Easton's Bible Dictionary

Bee First mentioned in Deu 1:44. Swarms of bees, and the danger of their attacks, are mentioned in Psa 118:12. Samson found a "swarm of bees" in the carcass of a lion he had slain (Jdg 14:8). Wild bees are described as laying up honey in woods and in clefts of rocks (Deu 32:13; Psa 81:16). In Isa 7:18 the "fly" and the "bee" are personifications of the Egyptians and Assyrians, the inveterate enemies of Israel.

Beelzebub (Gr. form Beelzebul ), the name given to Satan, and found only in the New Testament (Mat 10:25; Mat 12:24, Mat 12:27; Mar 3:22). It is probably the same as Baalzebub (q.v.), the god of Ekron, meaning "the lord of flies," or, as others think, "the lord of dung," or "the dung-god."

Beer Well. (1.) A place where a well was dug by the direction of Moses, at the forty-fourth station of the Hebrews in their wanderings (Num 21:16) in the wilderness of Moab. (See WELL). (2.) A town in the tribe of Judah to which Jotham fled for fear of Abimelech (Jdg 9:21). Some have identified this place with Beeroth.

Beer-elim Well of heroes, probably the name given to Beer, the place where the chiefs of Israel dug a well (Num 21:16; Isa 15:8).

Beeri Illustrious, or the well-man. (1.) The father of Judith, one of the wives of Esau (Gen 26:34), the same as Adah (Gen 36:2). (2.) The father of the prophet Hosea (Hos 1:1).

Beer-lahai-roi I.e., "the well of him that liveth and seeth me," or, as some render it, "the well of the vision of life", the well where the Lord met with Hagar (Gen 16:7, Gen 16:14). Isaac dwelt beside this well (Gen 24:62; Gen 25:11). It has been identified with 'Ain Muweileh , or Moilahhi , south-west of Beersheba, and about 12 miles W. from Kadesh-barnea.

Beeroth Wells, one of the four cities of the Hivites which entered by fraud into a league with Joshua. It belonged to Benjamin (Jos 18:25). It has by some been identified with el-Bireh on the way to Nablus, 10 miles north of Jerusalem.

Beeroth of the Children of Jaakan (Deu 10:6). The same as Bene-jaakan (Num 33:31).

Beersheba Well of the oath, or well of seven, a well dug by Abraham, and so named because he and Abimelech here entered into a compact (Gen 21:31). On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Gen 26:31). It was a favourite place of abode of both of these patriarchs (Gen. 21:33-22:1, Gen 22:19; Gen 26:33; Gen 28:10). It is mentioned among the "cities" given to the tribe of Simeon (Jos 19:2; Ch1 4:28). From Dan to Beersheba, a distance of about 144 miles (Jdg 20:1; Ch1 21:2; Sa2 24:2), became the usual way of designating the whole Promised Land, and passed into a proverb. After the return from the Captivity the phrase is narrowed into "from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom" (Neh 11:30). The kingdom of the ten tribes extended from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim (Ch2 19:4). The name is not found in the New Testament. It is still called by the Arabs Bir es-Seba, i.e., "well of the seven", where there are to the present day two principal wells and five smaller ones. It is nearly midway between the southern end of the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean.

Beetle Heb. hargol , meaning "leaper"). Mention of it is made only in Lev 11:22, where it is obvious the word cannot mean properly the beetle. It denotes some winged creeper with at least four feet, "which has legs above its feet, to leap withal." The description plainly points to the locust (q.v.). This has been an article of food from the earliest times in the East to the present day. The word is rendered "cricket" in the Revised Version.