BETH-ANATH

by the RV, here read Bethany. There ia no clue to the position of Bethabara, except that it was probably in or near Galilee (of. Mt 3'^). Identification with a ford named 'Ab&rah, about 12 miles south of the outlet of the Sea of Galilee, has with some plausibility been suggested. R. A. S. Macalistek.

BETH-ANATH. — A town of NaphtaU, now the village ' Ainatha, in the mountains of Upper Galilee.

BETH-ASOTH (Jos 15").— A town in the mountains of Judah near Gedor. It is the present Beit 'Ainnn, S.E. of Halhul.

BETHANY. — A village about 15 stadia (2910 yards or about Ij mile) from Jerusalem (Jn ll'«) on the road from Jericho, close to Bethphage and on the Mount of Olives (Mk 11', Lk 19"). It was the lodging-place of Christ when in Jerusalem (Mk 11"). Here lived Lazarus and Martha and Mary (Jn 11'), and here He raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11). Here also He was entertained by Simon the leper, at the feast where the woman made her offering of ointment (Mt 26», Mk 14'). From 'over against' Bethany took place the Ascension (Lk 24'"). In this case the topographical indications agree exceptionally with the constant tradi-tion which fixes Bethany at the village of el-' Azariyeh, ■ on the S.E. of the Mount of Olives beside the Jericho road. The tomb of Lazarus and the house of Martha and Mary are definitely pointed out in the village, but of course without any historical authority. For a possible Bethany in Galilee, see Bethabaha.

R. A. S. Macalistee.

BETH-ARABAH ('place of the Arabah' [wh. see], Jos 15«- " 1822). — A place in the Jericho plain, appar-ently north of Beth-hoglah, in the 'wilderness.' The name has not been recovered.

BETH-ARBEL (Hos 10" only).— The site is quite uncertain. It is said to have been spoiled by Shalman (perhaps Shalmaneser iii.), and may have been in Syria. ■Two 'Places cafled Arbela exist in Palestine, one (now Irbid) west of the Sea of Galilee (Jos. Ant. xii. xi. 1), the other (.Irbid) in the extreme north of Gilead, both noticed in the 4th cent. a.d. (Onom. s.v. 'Arbela').

BETHASMOTH (lEsS's).- ForBethazmaveth. See

AZMAVETH.

BETH-AVEN ('house of iniquity,' or 'idolatry'?).— Close to Ai (Jos 7"), by the wilderness (18''), north-west of Michmash (1 S 13*), and on the way to Aijalon (14»), still inhabited in the 8th cent. B.C. (Hos 5»). The 'calves of Bethaven' were probably those at Bethel close by (Hos 10'). Bethel is probably meant also in Hos 4>5 58 (see Am 5') 10' (Aven).

BETH-AZMAVETH (Neh T^s).- See Azmaveth.

BETH-BAAL-MEON (Jos 13").— See Baal-Meon.

BETH-BARAH (Jg T^").- Near Jordan and the valley of Jezreel. Some suppose it to be the same as Bethabara, in which case the guttural has been lost in copying.

BETHBASI (1 Mac 9«- ").— Josephus reads Beth-hoglah. The name has not been recovered.

BETH-BIRI (1 Ch 43i).— A town of Simeon, perhaps textual error for Beth-lebaoth, Jos 19»=Lebaoth, Jos 15^2. The ruin Bireh on the west slopes of the Debir hills may be intended.

BETH-CAR ('house of a lamb').— A place mentioned once only, 1 S 7", as the terminus of the pursuit of the Philistines under Samuel's guidance. The site is quite unknown, save that it must have been somewhere near Jerusalem, on the west. R. A. S. Macalistek.

BETH-DAGON ('house of Dagon').— 1. A city of Judah (Jos 15*'), somewhere in the Shephelah. The name is preserved in the modern Beit Dejan, some 4 miles S.E. of Jaffa. This, however, is quite a modern village. Near it is a Roman site, named Khurbet Dajun. The Biblical Beth-dagon is still to seek. 2. A

BETHESDA

border city in the tribe of Asher (Jos 19"), not yet discovered. R. A. S. MaCalister.

BETH-DIBLATHAIM ('house of two fig-cakes'?).— In Jer 48^2 mentioned with Dibon and Nebo; the next camp to Dibon before Nebo (Nu 33«').

BETH-EDEN (Am 1' marg.).— See Eden [House or].

BETHEL.— 1. On a rocky knoll beside the great road to the north, about 12 miles from Jerusalem, stands the modern Beitin, a village of some 400 in-habitants, which represents the ancient Bethel. Four springs furnish good water, and in ancient times they were supplemented by a reservoir hewn in the rock, south of the town. Luz was the original name of the town. The name Bethel was first applied to the stone which Jacob set up and anointed (Gn 28"). See Pillar. But 'the place' (v." etc.) was evidently one with holy associations. It was visited by Abraham, who sacrificed here (12'). This may have Induced Jacob to come hither on his way to the north, and again on his return from Paddan-aram. From an eminence to the east almost the whole extent of the plains of Jericho is visible. This may have been the scene of Lot's selfish choice (Gn 13). 'Bethel' in the end prevailed over 'Luz,' and the town came to be known by the name of the sanctuary, the neighbourhood of which lent it distinction.

Bethel, a royal Canaanite city_, (Jos 12"), fell to Benjamin in the division of the land (18^2), but he failed to make good his possession. It was finally taken by Ephraim (Jg 1!», 1 Ch 7^8). Hither the ark was brought from Gilgal (Jg 20i8 LXX), and Bethel was resorted to as a place of sacrifice (1 S 10'). The prophetess Deborah dwelt between Bethel and Ramah (Jg 4*). In judging Israel, Samuel went from year to year in circuit to Bethel (1 S 7'°). No doubt the ancient sanctity of the place led Jeroboam to choose Bethel as the site of the rival shrine, which he hoped might counteract the influence of the house of the Lord at Jerusalem (1 K 122sff.). It became the great sanctuary of the Northern Kingdom, and the centre of the idolatrous priests who served in the high places (v.'^s). At Bethel, Jeroboam was denounced by the man of God out of Judah (13'»). It was one of the towns taken from Jeroboam by Abijah . king of Judah (2 Ch 13"). It is noteworthy that Elijah is silent regarding the calf-worship at Bethel; and that a school of the prophets, apparently in sym-pathy with him, flourished there (2 K 2"-). But the denunciations of Amos (3" 4'' 5' etc.) and Hosea (Hos 4" 5* etc.) lack nothing in vehemence. The priest resided at Bethel, who was brought by the king of Assyria to teach the mixed peoples, who lived in the country during the Exile, the manner of the God of the land (2 K ly^s"). Bethel was reoccupied by the returning exiles (Ezr 2" etc.). We find it in the hands of Bacchides (1 Mac 9'°). It was one of the towns 'in the mountains' taken by Vespasian in his march on Jerusalem (Jos. BJ iv. ix. 9). 2. A town in Judah, not identified, called in different places, Bethul, Bethel, and Bethuel (Jos 19', 1 S 30",

1 Oh 430). yf EWING.

BETH-EMEE ('house of the deep vaUey', Jos 19"). — A town of Zebulun in the border valley, east of Acco, apparently near Cabul. The name has not been recovered.

BETHER (' mountains of cutting' — or 'of divisions,' Ca 2"). — If a proper name, the famous site of Bether, near Jerusalem, might be intended. Bether is celebrated for the resistance of the Jews to Hadrian under Bar Cochba in a.d. 135. The site was recognized by Canon Williams at Bittir, south-west of Jerusalem — a village on a cliff in a strong position, with a ruin near It called ' Ruin of the Jews,' from a tradition of a great Jewish massacre at this place. See Malobathhon.

BETHESDA. — A reservoir at Jerusalem, remarkable (according to a gloss inserted in the text in some authori-

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