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Baal
Canaanite god of fertility. He is often portrayed as the god of
storms, lightning, thunder, and rain. He was worshiped in
horrible ways. The name means lord or master. Israel was
seduced into worshiping him.
Babylon Babylonians
Hebrew Babel. Capital city of Mesopotamia, located on the
Euphrates River and neighbor to Assyria. Considered at the time
of the prophet Jeremiah to be the greatest and most beautiful
city of the Near East. An enormous political and economic power
that held great influence over the Israelites. In 586 BC, the
Babylonians took the children of Israel into an exile that would
last 70 years. The return from this exile established a people
to whom Jesus would be born and a kingdom in the land of Israel.
Bacchus
Roman god of wine, fertility, and vegetation, god of the
theater. Son of Zeus and Semele, the Theban princess.
Baptize
To wash, dip, or immerse in water. Baptism shows that a person's
sins are washed away. He or she has joined the family of God and
is united with Jesus in dying to sin and rising to a new life.
Barclay's Gate
Provided access to the Gentile Court from Tyropean Street.
Bar Kochba Revolt
Another name for the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome (AD
132-135). The leader of the revolt was a man named Bar Kochba.
Basalt
Hardened lava from volcanic eruption.
Basilica
"From the king"; Roman public hall built with side halls lower
than the center hall.
Beatitude
Any of the declarations of blessedness pronounced by Jesus in
the Sermon on the Mount.
Bedouins
Nomads who live mainly in the wilderness areas of the Middle
East. They speak Arabic and are generally Muslim. They retain a
lifestyle much like that of the early biblical characters
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Beelzebub
Corruption of the word Beelzebul, meaning lord of the flies.
It was used by Jesus to refer to the prince of demons, the
devil.
Beelzebul
Philistine god worshipped at Ekron. It means Prince Baal.
Beersheba
City in the central Negev. It was settled before 3000 BC.
Abraham and Isaac lived here. Abraham gave it the name
Beersheba, which means "well of the oath" or "well of the
seven." Often used to refer to the southern end of the Promised
Land.
Belial
Hebrew meaning useless. Came to be applied to the devil by the
Essenes and the early Christians (2 Cor. 6).
Bema
Raised platform; the Seat of judgment. Also, place from which
scripture is read in the synagogue.
Bernice
The great-granddaughter of Herod the Great. She accompanied
Agrippa ll and heard Paul's conversion testimony (Acts
25:1314,23; 26:129).
Beth Horon
Two cities (Upper and Lower Beth Horon) guarding the Beth Horon
pass. The main west-east road from the coastal plain to the
mountains to Jericho went through this pass. Here God made the
sun stand still for Joshua.
Bethlehem
Located at the border between the mountains and the wilderness,
its inhabitants benefited from the fertile mountain valleys and
pastures the wilderness provided for the shepherds flock Seven
hundred years before Jesus was born, Micah prophesied that the
Messiah would come out of Bethlehem. Jesusthe Son of God, the
King of the universewould be from the line of David and would
rule on the throne of David forever. Bethlehem links Jesus to
the lineage and family of David.
Bethsaida
One of the three main towns of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. This
small, prosperous fishing village on the north shore of the Sea
of Galilee was renamed Julias and rebuilt by Herod Philip. Home
of apostles Peter, Philip, and Andrew. Near this village, Jesus
performed the miracle of feeding 5,000 people. Its location was
uncertain until recently, when archaeologists excavated the
ruins.
Beth Shean
City at the eastern entrance to the Valley of Jezreel. The
Philistines hung Saul's and Jonathan's bodies from its walls.
Beth Shemesh
City in the Soreq Valley near where Samson lived. The
Philistines returned the ark of the covenant here.
Bless, Blessing
When God blesses someone, he makes things go well for him or
her. A blessing is a gift from God. When people bless, they ask
God to bring good to someone.
Boule
City council.
Bouleuterion
Meeting place of the Boule.
Bronze Sea
Bronze basin at the entrance to the tabernacle used for
ceremonial purification before sacrifices were made. It also
symbolized Gods forgiveness after sacrifices were made. Solomon
commissioned a large basin for the temple at Jerusalem. It was
over 14 feet in diameter and seven feet high: it weighed over 25
tons and held 13,000 gallons of water. It sat on the backs of 12
oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south,
and three facing east.
Business District
Although not named by many ancient sources, this district inside
the Second Wall held many shops and markets. Jesus walked
through the area on market day on his way to the cross.