בֵּית אָ֫וֶן
bet a.ven
Beth-aven
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Beth-aven: A Place Name in Biblical Geography Beth-aven (בֵּית אָ֫וֶן) is a Hebrew place name appearing 14 times in the biblical text. The term is a compound of two Hebrew words: "beth" (house/place) and "aven" (trouble/wickedness), literally meaning "house of trouble" or "house of wickedness." As a proper noun, it functions primarily as a geographical designation rather than as a descriptive epithet, though its etymological meaning may carry implicit commentary. The relatively modest frequency of occurrence (14 instances) suggests Beth-aven was a significant but not dominant location in biblical geography. Without additional lexicon data specifying the exact contexts or regions where it appeared, we can only confirm from the provided information that it maintained enough importance to warrant multiple biblical references. The name's structure—combining a common noun with a negative term—follows a typical Hebrew naming convention where place names sometimes reflected perceived characteristics or historical associations of those locations. The significance of Beth-aven lies primarily in its role as a geographical marker in the biblical narrative. Its repeated occurrence across 14 passages indicates it served as a recognizable point of reference for biblical writers and audiences, though the specific historical or religious importance would require examination of those individual contextual passages.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
14 total occurrences across the text
“Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet don’t let Judah offend; and don’t come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, ‘As Yahweh lives.’
Hosea 4:15“Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, yet don’t let Judah offend; and don’t come to Gilgal, neither go up to Beth Aven, nor swear, ‘As Yahweh lives.’
Hosea 5:8“Blow the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah! Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven, behind you, Benjamin!
Hosea 5:8“Blow the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah! Sound a battle cry at Beth Aven, behind you, Benjamin!
Hosea 10:5The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror for the calves of Beth Aven; for its people will mourn over it, Along with its priests who rejoiced over it, for its glory, because it has departed from it.
Hosea 10:5The inhabitants of Samaria will be in terror for the calves of Beth Aven; for its people will mourn over it, Along with its priests who rejoiced over it, for its glory, because it has departed from it.
Joshua 7:2Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.” The men went up and spied out Ai.
Joshua 7:2Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.” The men went up and spied out Ai.
Joshua 18:12Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.
Joshua 18:12Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.
1 Samuel 13:5The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.
1 Samuel 13:5The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.
1 Samuel 14:23So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.
1 Samuel 14:23So Yahweh saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.