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.
BEHAVIOR
Christian Life - Both
Behavior is a person’s outward manner, conduct, or demeanor. Scripture uses the term both of David’s feigned madness and of the orderly, reverent conduct expected of Christian leaders and believers.
Behead
Government & Society - Both
To behead is to execute a person by cutting off the head. This method appears in accounts of royal punishment and in the deaths of John the Baptist and James.
Behemoth
Agriculture & Daily Life - Old Testament
Behemoth is the great creature described in Job 40. The description most naturally fits the hippopotamus, though the word elsewhere simply means beasts or cattle.
BEHOLDING
Christian Life - New Testament
Beholding means looking closely, observing, or discerning. In the New Testament it includes witnessing Christ’s glory and observing the good conduct of believers, while spiritual beholding of the Lord brings transformation and reflected glory.
BEHOOVE
Doctrine & Theology - New Testament
To behoove means that something is necessary, required, or morally fitting. In the New Testament it may express a divinely ordained necessity or an obligation that one ought to fulfill.
Bekah
Measures & Money - Old Testament
A bekah was a small Hebrew weight equal to half a shekel. The name means a division or part and was used in the census contribution described in Exodus.
Bel
Other - Old Testament
Bel was the Babylonian form of the title Baal, meaning “lord.” In biblical and related writings, Bel is associated especially with Marduk, the chief god of Babylon.
Bela
People & Groups - Old Testament
Bela is the name of several biblical figures and a place: Zoar, a city spared from Sodom’s destruction; a son of Benjamin; an early king of Edom; and a descendant of Reuben.
Belah
People & Groups - Old Testament
Belah is another form of Bela, the name of an early king of Edom mentioned in the genealogical records.
BELAITES
People & Groups - Old Testament
The Belaites were descendants of Bela, a family or clan associated with the tribe of Benjamin.
Belaites, The
People & Groups - Old Testament
The Belaites were the descendants or family of Bela, listed among the clans of Benjamin in the wilderness census.
BELCH
Sin & Judgment - Old Testament
To belch means to gush forth. In Psalm 59 it pictures enemies pouring out bitter words and evil thoughts, compared with the snarling and howling of dogs in the night.
Belial
Sin & Judgment - Both
Belial originally meant worthlessness or lawlessness, as in “sons of Belial.” In later Jewish usage and in the New Testament, it became a name associated with Satan or the forces opposed to Christ.
BELIEVERS
Salvation - New Testament
Believers are those who trust in Jesus Christ and attach themselves to His church. The term describes people who profess faith in Christ, though their spiritual experience and maturity may differ.
Bell
Objects & Symbols - Old Testament
Bells were small metal ornaments attached to the high priest’s robe so that his sound could be heard in the sanctuary. Similar objects were attached to horses, though some translations render them cymbals.
Bellows
Agriculture & Daily Life - Old Testament
Bellows were leather devices used to force air into a furnace or refining fire. Jeremiah uses the image of fiercely blowing bellows to portray judgment and the corruption of the people.
Bells
Objects & Symbols - Old Testament
Bells were used as ornaments on the high priest’s robe and on horses. Their sound served ceremonial or decorative purposes rather than summoning Israel to worship.
Belly
Agriculture & Daily Life - Both
Belly can mean the physical abdomen or inner body. Scripture also uses it figuratively for appetite, carnal desires, the innermost self, or the depths of the grave.
BELOVED
Christian Life - Both
Beloved is a term of affectionate love used for God’s people, fellow Christians, and especially Jesus Christ as the Father’s beloved Son. It expresses love marked by tender regard, honor, and spiritual fellowship.
Belshazzar
People & Groups - Old Testament
Belshazzar was the Babylonian ruler who held a feast using the vessels taken from Jerusalem’s temple. Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall, and that night Belshazzar was killed and Babylon fell.
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