“O Bel, who has no equal when angry,

O Bel, excellent king, lord of the countries,

Who makes the great gods friendly,

O Bel, who fells the mighty with his glance,

Lord of the kings, light of mankind, who divides the portions—”

“Who (does not speak) of you, does not speak of your valor?

Who does not speak of your glory, does not glorify your sovereignty?”—Ancient Near Eastern Texts, by James B. Pritchard, p. 331.

When one considers the high esteem in which Bel was held, it becomes evident why Jehovah’s prophets, under inspiration, made reference to him as one of the deities to be humiliated at Babylon’s fall. Almost two hundred years before Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians, Isaiah foretold that Bel would have to bend down and Nebo would have to stoop over in shameful defeat. Their idol images were for the wild beasts to carry off; and for the domestic animals, to be loaded on these like mere pieces of luggage, “a burden for the tired animals.” But Bel and Nebo would not escape. Their “own soul,” that is, they themselves, would go into captivity. (Isa. 46:1, 2; see also Jeremiah 50:2.) Jehovah would force Bel to give up what he had swallowed by means of his worshipers, who attributed their victories to him. Especially would Bel have to give up Jehovah’s exiled people and the sacred utensils of His temple. No more would the people of the nations whom Babylon had conquered stream to the worship of Bel or surrender to his worshipers as if to the chief god of the world.—Jer. 51:44; see MERODACH.

BELA

(Beʹla) [swallowing up; devouring; a thing swallowed].

1. The firstborn son of Benjamin, and one of Jacob’s household that “came to Jacob into Egypt.” He became the family head of the Belaites.—Gen. 46:8, 21; Num. 26:38; 1 Chron. 7:6; 8:1-5.

2. The son of Beor and the first-named king of Edom. Long before Israel had a king, Bela reigned in his capital city of Dinhabah.—Gen. 36:31, 32; 1 Chron. 1:43.

3. A son of Azaz of the tribe of Reuben.—1 Chron. 5:8.

4. A variant, and apparently earlier, name for the city of Zoar and mentioned along with other cities of the plain at Genesis 14:2, 8; see ZOAR.

BELAITES

(Beʹla·ites).

A family descended from Bela, Benjamin’s firstborn.—Num. 26:38.

BELIAL

(Beʹli·al) [worthlessness; a compound of b^eliʹ “not, without,” and yaʽalʹ, “worth, use, profit”].

The quality or state of being useless, base, good-for-nothing. The Hebrew term b^eli·yaʹʽal is applied to ideas, words and counsel (Deut. 15:9; Ps. 101:3; Nah. 1:11), to circumstances (Ps. 41:8), and, most frequently, to good-for-nothing men of the lowest sort. For example, men who induce worship of other gods (Deut. 13:13); those of Benjamin who committed the sex crime at Gibeah (Judg. 19:22-27; 20:13); the wicked sons of Eli (1 Sam. 2:12); insolent Nabal (1 Sam. 25:17, 25); opposers of God’s anointed, David (2 Sam. 20:1; 22:5; 23:6; Ps. 18:4); Rehoboam’s unsteady associates (2 Chron. 13:7); Jezebel’s conspirators against Naboth (1 Ki. 21:10, 13); and men in general who stir up contention. (Prov. 6:12-14; 16:27; 19:28) There will be a complete end of such creatures, for Jehovah promises: “No more will any good-for-nothing person pass again through you. In his entirety he will certainly be cut off.”—Nah. 1:15; see also 1 Samuel 1:16; 10:27; 30:22; Job 34:18.

By the time Bible writing resumed in the first century, “Belial” was used as a name for Satan. So when Paul wrote at 2 Corinthians 6:15 in his series of parallel contrasts, “what harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” the conclusion usually drawn is that “Belial” is Satan; the Syriac Peshitta so translates the passage.

BELL

A hollow metallic vessel. This instrument is usually pear-shaped or cuplike, and gives a dominant musical note when struck. The sizes and shapes of bells and the uses to which they have been put by peoples of all times are legion. Their ringing has assembled people for civic and social reasons, and for war.

The first mention of bells in the Bible is in connection with the tabernacle service. On the hem of the solid-blue coat of the high priest were attached golden bells alternated with pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet material.—Ex. 28:33-35; 39:25, 26.

Pagan worshipers have used the bell for a variety of superstitious reasons: to drive away evil spirits, to break the power of thunderstorms, to announce deaths, and for fertility purposes.

BELLOWS

A device that can be alternately expanded and contracted, first drawing in air through a valve, then forcibly expelling it out an exit tube. For giving furnaces a forced draft, the bellows are more efficient than mere fanning, or the antiquated lung-powered hollow reeds and blowtubes also used for this purpose. The construction of bellows was simple: A bag mounted on a frame or base was attached to a tube leading to the furnace, which tube may have been of iron, or reed tipped with fire-resistant clay. Hand-operated bellows were useful for small forges, but for large high-temperature furnaces dual foot-powered bellows were employed, one under each foot of the operator, who pumped down alternately, first one foot and then the other, each time pulling a cord to refill the compressed one. To give these big furnaces a constant draft, two men worked two pairs of bellows. This instrument is specifically mentioned only once in the Scriptures (Jer. 6:29), though perhaps alluded to at Isaiah 54:16 and Ezekiel 22:20, 21. In these texts the references are figurative and the illustrations are drawn from the methods used for refining metals.—See REFINE, REFINER.

[Picture on page 210]

Representation of foot-operated bellows, from Egyptian tomb

BELLY

[Heb., beʹten].

The front part of the human trunk not enclosed by the ribs, and containing the digestive system, and so forth; generally considered synonymous with the abdomen.