The son of Ahilud, Solmon’s commissariat officer in Jezreel and the north of the Jordan valley.
(1 Kings 4:12) (B.C.1000.)•
•Father of Zadok, who assisted in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. (Nehemiah
3:4) (B.C. 446.)
Baanah
Son of Rimmon, a Benjamite, who with his brother Rechab murdered Ishbosheth For this they
were killed by David; and their mutilated bodies hung up over the pool at Hebron. (2 Samuel
4:2,5,6,9) (B.C. 1046.)
•
•A Netophathite, father of Heleb or Heled, one of David’s mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:29; 1
Chronicles 11:30) (B.C. before 1066.)
•Accurately Baana, son of Hushai, Solomon’s commissariat officer in Asher. (1 Kings 4:16) (B.C.
1012.)
•Aman who accompanied Zerubbabel on his return from the captivity. (Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 7:7)
Possibly the same person is intended in (Nehemiah 10:27) (B.C. 536.)
Baara
(brutish) one of the wives of Shaharaim, a descendant of Benjamin. (1 Chronicles 8:8)
Baaseiah, Or Basseiah
(work of Jehovah), a Gershonite Levite, one of the forefathers of Asaph the singer. (1 Chronicles
6:40), [ 1Chr 6:25 ]. (B.C. 1310.)
Baasha
(wicked), B.C. 953-931, third sovereign of the separate kingdom of Israel, and the founder of
its second dynasty. He was son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar and conspired against King Nadab,
(1 Kings 15:27) and killed him with his whole family. He appears to have been of humble origin.
(1 Kings 16:2) It was probably in the 13th year of his reign that he made war on Asa, and began to
fortify Ramah. He was defeated by the unexpected alliance of Asa with Ben-hadad I. of Damascus.
Baasha died in the 24th year of his reign, and was buried in Tirzah, (Song of Solomon 6:4) which
he had made his capital. (1 Kings 16:6; 2 Chronicles 16:1-6)
Babel
(confusion), Bab’ylon (Greek form of Babel), is properly the capital city of the country which
is called in Genesis Shinar, and in the later books Chaldea, or the land of the Chaldeans. The first
rise of the Chaldean power was in the region close upon the Persian Gulf; thence the nation spread
northward up the course of the rivers, and the seat of government moved in the same direction,
being finally fixed at Babylon, perhaps not earlier than B.C, 1700. I. Topography of
Babylon—Ancient description of the city.—All the ancient writers appear to agree in the fact of a
district of vast size, more or less inhabited having been enclosed within lofty walls and included
under the name of Babylon. With respect to the exact extent of the circuit they differ. The estimate
of Herodotus and of Pliny is 480 stades (60 Roman miles, 53 of our miles) of Strabo 385, of Q.
Curtius 368, of Clitarchus 365 and of Ctesias 360 stades (40 miles). (George Smith, in his “Assyrian
Discoveries,” differs entirely from all these estimates, making the circuit of the city but eight miles.)
Perhaps Herodotus spoke of the outer wall, which could be traced in his time. Taking the lowest
estimate of the extent of the circuit, we shall have for the space within the rampart an area of above
100 square miles—nearly five times the size of London! It is evident that this vast space cannot
have been entirely covered with houses. The city was situated on both sides of the river Euphrates,
and the two parts were connected together by a stone bridge five stades (above 1000 yards) long