July, Dictionary of the Bible.

From: Good News for Young and Old: Volume 14 (1872)

Beth-nim’ra, or Nimra, a town in the tribe of Gad (Num. 32:3, 36³Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, (Numbers 32:3)
³⁶And Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fenced cities: and folds for sheep. (Numbers 32:36); Josh. 13:27²⁷And in the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon, Jordan and his border, even unto the edge of the sea of Chinnereth on the other side Jordan eastward. (Joshua 13:27)), on the east of Jordan.

Bethpha’ge (house of figs), a small village between Jericho and Bethany., No traces of it now remain (Matt. 21:1¹And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, (Matthew 21:1); Luke 19:29²⁹And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, (Luke 19:29)).

Box-tree. The application of the Hebrew word translated “box-tree” is not quite certain, but this tree is highly valued on account of its fine grain and firmness. It is a native regions and grows on Mount Lebanon (Isa. 60:1:3; 41:19¹⁹I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: (Isaiah 41:19)).

Boz’reh (fortification), a chief city of the Edomites, lay southward of Edrei. It is now for the most part a heap of ruins, yet contains a few inhabitants who seem almost lost among the extensive ruins by which they are surrounded. It was long a place of great importance, and, as late as the seventh century, was in a flourishing condition, and called “the market-place of Syria, Irak, and the Hedjaz.” But God has foretold its utter desolation (Jer. 49:13¹³For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. (Jeremiah 49:13); Amos 1:12¹²But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. (Amos 1:12); Isa. 34:6; 63:1⁶The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. (Isaiah 34:6)
¹Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. (Isaiah 63:1)), and His word is sure to be fulfilled.

Bracelets. — These ornaments, which are much worn by females in. Eastern countries, are sometimes of great size and value; but the materials of which they are made varies, of course, according to the condition and wealth of the wearer. Those who can afford it have bracelets of mother-of-pearl, or fine flexible gold or silver, the last being most usual. The poorer sort of people use plated steel, copper, horn, brass, beads, &c. It is not unusual to wear several on the same arm from the wrist to the elbow, and the value of some of these bracelets is shown in the gift of Abraham’s steward to Rebekah (Gen. 24:22²²And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; (Genesis 24:22); 2 Sam. 1:10,¹⁰So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. (2 Samuel 1:10) &c.). The chief difference between bracelets and armlets is that the first is worn below, and the other above the elbow.

Branch. — Trees in Scripture are used as symbols of men (Judg. 9:8⁸The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. (Judges 9:8); comp. 8:22); cedars, &c., of great and lofty persons, such as kings and princes (2 Kings 14:9⁹And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle. (2 Kings 14:9)). A branch is therefore the symbol of a king descended from royal ancestors as a branch from the root (Ezek. 17:3, 10³And say, Thus saith the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: (Ezekiel 17:3)
¹⁰Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew. (Ezekiel 17:10); Dan. 11:7⁷But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: (Daniel 11:7)). Thus Christ as man is called the Branch, as the offspring of David (Isa. 11:1, 4:2; Jer. 23:5⁵Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. (Jeremiah 23:5); Zech. 3:8, 6:12, &e.).

Brass. — The word so used in our version is usually understood to mean copper. Brass being a metal compounded of others, has, of course, to be manufactured, and cannot be dug out of mines as copper is (Deut. 8:9⁹A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. (Deuteronomy 8:9)); but some think that, when we read, “Out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass,” that the meaning is, that the materials of which brass, or rather bronze, is compounded, could be dug out of the mines of Palestine. Brass is frequently mentioned in Scripture, and is used as a symbol of insensibility (Isa. 48:4,⁴Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; (Isaiah 48:4) &c.) also-of endurance and strength (Psa. 107:16¹⁶For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. (Psalm 107:16); Mic. 4:13¹³Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. (Micah 4:13); Jer. 1:18, 15:20. See ALTAR).

Bread appears to be applied to, and to include, all kinds of food (Luke 11:3³Give us day by day our daily bread. (Luke 11:3)), but is used also in the more limited sense, as meaning the cake-like bread made from wheat, or, in the case of the very poor, from barley. In the East, the corn is ground every day, generally in the early morning; the flour is then taken warm from the hand-mill and made into paste or dough in a small wooden trough or bowl; after this, if it is to be baked at once, it is leavened, and then made into thin round or oval cakes, when it, is either baked at home or taken to be baked at the public ovens kept by those who are bakers by trade (Jer. 37:21²¹Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. (Jeremiah 37:21); Hos. 7:1¹When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without. (Hosea 7:1)), and who sell bread for such as have no means or time for carrying on the operation at home. The baker’s recompense, in this case, is a portion of the bread so baked, and which he adds to his stock for sale. The public ovens are not much unlike our own, but those used for domestic purposes are very different, being usually large vessels of stone, earthenware, or copper, which can be carried about.

Inside these, when properly heated, small loaves and cakes are baked, while, on the outer surface, thin wafer-like cakes are also plastered till done through. Another kind of oven, common in villages, is a pit in the middle of the floor of the largest room, about four or five feet deep, and three in diameter, well lined with cement; this is heated by a fire lighted at the bottom, and then the bread made like thin pancakes is stuck all round the sides; these in a few minutes are baked through, and of course fall off. Wandering tribes commonly dig a shallow hole, some six inches deep, by three or four feet in diameter; this, being filled with brushwood, is set alight, pebbles are thrown on to retain the heat, and, when burnt all out, the hole is well swept, and the dough made some two fingers thick, is laid in and covered up all night; in the morning it is ready for use, and is said to be very palatable. For preparing only a small quantity in haste, the Arabs still use a primitive sort of pan made of earthenware or iron, either flat or slightly convex, which, being placed over a slow fire, bakes a thin cake very rapidly. This utensil is called tajen in Arabic, and seems to have been in use amongst the ancient Hebrews. The peasantry commonly have a cavity in the fire-hearth, which, when they wish to bake a cake, is filled with hot embers and covered with a plate of iron or copper on which the dough is placed. Travelers and wandering tribes use another and very expeditious method of baking. Choosing a smooth spot on a sandy soil, a fire is kindled till the ground has been sufficiently heated; the red embers are then raked on one side, and the dough laid on the place and covered up again with the hot ashes; after turning it a few times it is sufficiently baked in about half-an-hour. This is called ash-bread (Gen. 18:6⁶And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. (Genesis 18:6); 1 Kings 18:13, 19:6; Ezek. 4:12¹²And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. (Ezekiel 4:12)). As to the kneading-troughs, they are usually small wooden bowls in which only a small quantity of dough can be prepared at a time. But the Bedouin Arabs have a still more simple means for kneading, which is merely a leather that can be drawn into a bag by a string along the border, and in which, in case of sudden removal, they can carry their dough after having kneaded it (Ex. 12:34³⁴And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. (Exodus 12:34)).