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387 tamar under the name of " Beth-thamar present day it can not "be located, j.

Ba'al Shem-Tob

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

387

but at the

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BA'AL TOKEA' ter of blowing ") blows the Shofar.

(ypin $>jn, literally "the masTerm applied to the person who F. L. C.

a.

BAAL-ZEBTJB.— Biblical Data: Name

of a

god of the

Philistine city of Ekron, mentioned only in connection with the illness of Ahaziah, king of

842 b.c. (II Kings i. 2, 3, 6, 16), when the monarch sent messengers to Ekron to consult him on the prospects of his recovery. There has Israel, in

sick

been

much speculation

As

as to the character of the god. means "Baal of flies." This

the word stands, it is usually explained as the god who expels or destroys flies though it may also mean the patron or controller of flies. The two explanations may be combined in one, or rather the second may include the first for the god who has power to drive away Zcvc 'Att6any plague has also power to send it. pvtos was worshiped at Elis in Greece as a disperser of flies, and further analogies drawn from the occurrence of " fly gods " among other nations (see Frazer's note to his ed. of Pausanias, v. 14) warrant us in retaining the common explanation until decisive proof It has been sugto the contrary is forthcoming. gested that the second element of the name has been modified from an original "Zebul," or rather "beth Zebul," so that the name would mean "lord of the high-house" (compare I Kings viii. 13). The drop;



A

ping of " Beth " is not without example (see Baalpeor) but the warrant for assuming textual corrupIt was not unusual to call a tion is not sufficient. god by the name of things that were particularly troublesome, and which he was asked to destroy (Nowack, "Hebr. Arch." p. 304; compare Apollo Smintheus as the destroyer of mice among the The New Testament form "Beelzebub" Greeks). (Matt. x. 25, etc.) is probably not based upon any Old Testament reading, but is due to phonetic dis;

similation. j. jr.

See Beelzebub. F.

J-

McC.

BAAL-ZEBTJB IN RABBINICAL LITERATURE. See Baal-berith in Rabbinical Literature.

BAAL-ZEPHON.— Biblical Data An Egyp:

tian locality in the neighborhood of the Red Sea. In spite of all attempted combinations (DillmannRyssell on Ex. xiv. 2) its situation is still unknown. An Egyptian god, B'irati Dapuna that is, Ba'alat

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Zaphon—is mentioned by the Egyptians themselves (W. Max Miiller, " Asien und Europa, " p. 315). The name calls to mind the Phenician pax ijj?3, which designates both a god and a place.

It particularly

a city on Mount Lebanon, which, in the opinion of H. Winckler, occurs also in the Old Testament for he interprets Jer. x v. 12 (" Alttestamentliche Untersuchungen, " p. 179), as "iron of Baalzephon." However, it is not certain whether the Egyptian signifies



city and the Egyptian god Ba'alat Zaphon are directly connected with the Phenician name of a god. F. Bu. j. jb.

Baalbek

when God sent the tenth plague upon Egypt, which not only brought death to men and animals, but also destroyed the idols. When Pharaoh overtook Israel at the sea, near Baal-zephon (Ex. xiv. 9), he said, " This idol is indeed mighty, and the God of Israel is powerless over him." But God intentionally spared Baal-zephon in order to strengthen the infatuation of the wicked Pharaoh (Mek., Beshallah, 2; Bo, 13). L. G. J. sr.

BAALAH xv.

9,

1



.

10; I Chron.

A border xiii. 6)

town of Judah (Josh, called elsewhere Kir.tath-

jearim. 2.

Amount on

3.

A city

the border of Judah (Josh. xv. 11). Judah (Josh. xv. 29), held by the Simeonites (Josh. xix. 3, where it is called Balah, while in the corresponding list of I Chron. iv. 29, it is called Bilhah). j. jr. G. B. L. in the south of

BAALATH: 1. A Danite city (Josh. xix. 44). 2. A city built by Solomon mentioned in connecwith Tadmor (I Kings ix. 18 not been determined.

tion



II Chron. viii.

Its site has j. jr.

6).

G. B. L.

BAALATH BEER A city in the possession of

Simeon (Josh. xix. 8) "but in the corresponding list of I Chron. iv. 33 called "Baal." B. L. j. jr.

G

BAALBEK A city situated

at the base of the western slope of the Anti-Lebanon, in a fertile region. It is the Heliopolis of the Greek and Roman writers, and is famous for the magnificent ruins of several temples a large one with a vast courtyard a smaller one (the Temple of the Sun) and a still smaller one, The last two buildelegantly built in rococo style. ings, distinguished not only for their large proportions, but also for fine detail work, were probably constructed in the second century and information from the seventh century indicates that the large temple was erected by Antoninus Pius. In classic literature the first mention of Heliopolis is in the third century but coins found in the city show that it existed in the first century, when it was a Roman colony. Its origin, however, belongs to a still earlier period, for it was the principal center of the Syrian sunworship. This is corroborated by the fact that the name " Baalbek " is found among the Syrians and the Arabians. The meaning of the second part of the name is inexplicable but the first part suggests the

—











old Semitic "Baal." It is doubtful whether this Some idencity is mentioned in the Old Testament. tify it with Baal-gad but Baal-gad could not have Others think that it is Aven lain so far north. (Amos i. 5), because the Greek translation renders " Aven" by " On " the usual designation of " HeliopThe word " On, " however, borrowed from the olis. " Egyptians, can not with justification be applied to a

—

and the place mentioned by Amos is undoubtedly in the neighborhood of Damascus. Baalbek is mentioned several times in Talmud and Midrash compare Ne'ubauer, "G. T." p. 286; compare also Solomon in Rabbinical Literature. Syrian city





Bibliography Robinson, Biblical Researches, iii. 505-527 Wood and Dawson, Ruins of Baalbec, 1757 Volney, Voyage en Svrie Baedeker-Soctn, Palestine, s.v.



In Rabbinical Literature The idol at Baalzephon was the only one that remained unharmed



j.

jr.

F. Bu.