when their heart deviseth how to] About the 17th year of his reign, A. speak or act it, Job xv. 35. The M. 3466, and just when Cyrus the brazen belly and thighs of Nebuchad- famed conqueror laid siege to his capinezzar's visionary image, signified tal, Belshazzar, probably on a festival the empire of the Greeks, under sacred to the idol Sheshach, made a Alexander, Dan. ii. 32. and xi. The splendid feast for a thousand of his belly, which multitudes serve and lords. Heated with wine, he ordered make their god is carnal lusts and the sacred vessels which had been sensual pleasures which render them taken from the temple of God at Jebeastly, and daily crave new satis-rusalem, to be brought; in these, he, faction, Rom. xvi. 18. Phil. iii. 19. his wives, concubines, and lords, The inhabitants of Crete are called drunk in an intemperate and idolaslow bellies, for their gluttony, drunk-trous manner, singing songs in hoenness, sloth, and idleness, Tit. i. nour of their idols. An angel's form12. Jonah calls the belly of the ing the appearance of a hand, and whale the belly of hell, because of his writing the king's condemnation on great darkness, perplexity, and dis- the wall, checked their mirth, and quiet of mind while in it, Jon. ii. 2. filled them with terror. Belshazzar BELONG: a person or thing is was struck into such a panic that the said to belong to one, as he is the joints of his loins were loosed and cause, author, proprietor, dispenser, he trembled exceedingly. None or end thereof, Gen. xl. 8. Lev. xxvii. present could either read or explain 24. Dan. ix. 9. Luke xix. 42. the writing. The magicians, astro BELOVED, loved, affectionately logers, and others, famed for wisdom, dear. This word is applied, (1.) To were called; and a scarlet suit of wife and children, Hos. ix. 16. (2.) apparel, a golden chain for his neck, To the church, Jer. xi. 15. (3.) and the office of third ruler in the To particular saints, Neh. xiii. 26. kingdom, was the reward promised Dan ix. 23. (4.) To the New Je- to him who should read and interpret rusalem, Rev. xx. 9. (5.) To Christ, it. Ignorant of the characters, or Matt. iii. 17. God infinitely esteems, struck with a panic, none of them loves, and delights in him as his Son, could pretend to read or interpret and mediatorial servant. He is the the writing. The sagacious Nitocris, beloved of saints; is highly esteemed, hearing of the perplexity of her son desired, and praised. Saints are the and his courtiers, desired that Daniel, beloved of God in Christ; and the who, it seems, had been long a stranchurch is a beloved city. In infinite ger to the court, should be sent for; love to them, God devised their salas, she hoped, he would read and vation; Jesus laid down his life, and interpret it. He was immediately intercedes for them, and all the di- brought, and the reward offered him, vine Persons concur to save and de- which he modestly refused. After light in them. a faithful reproof of the king for his BELIE, to give one the lie. To idolatry and ungrateful abuse of the belie the Lord, is falsely to ascribe our sacred vessels of the Jewish temple, prosperity or distress to some other he read the writing, which was, Mene, principal cause rather than God, Jer. tekel, upharsin; MENE, said he to the v. 12. Prov. xxx. 9. king, imports that God hath num BELSHAZZAR, master of the se-bered thy kingdom and finished it; cret treasure, the son of Evil-mero-TEKEL, thou art weighed in the badach and Nitocris, and the grand- lances, and art found wanting; PEson of Nebuchadnezzar king of Ba- RES, thy kingdom is divided, wrested bylon. He was a most worthless from thee, and given to the Medes and inactive king: but his excellent and Persians. Daniel immediately mother exerted herself exceedingly received the promised reward; and, for the support of the kingdom. it seems, the king and his courtiers returned to their cups. Cyrus, the valiant men, and captain of his general of the Persian troops, and his guards. He killed the two famed Ariels uncle, Darius the Mede, had already of Moab. He killed a lion that had besieged Babylon two years, without slipt into a pit in the time of snow. success. Foreseeing this feast, he Armed with a staff, he attacked an diverted the Euphrates from its chan-Egyptian champion armed with a nel. That very night he marched spear, plucked his spear out of his his troops along the channel. The hand, and slew him with it. Having brazen gates on the river being left adhered to Solomon against Adoniopen by the drunken Chaldeans, they jah, and assisted at his coronation, rushed in, and filled the city with he was made general instead of terrible slaughter and confusion. Go-Joab; and by Solomon's orders put brias and Gadata, two Babylonian Joab and Adonijah to death, 2 Sam. deserters, with some choice Persian xxiii. 20. 1 Kings i. and ii. warriors, rushed into the palace, BEN-AMMI, son of my people, the killed the guards, plunged their produce of the incestuous commerce swords into the bowels of king Bel-between Lot and his younger daughshazzar and his nobles, whilst they ter, and progenitor of the Ammonwere scarcely awaked from their ites, Gen. xix. 38. sleep and drunkenness. It seems . BENCHES, seats in ships for the the king's corpse had not so much as rowers. The Tyrians had some of a decent burial. ivory, Ezek. xxvii. 6. Christian historians sufficiently BEND, to bow, to yield or stoop. agree that by the Persians, Medes, and To bend a bow, is to bow it by drawArmenians, Babylon was taken and ing the string, that the arrow may the empire translated to the Medes, fly off with great force, Jer. 1. 14. and thence to the Persians. All agree, God's bending Judah for himself, and that, after Belshazzar, no Chaldean filling the bow with Ephraim, is supreigned at Babylon; but, as Hero-posed to be his enabling them to dedotus relates the affair so differently feat the Syro-Grecian forces in the from scripture, they are not agreed time of the Maccabees, Zech. ix. 13. that Belshazzar was Nabonedus, or The vine, the royal family of Judah, whether he was Nebuchadnezzar's bent her roots towards the king of grandson. Scaliger thinks him to be Egypt, when king Zedekiah entered the infant Laboroschard, the son into a covenant with, and depended of Neriglissar by Nebuchadnezzar's on, him for assistance against the daughter. Marsham supposes him to king of Babylon, Ezek. xvii. 7. The be Evil-merodach. But it is certain Gentiles come bending to the church, that God promised the service of the when they join themselves members, nations to Nebuchadnezzar, and his with great readiness, affection, and son and son's son. It is plain, there- humility, Isa. lx. 14. To be bent to fore, Belshazzar could not be Evil-backsliding, is to be earnestly set merodach, who was but the son of upon it, Hos. xi. 7. Nebuchadnezzar. Nor could he be BENEATH, under, or lower than Laboroschard, who was but Nebu- some other things; so earth is below chadnezzar's daughter's son, and besides, reigned but a few months and died an infant; whereas Belshazzar reigned several years, and had wives and concubines, Jer. 1. and li. Isa. xiii. and xiv. Dan. v. and viii. 1. BEMOAN, to mourn over, Jer. XV. 5 BENAIAH, son of the Lord, the son of Jehoiada, was one of David's Men, especially the heavens in respect of place; slaves BENEFACTORS, such as do much good to others. Rulers are often solites, gave him a terrible defeat. An called, when they scarcely deserve hundred thousand of his forces were the name; but their office requires slain on the spot. A wall in Aphek them to be such, Luke xxii. 25. fell upon 27,000 more, and crushed BENEFITS, (1.) The gifts and them to death. Reduced to the brink favours of God, 2 Chron. xxxii. 25. of despair, Benhadad, by his servants' (2.) The favours and useful deeds of advice, threw himself on Ahab's men one to another, 2 Cor. i. 15. mercy. The insolent blasphemer Philem. 14. Salvation from sin and had not only his life granted him, but misery, to holiness and happiness, is liberty to return to his kingdom on called the benefit: it is the greatest the easiest terms. Contrary even to display of God's favour to us, and these, he retained Ramoth-gilead, a comprehends all kindness, 1 Tim. city of Israel, in his hands; and when vi. 2. To benefit any one, is to do Ahab attempted to wrest it from him, him good, Jer. xviii. 10. he most ungratefully ordered his BENEVOLENCE, kindness; the troops to aim their strokes chiefly sober use of the marriage-bed, 1 Cor. at him, who by a sinful excess of vii. 3. pity, had so lately given him his BENHADAD, son of joy, the son life and kingdom, 1 Kings xx. and of Tabrimon, and king of Syria. In-xxii. stigated by Asa's presents, he broke Soon after, he made war on Jehohis league with Baasha, king of Is-ram, Ahab's successor, and carried rael, and ravaged the northern parts off a number of Hebrew captives. of his kingdom. In the reign of Om- Informed by one of these, that an ri, or Ahab, he made streets, mar- Hebrew prophet could eure Naaman ket-places, or rather citadels, for his general of his leprosy, he sent himself in Samaria, 1 Kings xv. 18. him to king Jehoram for that end. and xx. 34. The general had scarcely returned 2. BENHADAD, the son and suc- home, cured of his loathsome disease, cessor of the former, was a still more when Benhadad poured his ravaging terrible scourge to the kingdom of troops into the kingdom of Israel, Israel. In the reign of AHAB he ra- chiefly aiming to cut off Jehoram vaged the country, laid siege to Sa- himself. Informed that Elisha revealmaria, the capital, insolently claimed ed his designs to Jehoram, he sent a his wives, children, and wealth; and party to apprehend the prophet. At every thing valuable in the city. The Elisha's request, God smote them Israelites rejected his absurd condi- with a partial blindness, and he led tions, and were miraculously enabled them to Samaria, where king Jehowith a few troops to rout his power ram would have killed them; but ful army. Remembering that God advised by Elisha, he gave them regave the law from a mountain, and freshment, and dismissed them in had his temple on another, his ser- safety. Terrified at Elisha's power, vants persuaded him that the Hebrews or moved with Jehoram's generosity, God was only God of the hills: and Benhadad, for about four years, withthat if they had fought them in a drew his plundering bands. At last plain, they should certainly have gain- he invaded the country, and besieged ed the victory. This stupid fancy he Samaria; till the famine was excesreadily believed; and displacing his sive. The head of an ass was sold 32 tributary kings from their place for almost 10l. sterling, and about 3 in his army, he filled it with captains, gills of dove's dung, or coarse pulse, which he hoped to be more skilful or for nearly 12 shillings women did trusty in war, and next year returned eat their own infants. Elisha foreto make a full conquest of the king-told, that the next day a bushel of fine dom of Israel. To chastise his wick-flour, and two bushels of barley, edness, God, by a handful of Israel-would be sold for about half a crown, VOL. I. X That very night the Lord terrified the dying in child-bed, called him BENSyrian host; they imagined they ONI, the son of my sorrow; but unheard a terrible noise, and concluded willing to have his name a constant that Jehoram had hired a prodigious memorial of his beloved Rachel's army of Egyptians, Hittites, and death, Jacob called him BENJAMIN. others, to swallow them up. In great He married when young, and was consternation they fled from their scarcely 32 years of age when he camp, leaving it furnished as it was; had fen sons, Belah, Bechir, Ashbel by the way they flung off their gar-Gera, Naaman, Eli or Ahiram, Rosh, ments, and cast from them what they Muppim or Shupham, Huppim, or had taken with them. Four lepers, Hupham, and Ard, five of whom died whom hunger had forced to cast childless, Gen. xxxv. 16-18. and themselves on the Syrian mercy, find-xlvi. 21. When a famine obliged ing the camp deserted, informed king Jacob to send his other ten sons to Jehoram of it. After some precau- Egypt for corn, he kept Benjamin at tions taken to try whether the Syrians home with himself, reckoning him had really fled, the Hebrews plunder-the only surviving child of his beloved the camp, and the plenty answer-ed wife. Joseph ordered his brethren ed to the prophet's prediction, 2 to bring him down with them at their Kings v. vi. and vii. Next year Ben- return, or they should be held for hadad sickened; and, being inform-spies. With no small reluctance, ed that Elisha was somewhere near Jacob was at last persuaded to let to Damascus, he sent Hazael his ge- him go. To try his brethren's affecneral to him, with a present of 40 tion to him, Joseph, after giving him camel's load of the most precious superior honours at his feast, soon things of Syria, to inquire if he brought him into great appearance should recover. Elisha replied, that of danger, by the silver cup being there was nothing mortal in his dis- found in his sack, as if stolen by him. temper; but, however, he should He soon after gave him five suits of certainly die. Hazael informed his apparel, and about 35l. sterling in master, that the prophet foretold his money. In his last benediction, Jarecovery; but to prevent it, took a thick cloth, dipt it in water, and spread it on his master's face, and so stifled him to death, and seized on his throne, 2 Kings viii. cob foretold that his tribe should, in the beginning and end of the Jewish state, be remarkable for valour and ravage; and Moses, that it should have safe residence just by the tem3. BENHADAD, the son of Hazael, ple of God, Gen. xliii. to xlv. and was also king of Syria. Under him xlix. 27. Deut. xxxiii. 12. When that kingdom was reduced to the this tribe came out of Egypt, it conbrink of ruin. Jehoash and Jeroboam, sisted of five families, the Belaites, kings of Israel, beat his troops in Ashbelites, Ahiramites, Shuphamites, a variety of pitched battles, and for- and Huphamites; their chief prince ced him to restore to the Israelites was Abidan, the son Gideoni; the whatever his predecessors had un-number of their armed men under justly seized, 2 Kings xii. 3. and xiii.him was 35,400. In the wilderness 25. and xiv 25. they increased to 45,600. BENHAIL, son of strength, one of marched in the camp of Ephraim, those whom Jehoshaphat sent to the and pitched their tents behind the several cities of his dominions, in or- tabernacle. Their spy to search the der to instruct the people, and re-promised land was Palti, the son of claim them from idolatry, 2 Chron. xvii. 7. They Rapha; their prince to divide it was Elidad, the son of Chislon. Their inBENJAMIN, son of the right hand, heritance lay to the north, and norththe youngest son of Jacob and Ra-east of the lot of Judah, Numb. xxvi. chel, born A. M. 2272. His mother 38-41. and i. 11, 36, 37. and i TO BEREAVE, to strip, to deprive 18-22. and xiii. 9. and xxiv. 21. BERA, a well, king of Sodom, Josh. xvii. had his country terribly ravaged by Not long after the death of Joshua, Chedorlaomer and his allies. When this tribe patronized the lewd wretch-Abram defeated the conquerors, es of Gibeah, and drew a war upon and recovered the spoil, Bera offerthemselves. They were then famed ed him the whole booty, the persons warriors, especially in using the bow. excepted; but Abram refused any Twice they, with 25,000, defeated part of it, lest it should be said, that about 360,000 of the other tribes, not JEHOVAH, but the king of Soand slew 40,000. In the third bat-dom, had made him rich, Gen.xiv. tle they were defeated; and except BERACHAH. See VALLEY, and 600, who fled to the rock Rimmon, JEHOSHAPHAT. their whole tribe was cut off. The BEREA, heavy, a city of Macedoextirpation of this tribe exceedingly nia: it was a little distance from grieved their brethren, as soon as Pella, where Alexander was born. they had leisure to think; they, there- Here Paul preached with great suc fore, from the virgins of Jabesh-gi-cess; and his hearers were exceedlead and of Shiloh, procured wives to ingly careful to compare what they the 600 that remained, Judges xx. heard with the scriptures of the Old and xxi. It was perhaps scarcely Testament. Sopater, one of them, sixty years after, when EHUD, one attended him to Asia, Acts xvii. 10 of this tribe, judged Israel, and deli- -13. and xx. 4. vered them from the Moabites. Saul and Ishbosheth, two of the first kings of, Gen. xliii. 14. of Israel, were of this tribe. About twenty of the most valiant of this tribe came over to David before Saul's the daughter of Agrippa the Great. death, 1 Chron. xii. 2—7. and 3,000 She was first betrothed to Mark, the more soon after the death of Ishbo- son of Alexander, governor of the sheth, 1 Chron. xii. 1-7, 29. When Jews at Alexandria. She next marDavid numbered them a little before ried her own uncle, Herod king of his death, there were of the Belaites Chalcis. After his death, she mar22,034 warriors; of the Becharites ried Polemon king of Pontus, on con20,200; of the Jediaelites 17,200, dition of his being circumcised. She besides others, 1 Chron. vii. 6-12. quickly after abandoned him, and reThe captain of their 24,000 trained turned to Agrippa her brother, with bands, was Abiezer the Anetothite; whom it is supposed, she lived in and their chief prince was Jaasiel, an habitual incest. They both apthe son of ABNER, 1 Chron. xxvii. peared with great pomp, to hear 12, 21. When the other ten tribes Paul's defence at Cesarea, Acts xxv. revolted to Jeroboam, the Benjamites 13, 23. and xxvi. clave to Judah, and the house of Da- BERODACH. See MERODACH, vid, and all along shared in the reli- BEROTH, wells, BEROTHAH, or gion and fate of that tribe. Under CHUN, a city of Syria, conquered by Jehoshaphat, their militia amounted David; perhaps it was Berytus in to 380,000. After the captivity, a Phenicia, 2 Sam. viii. 8, 1 Chron. vast number of them dwelt at Jeru-xviii. 8. BERITH. See BAAL-BERITH. salem, 2 Chron. xi. and xvii. and BERRY, a small fruit growing on 1 Chron. viii. and ix. But the great trees, bushes, &c. The kinds and honour of this tribe was the apostle qualities of berries are almost innuPaul, who, in the morning of his merable. Some are poisonous; but life, ravened as a persecutor; and, most are nourishing and medicinal. in the latter part of it, converted mul-The few Israelites left in their land titudes of sinners to Christ, Phil. iii. by the Assyrians, are likened to a 5. Gen. xlix. 27. few berries left in the uppermost or out |