Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
promised to Solomon, Bath-sheba informed the king of the conspiracy. (1 Kings 1:11,15,23) After
the accession of Solomon, she, as queen-mother, requested permission of her son for Adonijah to
take in marriage Abishag the Shunammite. (1 Kings 2:21-25)
Bathshua
[BATH-SHEBA]
Batteringram
(Ezekiel 4:2; 21:22) a large beam with a head of iron which was sometimes made to resemble
the head of a ram. It was suspended by ropes to a beam supported by posts, and balanced so as to
swing backward and forward, and was impelled by men against the wall. In attacking the walls of
a fort or city, the first step appears to have been to form an inclined plane or bank of earth, comp.
(Ezekiel 4:2) “cast a mount against it,” by which the besiegers could bring their battering-rams and
other engines to the foot of the walls. “The battering-rams,” says Mr. Layard “were of several kinds.
Some were joined to movable towers which held warriors and armed men. The whole then formed
one great temporary building, the top of which is represented in sculptures as on a level with the
walls, and even turrets, of the besieged city. In some bas-reliefs the battering-ram is without wheels:
it was then perhaps constructed upon the spot and was not intended to be moved.”
Battleaxe
(Jeremiah 51:20) [Maul]
Battlement
Among the Jews a battlement was required by law to be built upon every house. It consisted
of a low wall built around the roofs of the houses to prevent persons from falling off, and sometimes
serving as a partition from another building. (22:8; Jeremiah 5:10)
Bavai
son of Henadad, ruler of the district of Keilah in the time of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 3:18) (B.C.
446.)
Bay Tree
A species of laurel. Laurus nobilis . An evergreen, with leaves like our mountain laurel. (Psalms
37:35)
Bazlith
(asking). “Children of Bazlith” were among the Nethinim who returned with Zerubbabel.
(Nehemiah 7:54) In (Ezra 2:52) the name is given as Bazluth. (B.C. 536.)
Bazluth
[Bazlith]
Bdellium
(bedolach). (Genesis 2:12; Numbers 11:7) It is quite impossible to say whether bedolach denotes
a mineral or an animal production or a vegetable exudation. Bdellium is an odoriferous exudation
from a tree which is perhaps the Borassus flabelliformis, Lin., of Arabia Felix.
Beacon
A signal or conspicuous mark erected on an eminence for direction. (Isaiah 30:17)
Bealiah
(Jehovah is lord), a Benjamite who went over to David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:5) (B.C.
1062.)
Bealoth
(ladies) a town in the extreme south of Judah. (Joshua 15:24)
88
William Smith