Lexical Summary Beth Eden: House of Eden Original Word: בֵּית עֵדֶן 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 Originfrom 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.” 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. Ministry Implications • Preaching. Beth Eden illustrates that God notices every seat of power, however obscure, and calls rulers to righteousness. Lessons for Contemporary Application • Prosperity without obedience is precarious. 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 TextsEnglishman's Concordance haš·šim·šî — 2 Occ.ḥā·ḡə·lāh — 3 Occ. ḥō·w·rōn — 14 Occ. kār — 1 Occ. lə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ — 1 Occ. lā·ḥem — 19 Occ. le·ḥem — 22 Occ. lə·‘ap̄·rāh — 1 Occ. ham·ma·‘ă·ḵāh — 1 Occ. ma·‘ă·ḵāh — 1 Occ. ‘az·mā·weṯ — 1 Occ. ‘ă·nō·wṯ — 1 Occ. ‘ă·nāṯ — 3 Occ. ‘ê·qeḏ — 1 Occ. pā·leṭ — 2 Occ. pə·‘ō·wr — 4 Occ. paṣ·ṣêṣ — 1 Occ. ṣūr — 4 Occ. rə·ḥō·wḇ — 2 Occ. rā·p̄ā — 1 Occ. |