Library Home>All Subjects>A Subjects>Aven

Aven

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(nothingness). (1) An unidentified plain (Amos 1:5⁵I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord. (Amos 1:5)). (2) Beth-aven, or Bethel (Hos. 10:8⁸The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us. (Hosea 10:8)). (3) Heliopolis or city of On (Ezek. 30:17¹⁷The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. (Ezekiel 30:17)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

1. On, or Heliopolis, “House of the Sun,” in northern Egypt, a seat of idolatry: its young men should fall by the sword (Ezek. 30:17¹⁷The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. (Ezekiel 30:17)). See ON.

2. Used symbolically in that Beth-el,” the house of God,” had become Aven or Beth-aven, that is, “the house of vanity” because of idolatry (Hos. 10:8⁸The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us. (Hosea 10:8); compare Hos. 4:15¹⁵Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth. (Hosea 4:15); Hos. 5:8⁸Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin. (Hosea 5:8); Hos. 10:5⁵The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth-aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. (Hosea 10:5)).

3. The Plain of Aven, a place in Syria (Amos 1:5⁵I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the Lord. (Amos 1:5)). Not identified.

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

206 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

’Aven

Phonic:

aw’-ven

Meaning:

the same as 205; idolatry; Aven, the contemptuous synonym of three places, one in Coele-Syria, one in Egypt (On), and one in Palestine (Bethel)

KJV Usage:

Aven. See also 204, 1007

Jackson’s Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names:

perverseness

Potts’ Bible Proper Names:

Vanity; iniquity; idolatry:―the name of three places, Ezek. 30:17. {Vanitas}