Bible Dictionary
Explore biblical people, places, events, objects, ideas, and other terms. Search the dictionary directly, browse alphabetically, or narrow the list by category or Testament.
Baca
Places & Geography - Old Testament
Baca may refer to the valley of weeping in Psalm 84, or to balsam or mulberry trees mentioned elsewhere. The psalm uses the expression poetically for a difficult journey transformed by God’s blessing.
Baca, Valley of
Places & Geography - Old Testament
The Valley of Baca is the “valley of weeping” in Psalm 84:6, perhaps a real valley through which pilgrims traveled, or a figurative description of sorrow on the way to God’s sanctuary.
BACCHIDES
People & Groups - Inter-testament
Bacchides was a Syrian ruler and general who supported the appointment of Alcimus and campaigned against the Maccabees. After military conflict, he made peace with Jonathan, the brother of Judas Maccabee.
BACCHUS
People & Groups - Inter-testament
Bacchus, or Dionysus, was the Greek and Roman god of wine. His worship, associated in the source with drunkenness and immoral revelry, was imposed in Judea during the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes.
BACENOR
People & Groups - Inter-testament
Bacenor, or Bakenor, was an officer in the army of Judas Maccabee who took part in the conflict against Gorgias, governor of Idumaea.
Bachrites, The
People & Groups - Old Testament
The Bachrites were the family or descendants of Becher, a son of Ephraim.
BACK, BACK PARTS
Other - Both
“Back” or “back parts” may refer to the far side or rear of a place. When God’s “back” is mentioned, the expression is an anthropomorphic way of describing a limited glimpse or afterglow of His divine glory.
Backbite
Sin & Judgment - Both
To backbite is to slander, malign, or spread harmful reports about someone who is absent. Scripture condemns such secret talebearing and evil speech.
Backslide
Sin & Judgment - Both
To backslide is to turn away from faithful obedience to God, whether doctrinally or morally. The prophets especially use the term for Israel’s unfaithfulness to the covenant.
Badger
Temple & Tabernacle - Old Testament
“Badger skins” is the traditional translation for the animal skins used as coverings for the tabernacle and as sandals. The exact animal is uncertain; seal, porpoise, or dugong skin has also been suggested.
Badger Skins
Temple & Tabernacle - Old Testament
Badger skins, used in the tabernacle and for sandals, probably came from a marine animal such as a seal, porpoise, or dugong rather than the common land badger. The precise identification remains uncertain.
BAEAN
People & Groups - Inter-testament
Baean was a tribe hostile to the Jews and opposed to their religion and the rebuilding of the sanctuary. Judas Maccabee defeated and destroyed them after their aggression against the Jewish people.
Bag
Agriculture & Daily Life - Both
A bag in Scripture could be a shepherd’s wallet, a purse, a pouch for weights, a tied bundle for valuables, or a small money box. Judas carried such a money box among Jesus’ disciples.
Baharumite, The
People & Groups - Old Testament
The Baharumite was a person from Bahurim, the village near the road between Jerusalem and the Jordan.
Bahurim
Places & Geography - Old Testament
Bahurim was a village in Benjamin east of Jerusalem, on David’s flight from Absalom. Shimei lived there, and David’s messengers were hidden there.
Bajith
Temple & Tabernacle - Old Testament
Bajith probably denotes a temple or house of worship of the Moabite gods, mentioned with the high places in Isaiah’s prophecy.
Bakbakkar
People & Groups - Old Testament
Bakbakkar was a Levite associated with the temple service, apparently among the descendants or servants of Asaph.
Bakbuk
People & Groups - Old Testament
Bakbuk was the ancestor of a family of Nethinim who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel after the exile.
Bakbukiah
People & Groups - Old Testament
Bakbukiah was the name of several Levites who served after the return from Babylon, including singers, a gatekeeper, and one who lived in Jerusalem.
Bake
Agriculture & Daily Life - Both
To bake is to prepare bread or cakes by heat. In biblical times bread was commonly baked in an oven, on hot stones, or on heated coals, often by women or household servants.
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