Beth (Hebrew)
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Beth is a Hebrew combining form meaning "house of." It is the construct form of the Hebrew noun bayith meaning "house." Both forms are spelled with the same consonants (בית b-y-t beth, yodh, taw, read right-to-left) but with different vowels, so "beth" is more accurately transliterated bey'th or bey't.
There are several place names in the Bible that begin with Beth:
- Bethel "house of God (cf. El)" — the site of Jacob's dream of a stairway to heaven (see Genesis 28:17,19)
- Bethlehem "house of bread." Ironically, in the book of Ruth, there was a famine in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," which led Naomi's family to Moab where she met Ruth. Bethlehem is best known as the birthplace of Jesus but was also known as the "city of David"
- Bethany "house of dates" or "house of misery"
- Bethphage "house of unripe figs"
- Bethesda "house of grace" — the name of a pool in Jerusalem (see John 5:2)
- Bethsaida "house of fish"
- Beth-shemesh "house of the sun"
This form of the word bayith is the origin of the name of the Semitic letter beth.
