea, 3.

BERECHIAH.— 1. Father of Asaph (1 Ch 6»9, AV Berachiah). 2. Son of Zerubbabel (1 Ch 32"). 3. Father of MeshuUam, one of Nehemiah's chiefs (Neh 3'' ™ 618). 4. A Levite guard of the ark (1 Ch 9'» I523). 6. Father of the prophet Zechariah (Zee 1'). 6. An Ephraimite chief (2 Ch 28i2).

BERED. — 1. An unknown place, mentioned but once

(Gn 16") as an indication fixing the site of Beer-lahai-

roi. The identification with Halasah, which has been

suggested, is mere guess-work. 2. See Becher, No. 1 ,

R. A. S. Macalister.

BEBI. — A division of an Asherite clan (1 Ch 7").

BEBIAH.— 1. Son of Asher (Gn 46", Nu 26",

1 Ch 7"»'). 2. Son of Ephraim, begotten in the days of mourning occasioned by the death of Ephraim's four sons, who were killed by the men of Gath whilst cattle-raiding; hence the false etymology, bera' ah = 'in affliction' (1 Ch T^). 3. A Benjamite at Aijalon, who, with Shema, put the Gathites to flight (cf. No. 2). 4. Son of the Levite Shimei (1 Ch 23ii"). He and his brother Jeush had not many sons, and therefore were counted as a single family. J. Taylor.

BERIITES.— Descendants of Beriah, No. 1 (Nu 26").

BERITES.— 2 S 20". The reading Bichrites is sug-gested, though not actually given, by LXX and Vulg. See art. Sheba.

BERNICE or BERENICE.- Sister of Agrippa 11. (Ac 25" 23 2680), married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis.

BERODACH-BALADAN.— See Merodach-baladan.

BEB(EA, — 1. A town in the district of Macedonia called Emathia. The earliest certain reference to it occurs in an inscription of the end of the 4th cent. B.C. After the battle of Pydna (b.o. 168) it was the first city which surrendered to the Romans. In winter b.c. 49-48 it was the headquarters of Pompey's infantry. In St. Paul's time there was a Jewish community there to which he preached the gospel with success (Ac 17"'' '' [Sopater, a native] 20*). It was a populous city, and is in modern times called Verria by Greeks, Karaferia by Turks, and Ber by Slavs.

2. The place where Antiochus Eupator caused Menelaus, the ex-high priest, to be put to death (2 Mac 13'). It is now the well-known HcUeb or Aleppo, with about 100,000 inhabitants.

3. Mentioned 1 Mac 9', perhaps the same as Beeroth (Jos 9") or Beroth (1 Es 5"); modern Bireh, about 10 miles N. of Jerusalem. A. Souteh.

BEROTH.— 1 Es 6" = Beeroth of Ezr 22s.

BEROTHAH, BEROTHAI.— A city of Syria, de-spoiled by David (2 S 8*), and named by Ezekiel as a Umiting point in his ideal restoration of the kingdom (Ezk 47'5). Ezekiel places it between Hamath and Damascus; the site is otherwise unknown. In 1 Ch 18', which is parallel to 2 S 88, for Berothai is substituted Cun. [Berothite in 1 Ch ll's is obviously meant for Beerothite. See Beeroth], R. A. S. Macalister.

BERYL. — See Jewels and Precious Stones.

BERZELUS.— See Zorzelleus.

BESAI. — Nethinim who returned with Zerub. (Ezr 2" Neh 782; = Basthai, 1 Es &"■).

BESODEIAH (Neh 38).— MeshuUam, the son of Besodeiah, took part in repairing the Old Gate.

BESOM (lit. 'sweeper') occurs only fig. Is 1423, 'I will sweep it [Babylon] with the sweeper of destruction.' One such besom of twigs the writer remembers having seen in the museum of Egyptian antiquities in Cairo. A. R. S. Kennedy.

BESOR (Brook). — A torrent-valley, apparently S. or S.W. of Ziklag (1 S 308- "■ 21). it is probably the modern Wady Ghuzzeh, which empties itself into the sea S.W. of Gaza,

BESTIALITY. — See Crimes and Punishments, § 3.

BETAH (2 S 88).— See Tibhath.

BETANE (Jth 1»).— A place apparently south of Jerusalem, and not Bethany. It may be the same as Beth-anoth.

BETEN (Jos 1928).- A town of Asher, noticed next to Achshaph. The site is doubtful. In the fourth century it was shown 8 Roman miles east of Ptolemais (Acco). It may be the present village el-B'aneh.

BETH.— The second letter of the Heb. alphabet, and as such used in Ps 119 as the heading of the second part, each verse of which begins with this letter.

BETHABARA.— Mentioned once only, Jn 128, as the scene of John's baptism; the principal codices, followed

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