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בֵּית אָוֶן

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤀𐤅𐤍

Beyt Aven

H1007 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בנה, און to build, establish; to be strong, to commit wrongdoing, act unjustly, bring trouble

Definition

Beth-Aven is a toponym meaning 'house of iniquity,' 'house of wickedness,' or 'house of deceit.' Used in the Hebrew Bible as both a proper place name and, on occasion, a derogatory re-naming for a site associated with apostasy or wrongful worship. The semantic range includes literal identification of a location and figurative application to disparage another site.

Semantic Range

proper place name; literal location (Beth-Aven, a site in Benjamin); pejorative or polemical renaming of Bethel; 'house of iniquity,' 'house of trouble,' 'house of wickedness'; site of illicit worship

Root / Etymology

Compound from the Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') and אָוֶן ('awen, 'trouble, iniquity, vanity, wickedness,' or 'deceit'), thus literally 'house of iniquity.' The root for בַּיִת is בנה (b-n-h, 'to build'), and for אָוֶן is א-ו-ן ('to act unjustly, lead astray, trouble, iniquity'), but within the compound the elements are in their nominal forms, functioning as a toponym. The name is likely a deliberate polemic or wordplay rather than a neutral toponym.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, Beth-Aven occurs as a proper name for a location east of Bethel in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 7:2). However, in prophetic texts (notably Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5), the term is used pejoratively for Bethel, the cultic center of the northern kingdom of Israel, to emphasize its association with idolatry and wrongdoing. This derogatory use demonstrates how the toponym developed a negative rhetorical function, especially in exilic and post-exilic critiques of earlier Israelite practices. The use of 'vanity' or 'wickedness' in English traditions often narrows the original semantic field; the term encompasses general wrongdoing or falsehood, not merely moral vanity. The use of 'Beth-aven' in early translation traditions may sometimes be conflated with 'Bethel' when used polemically. Distinct from בֵּית-אֵל (Bethel, 'house of God'), 'Beth-Aven' is employed to contrast sites of legitimate and illegitimate worship.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בַּיִת and אָוֶן; house of vanity; Beth-Aven, a place in Palestine; Beth-aven.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

און (ʾ-w-n) — nothingness, worthlessness, trouble, wickedness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H202 אוֹן Strength
H203 אוֹן and On
H205 אָוֶן worthless wickedness
H206 אָוֶן worthless wickedness
H207 אוֹנוֹ his strength

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1007-02 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp Beth house-of 7
H1007-01 אָ֨וֶן֙ aven HNp aven worthless wickedness 7

Occurrences in Scripture

14 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1007-02 Joshua 7:2 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp Beth house-of
H1007-01 Joshua 7:2 אָ֨וֶן֙ aven HNp aven worthless wickedness
H1007-02 Joshua 18:12 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp Beth house-of
H1007-01 Joshua 18:12 אָֽוֶן aven HNp Aven worthless wickedness
H1007-02 1 Samuel 13:5 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp Beth house-of
H1007-01 1 Samuel 13:5 אָֽוֶן aven HNp Aven worthless wickedness
H1007-02 1 Samuel 14:23 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp house-of house-of
H1007-01 1 Samuel 14:23 אָֽוֶן aven HNp Aven worthless wickedness
H1007-02 Hosea 4:15 בֵּ֣ית beyt HNp house house-of
H1007-01 Hosea 4:15 אָ֔וֶן aven HNp of Aven worthless wickedness
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