Baal-hanan (Hastings' Dictionary)
, A king of Edom ((in Sd^-", 1 Ch l"-"). 2. A (!e<lcrite who had charge of David's olive and syeomore trees (1 Ch 27"). BAAL-HAZOR (iSi-rj Sy;), 2 S 13=", near Ephraim, appears to be the high mountain east of the road to Shochem, called Tell' Astir. It is very rugged, with grey limestone slopes, and with a small group of oaks at the top beside a shrine, and ruins of a town. SWV vol. ii. sheet xiv. See I'AI.KSTINK. C. K. CONDER. BAAL-HERMON (ito-jg 'jyj), Jg 3«, 1 Ch 5«. See Heumon.
BAALI and BAALIM.— See Baal. BAALIS (D'^y;, BeXfio-d), the king of the children of Amnion at the time of the murder of Gedaliah (Jer 4U [Gr. 47] "). BAAL-MEON (iiyn i^yj), Nu 32'", 1 Ch 5«, Ezk 2,5". Beth-baal-meon, Jos 13". Beth-meon, Jer 48-'^ ; probably Bcon, Nu 32^. — A town of Keuben near Dibon. It is named on the Moabite Stone, 1. 9, aa built by Mesha. The present ruin, Main, a large mound at the edge of tne plateau west of Medeba. The ruins are those of a Roman town. See Mem. East Pal.
Hurvey, vol. i. s.v. The valley beneath to the south is well watered. In the Unomasticun (s.v. Baalmeon) this site is noticed as still a large village near Baaru (Machajrus ; see Reland, Pal. pp. 487, 611, 881), and 9Roman miles from Heshbon, where were natural hot springs. The springs are those of Callirrhoe, in the great ravine of the Zerka Ma'in to the south. C. R. CoNDER. BAAL-PEOR (I'ly? Sy;, B«X(^c7<Jp, Dt 4«^ Nu 25», Ps lOG-'') was the local deity of Mt. Peor.
In Dt 4^, Hos 9'" it is perhaps the name of a place. The Israelites are said (Nu 25') to have worsliii)ped him during their stay in Shittim. It is frequently sup- posed that his worship was especially licentious, since in the same context mention is made of the umh.astity of the Israelites with the women of Moal) and Midian. But the two facts are not deliiiitely connected, so that we h.ave no evidence for this opinion (cf. Driver on Dt 4"). A. S. Peake. BAAL-PERAZIM (o-rcn?
Sys), 2 S 5™, 1 Ch 14". It was near Jerusalem, but the situation is un- certain. See Driver on 2 S 5-'. BAALSAMUS (BadXira/ios, AV Balasamus), 1 Es 9* ; in Neh 8', Maaseiah. BAAL-SHALISHAH (v^y Sy;), 2 K 4". Com- pare Slialisha. The 8ituati(m is uncertain, but it seems to have been in Mount Ephraim. The village Kefr Thilth preserves the name of Shal- isha. See SWP vol. ii. sheet xiv. C. R. CONDER. BAAL-TAMAR (-«?i? ^ys 'Baal of the palm'), .fg 2i^".
— It was near Bethel and Giboah, — perhaps connected with the palm of Deborah (.Ig 4°), which was between Bethel and Ilamah, — a jiosition which might suit the notice of Baal-tamar, whence Gibuah was attacked. C. R. CONDER. BAALZEBUB (aiaj Sys, BciaX /»uTai., 2 K l"- •• « '«). — A Baal of flies, worshipped in Ekron, and consulted by Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and king of Israel. Why he was called Baal of Hies is not clear. ProlLiably he was regarded as the lord of flies, and worshiiiped by tho.
so who did not wish to be troubled by tiiem. If Baal were the sun, the name would probably be connected with the fact that the heat of the summer sun calls out the tlius in such numbers that in hot countries they become a plague. But this is ]irobably not so (see Baal). We see from the narrative in Kings that he was specially famous as a giver of oracles. Probably the busy flies, who swarm everywhere, were regartled as his messengers.
In NT (Mt W 12'"- ", Mk 3-^ Lk ll"- "• '") the name is changed to Beelzebul ( Hff XCff-JoeX, WH Bffi-c^oeX, AV and ItV Beelzebub, llVm Beelzebul ; cf. Beliar for Belial), and has become a name for the prince of the devils. A. S. I'EAKK. BAAL-ZEPHON (jb^ ^yj) is mentioned Ex 14»», 212 BAANA BABEL, CITY AND TOWER OF Nu 33' only, as one of three places near ' the sea' crossed by the Israelites.
It was the seat of some form of Baal-worship, the character of which, as indicated by Zephon, is uncertain. Gesenius(rAe«. p. 2"25b) translates B-Z. by locals Typhonis vel fijphoni sacer, and others are disposed to regard Typhon as a variant of Zephon. But Typhon seems to be pure Greek, with a suitable Or. deri- vation, and no good reason has been adduced for attributing an Egj'pt. origin to the word. Typhon was called by various names, the most common bein" Set.
Set appears to have been regarded as a god of foreigners, and was combined, or perhaps confused, with Baal. Other explanations of Zephon are, (1) the north, or the north wind, making it equivalent to ['isy ; (2) a watch-tower, from the root "lEs. The word pss occurs as a proper name Nu 26", and in the parallel passage (On 46") |vev occurs, which seems to be derived from nss. The situation is as uncertain as the etymology. It has been placed on the N.
shore of Egypt by Brugsch, who identifies it with Mt. Casius ; about the middle of the present Isthmus, on some hill like Shekh Ennedek (Naville) ; at Jebel "Atakah, or a spot on the E. side of the modern canal nearly opposite fort Ajrud. The conjecture of Ebers (Durch Gosen zum Sinai, p. 570) that Phoenician sailors propitiated the god of the north wind when starting southwards on a voyage down the Gulf of Suez is a plausible one.
The much quoted tract of Plutarch, de /side et Osiride, may be referred to for further information about Typhon ; and in Bau- meister, Denkmaler des class. Alter, p. 2133b, there is a picture, Egyptian in style (No. 2393). A. T. Chapman. BAANA (K;y_^3, possibly for ny^]^ 'son of dis- tress'? ; but this and similar contractions are highly uncertain).—!. (I K 4';) and 2. (1 K 4'") Two of Solomon's twelve commissariat officers. 3.
(Neh 3^) Father of Zadok, one of the builders of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. 4. (1 Es 5* Baaud A B) One of the leaders of the people who returned from the Capti- vity with Zerubbabel. Possibly the same as (3) and Baanah (3). C. F. BURNEY.
This topic also has an entry in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Both articles offer independent scholarly perspectives.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Baal-hanan
Baal-hanan ba-al-ha'-nan ba`al chanan, "the Lord is gracious"): ⇒See a list of verses on BAAL-HANAN in the Bible. (1) A king of Edom (Ge 36:38 f; 1Ch 1:49 f). (2) A gardener in the service of David (1Ch 27:28).
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia
