H1007 H1007
Beth Aven; a place name meaning 'house of wickedness,' located east of Bethel and possibly used as a derogatory alias for Bethel.
A place name meaning 'house of iniquity' or 'house of wickedness,' identifying a location east of Bethel. In the historical books it appears as a genuine toponym near Ai and Bethel (Josh 7:2; 18:12; 1 Sam 13:5; 14:23). However, in Hosea it takes on a biting prophetic edge — the prophet appears to use 'Beth Aven' (house of wickedness) as a deliberate wordplay on 'Bethel' (house of God), condemning the northern sanctuary's idolatry (Hos 4:15; 5:8; 10:5). This dual usage makes it both a real place and a theological judgment compressed into a single name.
Senses
1. Beth Aven — A proper place name east of Bethel that also functions as a prophetic epithet. The multilingual glosses — English 'Beth-Aven,' Spanish 'Bet-Avén,' French 'Beth-Aven,' German 'Beth-Aven' — all transliterate rather than translate, preserving the Hebrew wordplay. In Joshua 7:2 and 18:12 it marks a genuine geographic boundary near Ai; in 1 Samuel 13:5 and 14:23 it locates Philistine encampments. But Hosea transforms it: by calling Bethel ('house of God') Beth Aven ('house of wickedness'), the prophet strips the northern cult site of its sacred name (Hos 4:15; 5:8; 10:5). The domain assignment to moral quality reflects this prophetic wordplay — the very name becomes an indictment. 7×
AR["بَيتَ-آوَنَ", "بَيتِ-آوَنَ", "بَيْت-آوِن", "بَيْتَ-آوِنَ"]·ben["বেথ-আবেনে-সেই-", "বেথ-আবেনের-সেই-", "বৈথ-আবেনের", "বৈৎ-আবন", "বৈৎ-আবনের", "বৈৎ-আবেন"]·DE["Beit-Aven", "Beth-Aven", "Beyth-Aven", "[בית און]"]·EN["Beit-Aven", "Beth-Aven", "Beyth-Aven"]·FR["Beth-Aven", "Beyth-Aven", "[בית און]"]·heb["בית און", "בית-און"]·HI["बेत-आवेन-के", "बैत-आवेन", "बैत-आवेन-के"]·ID["Bet-Awen", "di-Bet-Awen", "ke-Bet-Awen"]·IT["Beit-Aven", "Bet-Aven", "Beth-Aven", "Beyth-Aven"]·jav["Bet-Awen", "Bèt-Awèn"]·KO["베든-아벤아", "베든-아벤의", "벧-아웬", "벴아벤의"]·PT["Beit-'Aven", "Beit-Aven"]·RU["Бейт-Авен", "Бейт-Авена", "Бет-Авен", "Бет-Авена"]·ES["Bet-Aven", "Bet-Avén"]·SW["Beth-Aveni", "Bethi-Aveni"]·TR["Beyt-Aven", "Beyt-Aven'de", "Beyt-Aven'e", "Beyt-Aven'in", "Beyt-Aven-i"]·urd["بیت-آون", "بیت-آون-کے"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בֵּית אָ֫וֶן n.pr.loc. (house of iniquity or idolatry? hardly likely unless as alteration of orig. בֵּית אוֹן, house of wealth or strength) eastward from Bethel Jos 7:2; 18:12 1 S 14:23; 1 S 13:5 בֵּית־א׳ (on Ho 4:15; 5:8; 10:5 v. בֵּֽיתְאֵל infr.); site unknown.