Bible Encyclopedias
Bean, Children of

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(υἱοὶ Βαιάν; Josephus, υἱοὶ τοῦ Βαάνου , Ant. 12, 8, 1), a tribe apparently of predatory Bedouin habits, retreating into "towers" (πύργους ) when not plundering, and who were destroyed by Judas Maccabaeus (1 Maccabees 5:4). The name has been supposed to be identical with BEON (Numbers 32:2); but this is a mere conjecture, as it is very difficult to tell from the context whether the residence of this people was on the east or west of Jordan.