◄ 1040. Beth Eden ►
Lexical Summary
Beth Eden: House of Eden

Original Word: בֵּית עֵדֶן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Beyth `Eden
Pronunciation: bayth EH-den
Phonetic Spelling: (bayth ay'-den)
KJV: Beth-eden
NASB: Beth-eden
Word Origin: [from H1004 (בַּיִת - house) and H5730 (עֵדֶן עֶדנָה - Delight)]

1. house of pleasure
2. Beth-Eden, a place in Syria

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Beth-eden

From bayith and eden; house of pleasure; Beth-Eden, a place in Syria -- Beth-eden.

see HEBREW bayith

see HEBREW eden

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from bayith and eden
Definition
"house of pleasure," a place in Aram (Syria)
NASB Translation
Beth-eden (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
בֵּית עֶ֑דֶן proper name, of a location Amos 1:5 Aramaean city, or land = Paradisus (PtolGeogr. see 14); modern Jusieh (compare RobBR iii. 556) ? or cuneiform Bit-Adini, in Mesopotamia compare SchrKG 199 DlPa 263 f.; COT 2 Kings 19:12 & see below עֶדֶן; otherwise St, & HoffmZAW iii. 1883, 97.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

Beth Eden, translated “house of Eden,” designates a small Aramean kingdom that flourished during the early first millennium BC along the middle Euphrates River. It appears in Scripture only in the prophetic judgment pronounced against Damascus (Amos 1:5). The name evokes both luxury (“Eden” connotes delight) and settled urban life (“house”), making its downfall a striking testimony to God’s impartial justice among the nations.

Biblical Context and Usage

Amos 1:5 records the solitary reference: “I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir.” The oracle indicts Damascus for brutal aggression against Gilead, promising that even remote royal estates like Beth Eden will fall. No extended narrative follows, but the mention is sufficient to confirm Beth Eden’s political stature within Aram.

Geographical and Historical Background

1. Location. Most scholars identify Beth Eden with the Aramean kingdom of Bit-Adini, centered at Til-Barsip (modern Tell Ahmar) on the east bank of the Euphrates, roughly halfway between Carchemish and Haran. The fertile river plain justified the name “Eden.”
2. Political history. Assyrian annals list Bit-Adini as a significant adversary to Ashurnasirpal II and Shalmaneser III (ninth century BC). After repeated campaigns, the region was annexed by Assyria, and many inhabitants were deported—an event foreshadowed in the prophecy that Aram’s people would be exiled “to Kir.”
3. Cultural setting. As an Aramean center, Beth Eden shared Damascus’s language and religion, yet its riverine commerce gave it distinctive wealth. Merchants from Bit-Adini later appear in Assyrian texts, confirming a vibrant trade network that would have magnified the shock of sudden judgment.

Connections with Other Biblical References to Eden

“Children of Eden” in 2 Kings 19:12 and Isaiah 37:12, and “Eden” in Ezekiel 27:23, point to related but distinct Syrian communities, possibly descendants or trading partners of Beth Eden. All passages share a common theme: the most pleasant and prosperous enclaves are powerless before the Holy One of Israel when they oppose His purposes.

Theological Significance

1. Divine sovereignty over nations. Amos places Beth Eden alongside Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and others, underscoring that geography grants no immunity from the Creator’s moral standards.
2. Accountability for violence. The judgment falls because Damascus “threshed Gilead with sledges of iron” (Amos 1:3). Beth Eden’s inclusion shows that complicity—whether by direct action or by benefiting from aggression—invites divine response.
3. The reliability of prophetic word. Archaeological confirmation of Bit-Adini’s destruction verifies the accuracy of Amos and reinforces confidence in the truthfulness of Scripture.

Ministry Implications

• Preaching. Beth Eden illustrates that God notices every seat of power, however obscure, and calls rulers to righteousness.
• Missions. The passage affirms that the gospel’s global scope matches God’s universal reign; no culture is beyond His concern or His reach.
• Pastoral care. Believers facing oppression can trust that the Lord will eventually act with perfect justice, just as He did against Beth Eden’s tyranny.

Lessons for Contemporary Application

• Prosperity without obedience is precarious.
• National security cannot shield a people from divine judgment.
• God’s redemptive plan moves forward even amid geopolitical upheaval, inviting His people to faithful witness.

Summary

Beth Eden stands as a minor yet vivid reminder that the Lord of history governs every kingdom. Its single biblical mention, reinforced by extrabiblical records, affirms that no earthly Eden endures apart from fidelity to the God who planted the first garden and who will one day restore creation in Christ.

Links
Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts
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