A biblical name, Baal-meon (Hebrew: בַּעַל מְעוֹן, lit.''lord (ba'al) of dwelling''), was the name of a town of Reuben, that some have identified as modern-day Ma'in in Jordan. It was allegedly the birthplace of the prophet Elisha.[1]

Ba'al Meon is mentioned in the Stele of Mesha, a 9th-century king of Moab, who claimed to have seized it.[2] A place with the same name is also referenced in the Samaria Ostraca, suggesting the possibility that the town was later reclaimed by the Israelites.[3]

The town is referenced in Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Moab, indicating he knew it as a Moabite town (Jeremiah 48:23).[3]

References

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  1. ^ Karel van der Toorn; Pieter Willem van der Horst; Bob Becking (1999). Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans. p. 147. ISBN 0802824919.
  2. ^ Robert Delsnyder (2000). "Baal-meon". In David Noel Freedman (ed.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. W.B. Eerdmans. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-8028-2400-4.
  3. ^ a b Lemche, Niels Peter (2004). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel. Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8108-4848-1.