Bajith
“The house, referring to a temple”
Summary
A term in Isaiah's prophecy against Moab, referring either to an idol temple or a place with a sanctuary on a high place.
☩Meaning and Context
The Hebrew word with the article (hab-bayith) means 'the house' and occurs in Isaiah's oracle against Moab. Most scholars understand it as referring to the temple of Chemosh, the national god of Moab, rather than a specific city name. The passage describes Moab's people going up to Bajith (the temple) and to Dibon (the high places) to weep over their coming destruction.
☩Archaeological Confirmation
The Moabite Stone inscription of King Mesha records: 'I built Beth Bamoth, for it was destroyed, and Beth Diblathaim, and Beth Baal Meon.' This confirms the connection between 'Bajith' (a house or temple), 'Dibon,' and 'Bamoth' (high places) as found in Isaiah 15:2. The peculiarity of Bajith was that it had a sacred sanctuary on the high place dedicated to the worship of Chemosh.
Related Verses1 mention
Isaiah· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Bajith," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Bajith," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Bajith," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).