בַּעַל מְעוֹן
Baal-Meon, a place East of the Jordan
Definition
Baal-Meon is a proper noun referring to a specific city located east of the Jordan River in the territory of the tribe of Reuben. The name itself means 'Baal of the habitation' or 'Lord of the dwelling,' indicating it was originally a site of Canaanite worship dedicated to the god Baal. In the Bible, it is listed among the cities rebuilt by the Reubenites (Numbers 32:38) and later appears in a list of their settlements (1 Chronicles 5:8). In a prophetic context, Ezekiel 25:9 pronounces judgment against Moab, mentioning Baal-Meon as one of its frontier cities, showing its strategic location and changing political control over time.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a geographical place name in the Old Testament. It appears in three distinct contexts: in a historical narrative of territorial allocation (Numbers 32:38), in a genealogical and settlement record (1 Chronicles 5:8), and in a prophetic oracle of judgment against a neighboring nation (Ezekiel 25:9). Its usage consistently identifies it as a significant town in the Transjordan region, associated first with Reubenite possession and later with Moabite territory.
Etymology
The name is a compound of two Hebrew words: 'Baal' (H1168), meaning 'lord,' 'master,' or the name of the Canaanite storm god, and 'Meon' from the root 'ma'on' (H4583), meaning 'habitation,' 'dwelling,' or 'refuge.' Thus, the full name translates to 'Baal of the dwelling.' It is linguistically related to the longer form 'Beth Baal Meon' (H1010), meaning 'house/temple of Baal-Meon,' found in Joshua 13:17.
Semantic Range
The name Baal-Meon serves as a theological reminder of the persistent spiritual challenge Israel faced from Canaanite religion. Even as the Reubenites rebuilt and inhabited this city (Numbers 32:38), its very name commemorated a pagan deity, highlighting the tension between claiming the Promised Land and the lingering influence of its idolatrous culture. Its mention in Ezekiel's prophecy (Ezekiel 25:9) also illustrates God's sovereignty over the nations and His judgment on pride, as the city becomes a symbol within a doomed Moabite frontier.
In its original setting, the name 'Baal-Meon' would have immediately identified the location as a cultic center dedicated to the Canaanite god Baal, a deity associated with fertility, rain, and storm. For ancient Israelites, settling a city with such a name involved a constant cultural and religious juxtaposition, living in a place whose identity was rooted in the worship of a rival god to Yahweh. Its strategic importance is underscored by its listing among fortified cities and its role as a border town.
בֵּית בַּעַל מְעוֹן (Bêyth Baʻal Mᵉʻôwn, H1010) — The longer, formal name for the same location, meaning 'house/temple of Baal-Meon' (Joshua 13:17).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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