Beth-aven: House of nothingness; i.e., "of idols", a place in the mountains of
Benjamin, east of Bethel
(Joshua 7:2; 18:12; 1 Samuel 13:5) In
(Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5)
it stands for "Bethel" (q.v.), and it is so called because it was no
longer the "house of God," but "the house of idols," referring to the
calves there worshipped.
