BAMIAN is a town half as large as Balkh, situated on a hill.
Before this hill runs a river, the stream of which flows into Gurjestan. Bamian has not any gar dens or orchards, and it is the only town in this district situated on a hill. The cold part of Kho rasan is about Bamian. This town is affirmed to have been the residence of Shem.—Calmet.
BAMOTH baw-maht, heights , the forty-seventh station of the Israel ites, perhaps the same as Bamoth-baal (Num. xxi: t9, 201, in the country of the Moabites. (See BA AIOTII-BAAL.) • (ba'moth-ba'al), Hcb. haw-mdh' bah'al, heights of Baal), a place E. of Jordan, and lying upon the River Arnon (Josh. xiii:17). In the R. V. at Nutn. xxi:28, called "the high places of Arnon." "liamoth-baal falls into place as the ridge S. of the stream of Wady Jideid, now called the 'Crucified One,' which pre sents a group of more than one hundred rude stone monuments" (Harper, The Bible and Mod. Dis., p. 122, quoted in Barnes' Bib. Dia.).
BAND (band), the translation of several He brew and Greek words, especially of arcipa, she rah, a cohort.
1. A chain or cord (Luke viii :29; Acts xvi: 26)• 2. A company of men, warriors, cattle, lo custs; so called because chained together in so ciety, or the resemblance thereof 12 Kings xxiv:2; Acts x:1; Gen. Prov. xxx:27).
3. A band of Roman soldiers consisted of about 1,000 (Acts xxi:31, and xxvii FiguratiVe. (i) The arguments, proofs and influences of Divine love are called bands of o man; because in a way suited to our rational na ture, they draw, and engage its to follow and obey the Lord ( Hos. xi :4). ( 2) Governments and laws are bonds that restrain from sin and draw to duty (I's. ii :3 • Jer. v:5; Zech. xi :7-t4). (3) Faith and love are called bands; they unite and fasten the saints to Christ and His people (Col. ii :to; Eph. iv.i6). (4) Slavery, distress, fear, perplexity, arc called bands; they restrain men's liberty and render them uneasy (Lev. xxvi
Ezek. xxxiv :27 ; fs. xxviii :22, and lii :2). (5) To have 110 bands in ldeath is to die without great pain and without fear and terror of future mis ery (Ps. lxxiii :4). (6) Sinful lusts and cus toms arc bands; they weaken our inward strength, obstruct our holy obedience and powerfully draw and constrain us to work wickedness ; nor is it easy to get rid of them (Is. lviii:6; Eccles. vii:26). (7) The band of iron and brass, securing the root of Nebuchadnezzar's visionary tree, was the fixed purpose and almighty providence of God, secur ing his kingdom to him after his madness (Dan. iv :15, 23).
BANI (ba'ni), (Heb. baw-nee', built).
1. A Gadite, one of David's mighty men (2 Sam. xxiii :36), B. C. about moo.
2. A descendant of Pharez and father of Imri, one of whose descendants returned from Babylon (1 Chron. ix :4), B. C. long before 536.
3. A Levite, son of Shamer and father of Anizi, a descendant of Merari Chron. vi :46). B. C. before 1300.
4. A head of a family or of descendants, to the number of six hundred and forty-two, who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra ii :io). He is elsewhere (Neh. vii :I5) called Binnui. Perhaps the same mentioned in Neh.
x :14.
5. A Levite, whose son, Rehum, repaired a por tion of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. :17). parently the same Bani was among those who were conspicuous in all the reforms on the return from Babylon (Neh. viii :7; ix :4. 5; x :13). He had another son named Uzzi, who was appointed overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem ; his own father's name was Hashabiah (Neh. xi :22).
6. Another Bani is mentioned in Ezra x :29, 34, 33. (Mc. Str. Cyc.)