Reference

Bible dictionary

3,964 entries on the people, places and words of the Bible, each linked to the passages it cites.

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 3rd edition (1897). Public domain; text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. A nineteenth-century Protestant reference: its dates, archaeology and judgements reflect the scholarship of its time and are not Imago Dei's editorial position.

• Baal

  Lord.

• Baalah

  Mistress;

• Baalath

  A town of the tribe of Dan (Josh.

• Baalath-beer

  Baalah of the well, (Josh.

• Baalbec

  Called by the Greeks Heliopolis i.e., "the city of the sun", because of its famous Temple of the Sun, has by some been supposed to be Solomo

• Baal-berith

  Covenant lord, the name of the god worshipped in Shechem after the death of Gideon (Judg.

• Baale of Judah

  Lords of Judah, a city in the tribe of Judah from which David brought the ark into Jerusalem (2 Sam.

• Baal-gad

  Lord of fortune, or troop of Baal, a Canaanite city in the valley of Lebanon at the foot of Hermon, hence called Baal-hermon (Judge.

• Baal-hamon

  Place of a multitude, a place where Solomon had an extensive vineyard (Cant.

• Baal-hanan

  Lord of grace.

• Baal-hazor

  Having a courtyard, or Baal's village, the place on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin where Absalom held the feast of sheep-shearing when

• Baal-hermon

  Lord of Hermon.

• Baali

  My lord, a title the prophet (Hos.

• Baalim

  Plural of Baal;

• Baalis

  King of the Ammonites at the time of the Babylonian captivity (Jer.

• Baal-meon

  Lord of dwelling, a town of Reuben (Num.

• Baal-peor

  Lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Num.

• Baal-perazim

  Baal having rents, bursts, or destructions, the scene of a victory gained by David over the Philistines (2 Sam.

• Baal-shalisha

  Lord of Shalisha, a place from which a man came with provisions for Elisha, apparently not far from Gilgal (2 Kings 4:42).

• Baal-tamar

  Lord of palm trees, a place in the tribe of Benjamin near Gibeah of Saul (Judg.

• Baal-zebub

  Fly-lord, the god of the Philistines at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2, 3, 16).

• Baal-zephon

  Baal of the north, an Egyptian town on the shores of the Gulf of Suez (Ex.

• Baana

  Son of affliction.

• Baanah

  Son of affliction.

• Baasha

  Bravery, the third king of the separate kingdom of Israel, and founder of its second dynasty (1 Kings 15;

• Babe

  Used of children generally (Matt.

• Babel, tower of

  The name given to the tower which the primitive fathers of our race built in the land of Shinar after the Deluge (Gen.

• Babylon

  The Greek form of BABEL;

• Babylonish garment

  A robe of rich colours fabricated at Babylon, and hence of great value (Josh.

• Babylon, kingdom of

  Called "the land of the Chaldeans" (Jer.

• Baca, Valley of

  (Ps.

• Backbite

  In Ps.

• Backslide

  To draw back or apostatize in matters of religion (Acts 21:21;

• Badger

  This word is found in Ex.

• Bag

  (1.) A pocket of a cone-like shape in which Naaman bound two pieces of silver for Gehazi (2 Kings 5:23).

• Bahurim

  Young men, a place east of Jerusalem (2 Sam.

• Bajith

  House, probably a city of Moab, which had a celebrated idol-temple (Isa.

• Bake

  The duty of preparing bread was usually, in ancient times, committed to the females or the slaves of the family (Gen.

• Bake-meats

  Baked provisions (Gen.

• Balaam

  Lord of the people;

• Baladan

  He has given a son, the father of the Babylonian king (2 Kings 20:12;

• Balah

  A city in the tribe of Simeon (Josh.

• Balak

  Empty;

• Balance

  Occurs in Lev.

• Baldness

  From natural causes was uncommon (2 Kings 2:23;

• Balm

  Contracted from Bal'sam, a general name for many oily or resinous substances which flow or trickle from certain trees or plants when an inci

• Bamah

  A height, a name used simply to denote a high place where the Jews worshipped idols (Ezek.

• Bamoth

  Heights, the forty-seventh station of the Israelites (Num.

• Bamoth-baal

  Heights of Baal, a place on the river Arnon, or in the plains through which it flows, east of Jordan (Josh.

• Bands

  (1) of love (Hos.

• Bani

  Built.

• Banner

  (1.) The flag or banner of the larger kind, serving for three tribes marching together.

• Banquet

  A feast provided for the entertainment of a company of guests (Esther 5;

• Baptism, Christian

  An ordinance immediately instituted by Christ (Matt.

• Baptism for the dead

  Only mentioned in 1 Cor.

• Baptism, John's

  Was not Christian baptism, nor was that which was practised by the disciples previous to our Lord's crucifixion.

• Baptism of Christ

  Christ had to be formally inaugurated into the public discharge of his offices.

• Bar

  Used to denote the means by which a door is bolted (Neh.

• 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, i

• 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 (Zech.

• Barak

  Lightning, the son of Abinoam (Judg.

• Barbarian

  A Greek word used in the New Testament (Rom.

• Barber

  Found only once, in Ezek.

• Barefoot

  To go barefoot was a sign of great distress (Isa.

• Bariah

  Fugitive, one of Shemaiah's five sons.

• Bar-jesus

  Son of Joshua, the patronymic of Elymas the sorcerer (Acts 13:6), who met Paul and Barnabas at Paphos.

• Bar-jona

  Son of Jonah, the patronymic of Peter (Matt.

• Barkos

  Painter, (Ezra 2:53;

• Barley

  A grain much cultivated in Egypt (Ex.

• Barn

  A storehouse (Deut.

• Barnabas

  Son of consolation, the surname of Joses, a Levite (Acts 4:36).

• Barrel

  A vessel used for keeping flour (1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16).

• Barren

  For a woman to be barren was accounted a severe punishment among the Jews (Gen.

• Barsabas

  Son of Saba, the surname (1) of Joseph, also called Justus (Acts 1:23), some identify him with Barnabas;

• Bartholomew

  Son of Tolmai, one of the twelve apostles (Matt.

• Bartimaeus

  Son of Timaeus, one of the two blind beggars of Jericho (Mark 10:46;

• Baruch

  Blessed.

• Barzillai

  Of iron.

• Bashan

  Light soil, first mentioned in Gen.

• Bashan-havoth-jair

  The Bashan of the villages of Jair, the general name given to Argob by Jair, the son of Manasseh (Deut.

• Bashan, Hill of

  (Ps.

• Bashemath

  Sweet-smelling.

• Basilisk

  (in R.V., Isa.

• Basin

  Or Bason.

• Basket

  There are five different Hebrew words so rendered in the Authorized Version: (1.) A basket (Heb.

• Bastard

  In the Old Testament the rendering of the Hebrew word mamzer', which means "polluted." In Deut.

• Bastinado

  Beating, a mode of punishment common in the East.

• Bat

  The Hebrew word (atalleph') so rendered (Lev.

• Bath

  A Hebrew liquid measure, the tenth part of an homer (1 Kings 7:26, 38;

• Bath-rabbim

  Daughter of many, the name of one of the gates of the city of Heshbon, near which were pools (Cant.

• Baths

  The use of the bath was very frequent among the Hebrews (Lev.

• Bath-sheba

  Daughter of the oath, or of seven, called also Bath-shu'a (1 Chr.

• Battering-ram

  (Ezek.

• Battle-axe

  A mallet or heavy war-club.

• Battle-bow

  The war-bow used in fighting (Zech.

• Battlement

  A parapet wall or balustrade surrounding the flat roofs of the houses, required to be built by a special law (Deut.

• Bay

  Denotes the estuary of the Dead Sea at the mouth of the Jordan (Josh.

• Bay tree

  Named only in Ps.

• Bdellium

  Occurs only in Gen.

• Beacon

  A pole (Heb.

• Bealiah

  Whose Lord is Jehovah, a Benjamite, one of David's thirty heroes of the sling and bow (1 Chr.

• Bealoth

  Citizens, a town in the extreme south of Judah (Josh.

• Beam

  Occurs in the Authorized Version as the rendering of various Hebrew words.

• Beans

  Mentioned in 2 Sam.

• Bear

  A native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture.

• Beard

  The mode of wearing it was definitely prescribed to the Jews (Lev.

• Beast

  This word is used of flocks or herds of grazing animals (Ex.

• Beaten gold

  In Num.

• Beaten oil

  (Ex.

• Beautiful gate

  The name of one of the gates of the temple (Acts 3:2).

• Becher

  First-born;

• Bed

  (Heb.

• Bedan

  One of the judges of Israel (1 Sam.

• 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 la

• Bedstead

  Used in Deut.

• Bee

  First mentioned in Deut.

• Beelzebub

  (Gr.

• Beer

  Well.

• Beer-elim

  Well of heroes, probably the name given to Beer, the place where the chiefs of Israel dug a well (Num.

• Beeri

  Illustrious, or the well-man.

• 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

• Beeroth

  Wells, one of the four cities of the Hivites which entered by fraud into a league with Joshua.

• Beeroth of the children of Jaakan

  (Deut.

• 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 (Gen.

• Beetle

  (Heb.

• Beeves

  (an old English plural of the word beef), a name applicable to all ruminating animals except camels, and especially to the Bovidce, or horne

• Beg

  That the poor existed among the Hebrews we have abundant evidence (Ex.

• Behead

  A method of taking away life practised among the Egyptians (Gen.

• Behemoth

  (Job 40:15-24).

• Bekah

  Both the name and its explanation, "a half shekel," are given in Ex.

• Bel

  The Aramaic form of Baal, the national god of the Babylonians (Isa.

• Bela

  A thing swallowed.

• Belial

  Worthlessness, frequently used in the Old Testament as a proper name.

• Bell

  The bells first mentioned in Scripture are the small golden bells attached to the hem of the high priest's ephod (Ex.

• Bellows

  Occurs only in Jer.

• Belly

  The seat of the carnal affections (Titus 1:12;

• Belshazzar

  Bel protect the king!, the last of the kings of Babylon (Dan.

• Belteshazzar

  Beltis protect the king!, the Chaldee name given to Daniel by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan.

• Benaiah

  Built up by Jehovah.

• Ben-ammi

  Son of my kindred;

• Bench

  Deck of a Tyrian ship, described by Ezekiel (27:6) as overlaid with box-wood.

• Bene-jaakan

  Children of Jaakan (Num.

• Ben-hadad

  The standing title of the Syrian kings, meaning "the son of Hadad." (See [59]HADADEZER.) (1.) The king of Syria whom Asa, king of Judah, em

• Benjamin

  Son of my right hand.

• Beor

  A torch.

• Bera

  Gift, or son of evil, king of Sodom at the time of the invasion of the four kings under Chedorlaomer (Gen.

• Berachah

  Blessing.

• 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

• Berechiah

  Blessed by Jehovah.

• Bered

  Hail.

• Beriah

  A gift, or in evil.

• Bernice

  Bearer of victory, the eldest daughter of Agrippa I., the Herod Agrippa of Acts 12:20.

• Berodach-baladan

  The king of Babylon who sent a friendly deputation to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:12).

• Beryl

  The rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word tarshish, a precious stone;

• Besom

  The rendering of a Hebrew word meaning sweeper, occurs only in Isa.

• 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

• Bestead

  The rendering in Isa.

• Betah

  Confidence, a city belonging to Hadadezer, king of Zobah, which yielded much spoil of brass to David (2 Sam.

• 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).

• Beth-anath

  House of response, one of the fenced cities of Naphtali (Josh.

• Beth-anoth

  House of answers, a city in the mountainous district of Judah (Josh.

• Bethany

  House of dates.

• Beth-arabah

  House of the desert, one of the six cities of Judah, situated in the sunk valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea (Josh.

• Beth-aram

  House of the height;

• 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 Script

• Beth-aven

  House of nothingness;

• Beth-barah

  House of crossing, a place south of the scene of Gideon's victory (Judg.

• Beth-car

  Sheep-house, a place to which the Israelites pursued the Philistines west from Mizpeh (1 Sam.

• Beth-dagon

  House of Dagon.

• Beth-diblathaim

  House of two cakes of figs, a city of Moab, upon which Jeremiah (48:22) denounced destruction.

• Bethel

  House of God.

• 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.

• Bethesda

  House of mercy, a reservoir (Gr.

• Beth-gamul

  Camel-house, a city in the "plain country" of Moab denounced by the prophet (Jer.

• 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

• Beth-haccerem

  House of a vineyard, a place in the tribe of Judah (Neh.

• Beth-horon

  House of the hollow, or of the cavern, the name of two towns or villages (2 Chr.

• 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

• Beth-le-Aphrah

  (R.V.

• Bethlehem

  House of bread.

• Beth-peor

  House of Peor;

• Beth-phage

  House of the unripe fig, a village on the Mount of Olives, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho (Matt.

• Bethsaida

  House of fish.

• Beth-shean

  House of security or rest, a city which belonged to Manasseh (1 Chr.

• Beth-shemesh

  House of the sun.

• Beth-tappuah

  House of apples, a town of Judah, now Tuffuh, 5 miles west of Hebron (Josh.

• Bethuel

  Man of God, or virgin of God, or house of God.

• Bethzur

  House of rock, a town in the mountains of Judah (Josh.

• Betroth

  To promise "by one's truth." Men and women were betrothed when they were engaged to be married.

• Beulah

  Married, is used in Isa.

• Bewray

  To reveal or disclose;

• 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 (Gen.

• Bezaleel

  In the shadow of God;

• Bezek

  Lightning.

• Bezer

  Ore of gold or silver.

• 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 colle

• 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).

• Bigthan

  One of the eunuchs who "kept the door" in the court of Ahasuerus.

• Bildad

  Son of contention, one of Job's friends.

• Bilgah

  Cheerful.

• Bilhah

  Faltering;

• Bilshan

  Son of the tongue;

• Bird

  Birds are divided in the Mosaic law into two classes, (1) the clean (Lev.

• Birsha

  Son of wickedness, a king of Gomorrah whom Abraham succoured in the invasion of Chedorlaomer (Gen.

• Birth

  As soon as a child was born it was washed, and rubbed with salt (Ezek.

• Birth-day

  The observance of birth-days was common in early times (Job 1:4, 13, 18).

• Birthright

  (1.) This word denotes the special privileges and advantages belonging to the first-born son among the Jews.

• Bishop

  An overseer.

• Bit

  The curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them.

• Bith-ron

  The broken or divided place, a district in the Arabah or Jordan valley, on the east of the river (2 Sam.

• Bithynia

  A province in Asia Minor, to the south of the Euxine and Propontis.

• Bitter

  Bitterness is symbolical of affliction, misery, and servitude (Ex.

• Bittern

  Is found three times in connection with the desolations to come upon Babylon, Idumea, and Nineveh (Isa.

• Bitumen

  Gen.

• Black

  Properly the absence of all colour.

• Blade

  Applied to the glittering point of a spear (Job 39:23) or sword (Nah.

• Blains

  Occurs only in connection with the sixth plague of Egypt (Ex.

• Blasphemy

  In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps.

• Blastus

  Chamberlain to king Herod Agrippa I.

• Blemish

  Imperfection or bodily deformity excluding men from the priesthood, and rendering animals unfit to be offered in sacrifice (Lev.

• Bless

  (1.) God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Gen.

• Blind

  Blind beggars are frequently mentioned (Matt.

• Blood

  (1.) As food, prohibited in Gen.

• Bloody sweat

  The sign and token of our Lord's great agony (Luke 22:44).

• Blot

  A stain or reproach (Job 31:7;

• Blue

  Generally associated with purple (Ex.

• Boanerges

  Sons of thunder, a surname given by our Lord to James and John (Mark 3:17) on account of their fervid and impetuous temper (Luke 9:54).

• Boar

  Occurs only in Ps.

• Boaz

  Alacrity.

• Bochim

  Weepers, a place where the angel of the Lord reproved the Israelites for entering into a league with the people of the land.

• Boil

  (rendered "botch" in Deut.

• Bolled

  (Ex.

• Bolster

  The Hebrew word kebir, rendered "pillow" in 1 Sam.

• Bond

  An obligation of any kind (Num.

• Bondage

  Of Israel in Egypt (Ex.

• Bonnet

  (Heb.

• Book

  This word has a comprehensive meaning in Scripture.

• Booth

  A hut made of the branches of a tree.

• Booty

  Captives or cattle or objects of value taken in war.

• Borrow

  The Israelites "borrowed" from the Egyptians (Ex.

• Bosom

  In the East objects are carried in the bosom which Europeans carry in the pocket.

• Bosor

  The Chaldee or Aramaic form of the name Beor, the father of Balaam (2 Pet.

• Bosses

  The projecting parts of a shield (Job 15:26).

• Botch

  The name given in Deut.

• Bottle

  A vessel made of skins for holding wine (Josh.

• Bow

  The bow was in use in early times both in war and in the chase (Gen.

• Bowels

  (Phil.

• Bowing

  A mode of showing respect.

• Bowl

  The sockets of the lamps of the golden candlestick of the tabernacle are called bowls (Ex.

• Box

  For holding oil or perfumery (Mark 14:3).

• Box-tree

  (Heb.

• Bozrah

  Enclosure;

• Bracelet

  (1.) Anklets (Num.

• Bramble

  (1.) Hebrew atad, Judg.

• Branch

  A symbol of kings descended from royal ancestors (Ezek.

• Brass

  Which is an alloy of copper and zinc, was not known till the thirteenth century.

• Bravery

  (Isa.

• Breach

  An opening in a wall (1 Kings 11:27;

• Bread

  Among the Jews was generally made of wheat (Ex.

• Breastplate

  (1.) That piece of ancient armour that protected the breast.

• Breeches

  (Ex.

• Bribe

  None to be taken;

• Bricks

  The making of, formed the chief labour of the Israelites in Egypt (Ex.

• Bride

  Frequently used in the ordinary sense (Isa.

• Bridle

  Three Hebrew words are thus rendered in the Authorized Version.

• Brier

  This word occurs frequently, and is the translation of several different terms.

• Brigandine

  (Jer.

• Brimstone

  An inflammable mineral substance found in quantities on the shores of the Dead Sea.

• Brook

  A torrent.

• Brother

  (1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt.

• Bruit

  A rumour or report (Jer.

• Bucket

  A vessel to draw water with (Isa.

• Buckler

  (1.) A portable shield (2 Sam.

• Building

  Among the Jews was suited to the climate and conditions of the country.

• Bul

  Rainy, the eighth ecclesiastical month of the year (1 Kings 6:38), and the second month of the civil year;

• Bullock

  (1.) The translation of a word which is a generic name for horned cattle (Isa.

• Bulrush

  (1.) In Isa.

• Bulwarks

  Mural towers, bastions, were introduced by king Uzziah (2 Chr.

• Bunch

  (1.) A bundle of twigs (Ex.

• Burden

  (1.) A load of any kind (Ex.

• Burial

  The first burial we have an account of is that of Sarah (Gen.

• Burnt offering

  Hebrew olah;

• Bush

  In which Jehovah appeared to Moses in the wilderness (Ex.

• Butler

  Properly a servant in charge of the wine (Gen.

• Butter

  (Heb.

• Buz

  Contempt.

• Buzi

  The father of the prophet Ezekiel (1:3).

• By

  In the expression "by myself" (A.V., 1 Cor.

• By and by

  Immediately (Matt.

• By-ways

  Only in Judg.

• By-word

  Hebrew millah (Job 30:9), a word or speech, and hence object of talk;