Bible Dictionary
Beth-aven
A place in Benjamin east of Bethel and near Ai and Michmash. Hosea also used the name mockingly for Bethel because of its idolatry.
Definition
Beth-aven means “house of vanity” or “house of idols.” It was a place in the mountains of Benjamin, east of Bethel, near Ai and west of Michmash.
Biblical Usage
Beth-aven is listed in the boundaries of Benjamin and appears in accounts involving Ai and Michmash. Hosea used the name mockingly for Bethel because Bethel had become associated with idolatry rather than the house of God.
Historical Background
A possible site is Khirbet An, west of Michmash, but the identification is uncertain. The name may also represent an original expression meaning “house of wealth.”
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
House of nothingness; i.e., “of idols”, a place in the mountains of Benjamin, east of Bethel (Josh. 7:2; 18:12; 1 Sam. 13:5). In Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5 it stands for “Bethel” (q.v.), and it is so called because it was no longer the “house of God,” but “the house of idols,” referring to the calves there worshipped.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>beth-a'-ven (beth 'awen; Baithon, Baithaun): A place on the northern boundary of the territory of Benjamin (Jos 18:12) East of Bethel, near Ai (Jos 7:2), West of Michmash (1Sa 13:5; 14:23). Beth-aven, "house of vanity," i.e. "idolatry," may possibly represent an original beth-'on, "house of wealth." Wilson (PEFS, 1869, 126) suggests Khirbet An, West of Michmash. The name is used in mockery for Bethel by Hosea (4:15; 10:5,8, etc.; compare Am 5:5).</p>