woman, to cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, which they pitched over the wall to Joab. Whether Sheba was killed before beheading is not stated. (2 Sam. 20:15, 21, 22) The older and distinguished men of Samaria slaughtered the seventy sons of Ahab and sent their heads in baskets to Jehu at Jezreel, where they were displayed in two heaps at the city gate as evidence of the fulfillment of Jehovah’s judgment spoken by Elijah.—2 Ki. 10:6-10; 1 Ki. 21:20-22.

The Bible records that Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded in prison at the request of the daughter of Herodias. (Matt. 14:8-11; Mark 6:24-28; Luke 9:9) Herod Agrippa I did away with James the brother of John and son of Zebedee by the sword, whether by beheading or not is not revealed. (Acts 12:1, 2; Matt. 4:21) According to tradition, the apostle Paul was put to death by Emperor Nero for preaching the good news of the Kingdom. Beheading is thought to have been the means used, since it was not lawful to put a Roman citizen to death by scourging or impaling. John, in a vision, “saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God.”—Rev. 20:4.

Many men were doubtless killed in battle by beheading or were beheaded after falling. An Assyrian monumental bas-relief shows numerous decapitated bodies of fallen soldiers near a burning enemy city, with the chariot of victorious King Sargon rolling over them.—See CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.

BEHEMOTH

(Be·heʹmoth).

The designation “Behemoth,” appearing at Job 40:15, has been variously viewed as (1) a derivative of an Egyptian word for “water ox,” (2) a word possibly of Assyrian origin meaning “monster” and (3) an intensified plural of the Hebrew word b^ehe·mahʹ (wild beast) that is understood to denote “great” or “huge beast.” In the Septuagint Version the Greek word the·riʹa (wild beasts) translates the Hebrew b^ehe·mohthʹ. (Job 40:10, Bagster’s) Evidently, though, a single animal is meant, as indicated by the fact that the description given of behemoth is not that of several creatures but only of one, generally considered to be the hippopotamus. In fact, a number of Bible translations (see AT, Lamsa, Ro, NW 1957 ed., JB, RS) use the word “hippopotamus” in the main text or in footnotes to identify the creature referred to by God.

The hippopotamus is a huge, thick-skinned, almost hairless mammal that frequents rivers, lakes and swamps. It is noted for its short legs, huge jaws and large head, which is said to weigh up to a ton. So great is the power in its jaw and teeth that one bite can pierce the armor of a crocodile. Full grown it may be twelve to fourteen feet (3.7 to 4.3 meters) long and may weigh up to 8,000 pounds (3,629 kilograms). An amphibious creature, the hippopotamus, in spite of its prodigious size, can move relatively fast both in and out of water. It feeds on soft water plants, grass, reeds and bushes, taking more than 200 pounds (90 kilograms) of greenery into its forty- or fifty-gallon (151- or 189-liter) stomach every day.

Some of the marvelous equipment of the hippopotamus to fit it for its amphibious life is worthy of note. The skin of the hide, especially that of the belly, is extremely tough, hence able to withstand bumping and scraping as the hippopotamus drags its low body over sticks and stones of riverbeds. The nostrils are strategically located at the tip of the snout and the eyes high up on the front of the head, enabling the hippopotamus both to breathe and to see while it is almost completely submerged. The ears and valvelike nostrils close when it submerges. Even while sleeping, when the carbon dioxide in the blood reaches a certain level, the animal automatically surfaces for fresh air and then submerges again. The skin of this creature exudes large drops of oil that, in sunlight, take on a pink color. This oily substance seems to keep its skin moist and pliable under the hot sun and, at the same time, forms a protective veneer when the hippopotamus submerges.

At one time the hippopotamus was found in most of the large lakes and rivers of Africa, but, as a result of man’s hunting, it has disappeared from many regions and is said to be unknown N of the cataract at Khartoum, in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. In ancient times the hippopotamus may even have frequented the Jordan. In fact, it is reported that tusks and bones of this creature have been found in various parts of Palestine.

The description in the fortieth chapter of the book of Job offers a vivid word picture of this huge mammal, behemoth. It is accurately described as being herbivorous. (Vs. 15) Then, the sources of its tremendous power and energy are noted to be in the hips and in the tendons of its belly, that is, the muscles of its back and those of its belly. (Vs. 16) The tail of behemoth is like a cedar. Since the tail is fairly short, measuring about eighteen to twenty inches (46 to 51 centimeters), this is likely to be understood as meaning that the animal can set its thick tail rigidly upright or swing it about like a tree. “The sinews of its thighs are interwoven,” so that the fiber and tendons of muscles of its thighs are twisted together and braided like powerful cables. (Vs. 17) The bones of its legs are as strong as “tubes of copper,” thus being able to support the ponderous weight of the body. The bones and ribs are like wrought-iron rods. (Vs. 18) The behemoth’s immense consumption of food is alluded to (Vs. 20), and mention is made of its relaxing under the thorny lotus trees or concealing itself in a swampy place, beneath the shade of the poplars. (Vss. 21, 22) Even when a river overflows its banks, this creature does not panic, for it can still keep its head above the level of water and swim against the force of the deluge. (Vs. 23) Since behemoth is so mighty and formidably equipped with jaws and teeth, would a man have the hardihood to try to confront such a monster before its eyes and try to pierce its nose with a hook?—Vs. 24.

BEHTH

Behth, or, as commonly anglicized, beth [ב]. The second letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The name assigned to the letter means “house.” Later, as a number, outside the Hebrew Scriptures, it denoted two.

It has a labial sound similar to the English “b” when the dagesh lene (a dot placed in the middle of this Hebrew character used to harden the letter’s pronunciation, as בּ) is added. Without the dot it has a softer sound close to “v,” as in the word “vine.”

In the Hebrew, the opening word in each of the eight verses of Psalm 119:9-16 begins with this letter, in keeping with the style of the psalm.—See ALPHABET.

BEL

[Lord].

A title that may have been first applied to the god Enlil, meaning “chief demon.” Worshiped as the god of the earth, air and storm, Bel or Enlil, together with Anu the “god of the sky” and Ea the “god of the waters,” constituted a triad. When Hammurabi became king and made Babylon the principal city of all Babylonia, naturally greater importance came to be attached to Marduk (Merodach) the patron god of Babylon. Finally, Marduk was given the attributes of the earlier gods and even displaced them in the Babylonian myths. For example, the triumph over Tiamat, believed to have been ascribed to Enlil in an earlier, though not extant, account, came to be attributed to Marduk. Also, Enlil’s title “Bel” was transferred to Marduk. In later periods his proper name “Marduk” was displaced by the title Belu (“Lord”), so that finally he was commonly spoken of as Bel. His consort was called Belit (“Lady,” par excellence).

The following parts of a prayer addressed to Bel give some insight as to how the Babylonians viewed this god: