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BenjaminAid to Bible Understanding
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fertile areas on the western slopes. The torrent valleys running westward toward the Philistine plain and eastward toward the Jordan made this section a principal way of approach to the highland region, both for commercial and for military purposes. The warring forces of the Philistines surged up into this area during the early part of Saul’s reign, pillaging the Israelites at will from their encampment at Michmash, a short distance N of Saul’s home in Gibeah (1 Sam. 13:16-18), until Jonathan’s exploit at Michmash initiated their rout and flight back down toward the coastal plains.—1 Sam. 14:11-16, 23, 31, 46.
Among the prominent cities listed as originally assigned to Benjamin are Jericho, Bethel, Gibeon, Gibeah and Jerusalem. The conquest of Bethel, however, was effected by the house of Joseph, and at a later time Bethel became a prominent city of neighboring Ephraim and a center of idolatrous calf worship. (Judg. 1:22; 1 Ki. 12:28, 29; see BETHEL No. 1.) While Jerusalem was also part of Benjamin’s territory, it lay on the border with Judah; and it was this tribe that initially captured and burned the city. (Judg. 1:8) Neither Judah nor Benjamin was successful in driving the Jebusites out of Jerusalem’s citadel however (Josh. 15:63; Judg. 1:21), and it was only during King David’s reign that complete control was gained and the city made Israel’s capital.—2 Sam. 5:6-9.
During the period of the judges the tribe of Benjamin displayed a spirit of obstinacy in refusing to deliver up the perpetrators of a vile act performed in the city of Gibeah. This led to civil war with the other tribes, who were determined not to let the wrong go unpunished, and resulted in the near extermination of the tribe of Benjamin. (Judg. chaps. 19-21) Nevertheless, by the method devised by the other tribes for preserving the tribe, Benjamin recovered and grew from about six hundred men to nearly sixty thousand warriors by the time of David’s kingship.—1 Chron. 7:6-12.
The fighting ability of Benjamin’s descendants was pictured in Jacob’s deathbed prophecy in which he said of this beloved son: “Benjamin will keep on tearing like a wolf. In the morning he will eat the animal seized and at evening he will divide spoil.” (Gen. 49:27) Benjamite fighters were noted for their ability with the sling, slinging stones with either the right hand or the left and hitting the mark “to a hairbreadth.” (Judg. 20:16; 1 Chron. 12:2) Lefthanded Judge Ehud, the slayer of oppressive King Eglon, was of Benjamin. (Judg. 3:15-21) It may also be noted that it was “in the morning” of the kingdom of Israel that the tribe of Benjamin, though one “of the smallest of the tribes,” provided Israel’s first king, Saul the son of Kish, who proved to be a fierce fighter against the Philistines. (1 Sam. 9:15-17, 21) Likewise “at evening” time, as far as the nation of Israel was concerned, the tribe of Benjamin provided Queen Esther and Prime Minister Mordecai, who served to save the Israelites from annihilation under the Persian Empire.—Esther 2:5-7.
Though certain men of the Benjamites supported the outlawed David while he was pursued by King Saul (1 Chron. 12:1-7, 16-18), when Saul died the majority of the tribe gave Saul’s son Ish-bosheth their initial support. (2 Sam. 2:8-10, 12-16) Thereafter, however, they acknowledged David’s kingship and thenceforth remained loyal to the kingdom of Judah, with rare exceptions. A partisan spirit continued among some, such as Shimei and Sheba, resulting in temporary alienation (2 Sam. 16:5; 20:1-22); but at the time of the division of the nation, in which the neighboring tribe of Ephraim (descended from Benjamin’s nephew) became the prominent tribe of the northern kingdom, the tribe of Benjamin faithfully adhered to Judah in recognition of Jehovah’s decree.—1 Ki. 11:31, 32; 12:21; 2 Chron. 11:1; Gen. 49:8-10.
Following the captivity in Babylon, the tribes of Benjamin and Judah were most prominent among the restored Israelites in Palestine. (Ezra 4:1; 10:9) Benjamin’s loyal association with Judah and Jerusalem doubtless contributed to its position in Ezekiel’s vision of the division of the land under the promised kingdom, in which vision the tribe of Benjamin is pictured as located right on the southern border of the “holy contribution,” while the tribe of Judah is placed on the northern border.—Ezek. 48:8, 21-23.
Among the loyal followers of Jesus, the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” was the apostle Paul, a Benjamite who proved himself a fierce fighter in the spiritual warfare against false doctrine and practice. (Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5) The tribe of Benjamin is rightly represented among the tribes of spiritual Israel described at Revelation 7:8.
Because ancient letters, found at Mari on the Euphrates River and considered to be of the eighteenth century B.C.E., make mention of a fierce tribe of nomads called Binu-jamina, some scholars have tried to relate them to the Israelite tribe of Benjamin. However, as The New Bible Dictionary by Douglas (p. 141) comments: “. . . the difference in time and origin makes such an identification very uncertain.” It is pointed out that such a name, which in this case evidently means “Sons of the Right,” or, “Sons of the South,” is paralleled by the use of the name “Sons of the Left,” or, “Sons of the North” in other ancient inscriptions and hence is doubtless a geographical designation rather than a genealogical one.
3. A Benjamite, descendant of Jediael through Bilhan.—1 Chron. 7:10.
4. One of the “sons of Harim” who sent away their foreign wives in Ezra’s day. (Ezra 10:31, 32, 44) He may be the same as the Benjamin mentioned at Nehemiah 3:23 and 12:34, but this is uncertain.
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BenjamitesAid to Bible Understanding
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BENJAMITES
See BENJAMIN No. 2.
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BenoAid to Bible Understanding
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BENO
(Beʹno) [his son].
A Levite of David’s time, descendant of Merari.—1 Chron. 24:20, 26, 27.
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Beno-oniAid to Bible Understanding
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BEN-ONI
(Ben-oʹni) [son of my sorrow].
The name given by Rachel to her second son as she was dying during the delivery. Jacob changed his name to Benjamin, meaning “son of the right hand.”—Gen. 35:18; see BENJAMIN No. 1.
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Ben-zohethAid to Bible Understanding
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BEN-ZOHETH
(Ben-zoʹheth) [son of Zoheth (proud)].
Listed among the posterity of Judah as the son of Ishi and brother of Zoheth. But since the prefix of his name (Ben-) means “son of,” he may have been the son of Zoheth and grandson of Ishi.—1 Chron. 4:20.
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BeonAid to Bible Understanding
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BEON
See BAAL-MEON.
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BeorAid to Bible Understanding
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BEOR
(Beʹor) [torch, burning].
1. An Edomite whose son Bela is listed as Edom’s first king.—Gen. 36:31, 32; 1 Chron. 1:43.
2. Father of the prophet Balaam.—Num. 22:5; 2 Pet. 2:15.
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BeraAid to Bible Understanding
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BERA
(Beʹra) [possibly, gift, ascend, or, excel].
King of Sodom whom Chedorlaomer subjugated along with four other kings of the valley of Siddim in the twentieth century B.C.E. (Gen. 14:1-3) Thirteen years after that, the “king of Sodom,” together with the other four kings, organized a rebellion against Chedorlaomer. In the battle that resulted during the next year, the forces of Sodom and Gomorrah were defeated upon being caught in the nearby bitumen pits when attempting to flee. Abraham pursued the victors in order to free his nephew Lot, recovered the spoil and returned it to the king of Sodom rather than keeping it for himself. Abraham did this, he says, in order that the king of Sodom could never boast: “It was I who made Abram rich.”—Gen. 14:4-24.
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