Baalmeon

Ba'al-me'on (Hebrews Ba'al Miieon/,בִּעִל מעוֹן, lord of dwelling; Sept. ἡ Βεελμεών, but in Chron. Βεελμαών v. r. Βεελμασσών, and in Ezekiel omits; otherwise BETH-MEON, Jer 48:23, and BETH-BAALMEON, Jos 13:17), a town in the tribe of Reuben beyond the Jordan, or at least one of the towns which were "built" by the Reubenites (Nu 32:38), and to which they "gave other names." Possibly the "Beth-" (q.v.), which is added to the name in its mention elsewhere, and which sometimes superseded the "Baal-" (q.v.) of the original name, is one of the changes referred to. See BAALIM.' It is also named in 1Ch 5:8, and on each occasion with Nebo. In the time of Ezekiel it was in the possession of the Moabites, and under that prosperous dominion had evidently become a place of distinction, being noticed as one of the cities which are the ' glory of the country" (Eze 25:9). In the days of Eusebius and Jerome (Onomast. s.v. Βεελμαούς, Balmen) it was still a very large village called Balmano, 9 miles distant from Heshbon (Ι᾿έβους, Esbus), near the "mountain of the hot springs," and reputed to be the native place of Elisha. At the distance of two miles south-east of Heshbon, Burckhardt (2. 624) found the ruins of a place called Myoun, or (as Dr. Robinson [Researches, 3, Append. p. 170] corrects it) Main, which is doubtless the same; so Schwarz, Main (Palest. p. 227). In Nu 32:3, apparently the same place is called BEON, perhaps by an error of the copyists or by contraction.