Lexical Summary Beth Baal Meon: Beth Baal Meon Original Word: בֵּית בַּעל מְעוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Beth-baal-meon From bayith and Ba'al and ma'own; house of Baal of (the) habitation of (apparently by transposition); or (shorter) Beyth M own {bayth me-own'}; house of habitation of (Baal); Beth- Baal-Meon, a place in Palestine -- Beth-baal-meon. Compare Ba'al m'own and b'on. see HEBREW bayith see HEBREW Ba'al see HEBREW ma'own see HEBREW Ba'al m'own see HEBREW b'on NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom bayith, Baal, and maon Definition "house of Baal of (the) habitation," a place E. of the Jordan NASB Translation Beth-baal-meon (1), Beth-meon (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs בֵּית בַּ֫עַל מְעוֺן proper name, of a location Joshua 13:47, = בַּעַל מְעוֺן Numbers 32:38; Ezekiel 25:9; 1 Chronicles 5:8 (MI בעל מען & בת בעל מען) = בֵּית מְעוֺן Jeremiah 48:23 = בְּעֹן Numbers 32:3 (read probably מען; compare DrSm lxviii); city assigned to Reuben Joshua 13:17; Numbers 32:3,38; 1 Chronicles 5:8; possessed by Moab Jeremiah 48:23; Ezekiel 25:9; — modern Ma±în TristrMoab 303 f. SchickZPV ii. 1879, 5 SurveyEP i. 176 BdPal 192. Topical Lexicon Geographical Setting Beth Baal Meon lay east of the Jordan River on the Moabite plateau, roughly eight miles southwest of the modern Jordanian city of Madaba. The site is commonly identified with Khirbet Maʿīn/Tell Maʿīn, overlooking the Wadi ʿOyun Musa that drains toward the Dead Sea. Its elevation afforded both pastoral land and strategic oversight of the north–south King’s Highway, linking it to Heshbon in the north and the Arnon Gorge in the south. Tribal Allocation and Settlement History After the defeat of King Sihon, Moses granted the plateau area to the tribe of Reuben. Joshua 13:17 lists “Heshbon… Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,” showing the town’s inclusion in Israel’s earliest Trans-Jordan inheritance. The Reubenites fortified or rebuilt several Moabite towns; Numbers 32:37-38 mentions the parallel name “Baal-meon,” noting that the settlers “changed their names,” a hint that they attempted to remove overt Baalistic elements. The Mesha Stele (circa 840 BC) records Moab’s king boasting, “I built Beth-Baal-Meon,” confirming that the town had reverted to Moabite control by the ninth century. Jeremiah 48:23 later places “Beth-meon” among the cities under divine judgment on Moab, demonstrating continuous occupation and Moabite possession into the late seventh century. Association with Baal Cult and Its Spiritual Lessons The compound name preserves the memory of Baal worship that dominated the region before and after Israelite occupation. Even though Reuben briefly controlled the town, the original cultic associations appear never fully erased. The incident illustrates how incomplete obedience left footholds for idolatry that later ensnared Israel’s neighbors and became a snare to Israel itself (compare Numbers 25:1-3). The contrast between the covenant LORD and the local storm-fertility deity Baal is stark: one stands as Redeemer, the other as an idol linked with eventual desolation (Jeremiah 48:8-9). Prophetic Denunciation and Eschatological Overtones Jeremiah’s oracle lists Beth-meon among cities whose “horn is cut off” (Jeremiah 48:25). The prophecy portrays the collapse of every stronghold that trusted in false gods rather than the LORD. The inclusion of Beth-meon underscores the thoroughness of divine judgment against entrenched idolatry and offers a preview of the ultimate overthrow of all rival powers when the kingdom of God is fully revealed. Archaeological and Historical Considerations Surveys at Khirbet Maʿīn reveal Iron Age fortification walls, domestic structures, cisterns, and Ammonite-Moabite pottery, supporting a continuous occupation that fits the biblical narrative. Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine remains demonstrate that the site continued in use well into the Christian era, later known in Greek as “Baemon” and in the Madaba mosaic map simply as “Beon.” These layers reinforce the biblical chronology: Israelite presence in the Late Bronze–early Iron transition, Moabite rebuilding in the Iron Age, and later regional shifts. Lessons for Faith and Ministry 1. Covenant boundaries must be guarded. Reuben’s failure to eradicate Baal worship serves as a timeless warning to preserve doctrinal purity and resist syncretism (2 Corinthians 6:14-16). Related Biblical Sites and Themes • Baal-meon (Numbers 32:38; 1 Chronicles 5:8) – variant form emphasizing the same locality. Together the references to Beth Baal Meon sketch a concise storyline of conquest, compromise, judgment, and hope—threads that weave into the larger tapestry of Scripture’s redemptive history. Forms and Transliterations מְעֽוֹן׃ מעון׃ mə‘ōwn mə·‘ō·wn meonLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 13:17 HEB: וּבֵ֖ית בַּ֥עַל מְעֽוֹן׃ NAS: and Bamoth-baal and Beth-baal-meon, KJV: and Bamothbaal, and Bethbaalmeon, INT: Dibon and Bamothbaal and Beth-baal-meon Jeremiah 48:23 2 Occurrences |
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