In the Revised Version for Bethabara, (John 1:28) where Jesus was baptized by John. It was
probably an obscure village near Bethabara, and in time its name faded out and was replaced by
the larger and more important Bethabara.
(house of dates, or house of misery), a village which, scanty as are the notices of it contained
in Scripture, is more intimately associated in our minds than perhaps any other place with the most
familiar acts and scenes of the last days of the life of Christ. It was situated “at” the Mount of
Olives, (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29) about fifteen stadia (furlongs, i.e. 1 1/2 or 2 miles) from Jerusalem
(John 11:18) on or near the usual road From Jericho to the city, (Luke 19:29) comp. Mark 11:1
comp. Mark 10:46 And close by the west(?) of another village called Bethphage, the two being
several times mentioned together. Bethany was the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, and is
now known by a name derived from Lazarus—el-Azariyeh or Lazarieh. It lies on the eastern slope
of the Mount of Olives, fully a mile beyond the summit, and not very far from the point at which
the road to Jericho begins its more sudden descent towards the Jordan valley. El-’Azariyeh is a
ruinous and wretched village, a wild mountain hamlet of some twenty families. Bethany has been
commonly explained “house of dates,” but it more probably signifies “house of misery.” H. Dixon,
“Holy Land,” ii. 214, foll.
Betharabah
(house of the desert), one of the six cities of Judah which were situated down in the Arabah,
the sunk valley of the Jordan and Dead Sea, (Joshua 15:61) on the north border of the tribe. It is
also included in the list of the towns of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:22)
Betharam
(house of the height), accurately BETH-HARAM, one of the towns of Gad on the east of Jordan,
described as in “the valley,” (Joshua 13:27) and no doubt the same place as that named
BETH-HARAN in (Numbers 32:36)
Bethaven
(house of nothingness, i.e. of idols), a place on the mountains of Benjamin, east of Bethel,
(Joshua 7:2; 18:12) and lying between that place and Michmash. (1 Samuel 13:5; 14:28) In (Hosea
4:15; 5:8; 10:5) the name is transferred to the neighboring Bethel,—once the “house of God” but
then the house of idols of “naught.”
Bethbaalmaveth
(house of Azmaveth). Under this name is mentioned, in (Nehemiah 7:28) only, the town of
Benjamin which is elsewhere called Azmaveth and BETH-SAMOS.
Bethbaalmeon
(house of Baalmeon), a place in the possessions of Reuben, on the downs (Authorized Version
“plain”) east of the Jordan. (Joshua 13:17) At the Israelites’ first approach is name was
BAAL-MEON, (Numbers 32:38) or, in its contracted form, BEON (Numbers 32:3) to which the
Beth was possibly a Hebrew addition. Later it would seem to have come into possession of Moab,
and to be known either as Beth-meon, (Jeremiah 48:23) or Baal-meon. (Ezekiel 25:9) The name is
still attached to a ruined place of considerable size a short distance to the southwest of Hesban, and
bearing the name of “the fortress of Mi’un, ” or Makin.
Bethbarah
(house of the ford), named only in (Judges 7:24) It derived its chief interest in the possibility
that its more modern representative may have been Beth-abara, where John baptized. It was probably
the chief ford of the district.
frankie
(Frankie)
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