Bezaleel - in the shadow of God; i.e., "under his protection", the artificer who executed the work of art in connection with the tabernacle in the wilderness ( Ex. 31:2;Ex 35:30). He was engaged principally in works of metal, wood, and stone; while Aholiab, who was associated with him and subordinate to him, had the charge of the textile fabrics ( Ex 36:1,Ex 36:2;Ex 38:22). He was of the tribe of Judah, the son of Uri, and grandson of Hur ( Ex 31:2). Mention is made in Ezra 10:30 of another of the same name.

Bezek - lightning. (1.) The residence of Adoni-bezek, in the lot of Judah ( Judg. 1:5). It was in the mountains, not far from Jerusalem. Probably the modern Bezkah, 6 miles south-east of Lydda.

(2.) The place where Saul numbered the forces of Israel and Judah (1 Sam. 11:8); somewhere in the centre of the country, near the Jordan valley. Probably the modern Ibzik, 13 miles north-east of Shechem.

Bezer - ore of gold or silver. (1.) A city of the Reubenites; one of the three cities of refuge on the east of Jordan (Deut. 4: 43; Josh. 20:8). It has been identified with the modern ruined village of Burazin, some 12 miles north of Heshbon; also with Kasur-el-Besheir, 2 miles south-west of Dibon.

(2.) A descendant of Asher (1 Chr. 7:37).

Bible - Bible, the English form of the Greek name Biblia, meaning "books," the name which in the fifth century began to be given to the entire collection of sacred books, the "Library of Divine Revelation." The name Bible was adopted by Wickliffe, and came gradually into use in our English language. The Bible consists of sixty-six different books, composed by many different writers, in three different languages, under different circumstances; writers of almost every social rank, statesmen and peasants, kings, herdsmen, fishermen, priests, tax-gatherers, tentmakers; educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles; most of them unknown to each other, and writing at various periods during the space of about 1600 years: and yet, after all, it is only one book dealing with only one subject in its numberless aspects and relations, the subject of man's redemption.

It is divided into the Old Testament, containing thirty-nine books, and the New Testament, containing twenty-seven books. The names given to the Old in the writings of the New are "the scriptures" ( Matt. 21:42), "scripture" (2 Pet. 1:20), "the holy scriptures" ( Rom. 1:2), "the law" ( John 12:34), "the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms" ( Luke 24:44), "the law and the prophets" ( Matt. 5:17), "the old covenant" (2 Cor. 3:14, R.V.). There is a break of 400 years between the Old Testament and the New. (See APOCRYPHA.)

The Old Testament is divided into three parts:, 1. The Law (Torah), consisting of the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. 2. The Prophets, consisting of (1) the former, namely, Joshua, Judges, the Books of Samuel, and the Books of Kings; (2) the latter, namely, the greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. 3. The Hagiographa, or holy writings, including the rest of the books. These were ranked in three divisions:, (1) The Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, distinguished by the Hebrew name, a word formed of the initial letters of these books, emeth, meaning truth. (2) Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, called the five rolls, as being written for the synagogue use on five separate rolls. (3) Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Between the Old and the New Testament no addition was made to the revelation God had already given. The period of New Testament revelation, extending over a century, began with the appearance of John the Baptist.

The New Testament consists of (1) the historical books, viz., the Gospels, and the Acts of the Apostles; (2) the Epistles; and (3) the book of prophecy, the Revelation.

The division of the Bible into chapters and verses is altogether of human invention, designed to facilitate reference to it. The ancient Jews divided the Old Testament into certain sections for use in the synagogue service, and then at a later period, in the ninth century A.D., into verses. Our modern system of chapters for all the books of the Bible was introduced by Cardinal Hugo about the middle of the thirteenth century (he died 1263). The system of verses for the New Testament was introduced by Stephens in 1551, and generally adopted, although neither Tyndale's nor Coverdale's English translation of the Bible has verses. The division is not always wisely made, yet it is very useful. (See VERSION.)

Bier - the frame on which dead bodies were conveyed to the grave ( Luke 7:14).

Bigtha - garden, or gift of fortune, one of the seven eunuchs or chamberlains who had charge of the harem of Ahasuerus ( Esther 1:10).

Bigthan - one of the eunuchs who "kept the door" in the court of Ahasuerus. With Teresh he conspired against the king's life. Mordecai detected the conspiracy, and the culprits were hanged ( Esther 2:21-23;Esther 6:1-3).

Bildad - son of contention, one of Job's friends. He is called "the Shuhite," probably as belonging to Shuah, a district in Arabia, in which Shuah, the sixth son of Abraham by Keturah, settled ( Gen. 25:2). He took part in each of the three controversies into which Job's friends entered with him ( Job 8:1;Job 18:1;Job 25:1), and delivered three speeches, very severe and stern in their tone, although less violent than those of Zophar, but more so than those of Eliphaz.

Bilgah - cheerful. (1.) The head of the fifteenth sacerdotal course for the temple service (1 Chr. 24:14). (2.) A priest who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel ( Neh. 12:5,Neh. 12:18).

Bilhah - faltering; bashful, Rachel's handmaid, whom she gave to Jacob ( Gen. 29:29). She was the mother of Dan and Naphtali ( Gen. 30:3-8). Reuben was cursed by his father for committing adultry with her ( Gen 35:22;Gen 49:4). He was deprived of the birth-right, which was given to the sons of Joseph.

Bilshan - son of the tongue; i.e., "eloquent", a man of some note who returned from the Captivity with Zerubbabel ( Ezra 2:2; Neh. 7:7).

Bird - Birds are divided in the Mosaic law into two classes, (1) the clean ( Lev. 1:14-17;Lev 5:7-10;Lev 14:4-7), which were offered in sacrifice; and (2) the unclean ( Lev. 11:13-20). When offered in sacrifice, they were not divided as other victims were ( Gen. 15:10). They are mentioned also as an article of food ( Deut. 14:11). The art of snaring wild birds is referred to ( Ps. 124:7; Prov. 1:17; Prov 7:23; Jer. 5:27). Singing birds are mentioned in Ps. 104:12; Eccl. 12:4. Their timidity is alluded to ( Hos. 11:11). The reference in Ps. 84:3 to the swallow and the sparrow may be only a comparison equivalent to, "What her house is to the sparrow, and her nest to the swallow, that thine altars are to my soul."

Birsha - son of wickedness, a king of Gomorrah whom Abraham succoured in the invasion of Chedorlaomer ( Gen. 14:2).

Birth - As soon as a child was born it was washed, and rubbed with salt ( Ezek. 16:4), and then swathed with bandages ( Job 38:9; Luke 2:7, Luke 2:12). A Hebrew mother remained forty days in seclusion after the birth of a son, and after the birth of a daughter double that number of days. At the close of that period she entered into the tabernacle or temple and offered up a sacrifice of purification ( Lev. 12:1-8; Luke 2:22). A son was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, being thereby consecrated to God ( Gen. 17:10-12; comp. Rom. 4:11). Seasons of misfortune are likened to the pains of a woman in travail, and seasons of prosperity to the joy that succeeds child-birth ( Isa. 13:8; Jer. 4:31; John 16:21, John 16:22). The natural birth is referred to as the emblem of the new birth ( John 3:3-8; Gal. 6:15; Titus 3:5, etc.).

Birth-day - The observance of birth-days was common in early times ( Job 1:4,Job 1:13,Job 1:18). They were specially celebrated in the land of Egypt ( Gen. 40:20). There is no recorded instance in Scripture of the celebration of birth-days among the Jews. On the occasion of Herod's birth-day John the Baptist was beheaded ( Matt. 14:6).

Birthright - (1.) This word denotes the special privileges and advantages belonging to the first-born son among the Jews. He became the priest of the family. Thus Reuben was the first-born of the patriarchs, and so the priesthood of the tribes belonged to him. That honour was, however, transferred by God from Reuben to Levi ( Num. 3:12,Num. 3:13;Num 8:18).

(2.) The first-born son had allotted to him also a double portion of the paternal inheritance ( Deut. 21:15-17). Reuben was, because of his undutiful conduct, deprived of his birth-right ( Gen. 49:4; 1 Chr. 5:1). Esau transferred his birth-right to Jacob ( Gen. 25:33).

(3.) The first-born inherited the judicial authority of his father, whatever it might be (2 Chr. 21:3). By divine appointment, however, David excluded Adonijah in favour of Solomon.

(4.) The Jews attached a sacred importance to the rank of "first-born" and "first-begotten" as applied to the Messiah ( Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:18; Heb. 1:4-6). As first-born he has an inheritance superior to his brethren, and is the alone true priest.

Bishop - an overseer. In apostolic times, it is quite manifest that there was no difference as to order between bishops and elders or presbyters ( Acts 20:17-28; 1 Pet. 5:1,1 Pet. 5:2; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3). The term bishop is never once used to denote a different office from that of elder or presbyter. These different names are simply titles of the same office, "bishop" designating the function, namely, that of oversight, and "presbyter" the dignity appertaining to the office. Christ is figuratively called "the bishop [episcopos] of souls" (1 Pet. 2:25).

Bit - the curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them. The Hebrew word (metheg) so rendered in Ps. 32:9 is elsewhere translated "bridle" (2 Kings 19:28; Prov. 26:3; Isa. 37:29). Bits were generally made of bronze or iron, but sometimes also of gold or silver. In James 3:3 the Authorized Version translates the Greek word by "bits," but the Revised Version by "bridles."

Bith-ron - the broken or divided place, a district in the Arabah or Jordan valley, on the east of the river (2 Sam. 2:29). It was probably the designation of the region in general, which is broken and intersected by ravines.

Bithynia - a province in Asia Minor, to the south of the Euxine and Propontis. Christian congregations were here formed at an early time (1 Pet. 1:1). Paul was prevented by the Spirit from entering this province ( Acts 16:7). It is noted in church history as the province ruled over by Pliny as Roman proconsul, who was perplexed as to the course he should take with the numerous Christians brought before his tribunal on account of their profession of Christianity and their conduct, and wrote to Trajan, the emperor, for instructions (A.D. 107).

Bitter - Bitterness is symbolical of affliction, misery, and servitude ( Ex. 1:14; Ruth 1:20; Jer. 9:15). The Chaldeans are called the "bitter and hasty nation" ( Hab. 1:6). The "gall of bitterness" expresses a state of great wickedness ( Acts 8:23). A "root of bitterness" is a wicked person or a dangerous sin ( Heb. 12:15).

The Passover was to be eaten with "bitter herbs" ( Ex. 12:8; Num. 9:11). The kind of herbs so designated is not known. Probably they were any bitter herbs obtainable at the place and time when the Passover was celebrated. They represented the severity of the servitude under which the people groaned; and have been regarded also as typical of the sufferings of Christ.

Bittern - is found three times in connection with the desolations to come upon Babylon, Idumea, and Nineveh ( Isa. 14:23;Isa 34:11; Zeph. 2:14). This bird belongs to the class of cranes. Its scientific name is Botaurus stellaris. It is a solitary bird, frequenting marshy ground. The Hebrew word (kippod) thus rendered in the Authorized Version is rendered "porcupine" in the Revised Version. But in the passages noted the kippod is associated with birds, with pools of water, and with solitude and desolation. This favours the idea that not the "porcupine" but the "bittern" is really intended by the word.

Bitumen - Gen. 11:3, R.V., margin, rendered in the A.V. "slime"), a mineral pitch. With this the ark was pitched Gen 6:14. See also Ex. 2:3.) (See SLIME.)