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•BERYL the rendering in the Authorized Version of the Hebrew word tarshish, a precious stone; probably so called as being brought from Tarshish. It was one of the stones on the breastplate of the high priest (Exodus 28:20; R.V. marg., “chalcedony;” 39:13). The colour of the wheels in Ezekiel’s vision was as the colour of a beryl stone (1:16; 10:9; R.V., “stone of Tarshish”). It is mentioned in Cant. 5:14; Daniel 10:6; Revelation 21:20. In Ezekiel 28:13 the LXX. render the word by “chrysolite,” which the Jewish historian Josephus regards as its proper translation. This also is the rendering given in the Authorized Version in the margin. That was a gold-coloured gem, the topaz of ancient authors.
•BESOM the rendering of a Hebrew word meaning sweeper, occurs only in Isaiah 14:23, of the sweeping away, the utter ruin, of Babylon.
•BESOR cold, a ravine or brook in the extreme south-west of Judah, where 200 of David’s men stayed behind because they were faint, while the other 400 pursued the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:9, 10, 21). Probably the Wadyes Sheriah, south of Gaza.
•BESTEAD the rendering in Isaiah 8:21, where alone it occurs, of a Hebrew word meaning to oppress, or be in circumstances of hardship.
•BETAH confidence, a city belonging to Hadadezer, king of Zobah, which yielded much spoil of brass to David (2 Samuel 8:8). In 1 Chronicles 18:8 it is called Tibhath.
•BETH occurs frequently as the appellation for a house, or dwelling-place, in such compounds as the words immediately following:
•BETHABARA house of the ford, a place on the east bank of the Jordan, where John was baptizing (John 1:28). It may be identical with Bethbarah,