Bes in the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Religion
1. The Name Bes in the Bible
The name Bes is known from the personal name Bēsay listed among temple servants in Ezra 2:49 and Nehemiah 7:52. Although the Bible itself does not describe the god Bes directly, this personal name indicates cultural contact with Egyptian religion.
In Egypt, the divine name Bes was frequently used as a personal name as well. The use of such names reflects how divine titles and protective deities crossed into everyday life, even within Israel’s exilic and post-exilic contexts.
2. Appearance and Symbolism of Bes
Bes was represented in Egyptian religion as a striking, even grotesque figure:
Form: a bandy-legged dwarf or, more precisely, a lion-man with mane, ears, and tail.
Face: an ugly, glaring visage meant to frighten away evil.
Behavior: often dancing, playing instruments such as harp, flute, or tambourine, or brandishing a sword or knife to drive away demons.
Erotic context: at times portrayed with exaggerated sexuality or in plural groupings, meant to stimulate fertility and aid childbirth.
Bes thus functioned as an apotropaic figure—a being whose very grotesque form was meant to ward off evil influences, particularly around the vulnerable stages of pregnancy and birth.
3. The Function of Bes in Egyptian Religion
The god Bes occupied a unique place in Egyptian culture:
Protector of women: guarding pregnant mothers and aiding in childbirth.
Entertainer and jester: bringing laughter, music, and dance as part of protective rituals.
Warrior and guardian: wielding weapons to drive away malevolent forces.
Ancient cultures did not separate entertainment from protection. The grotesque laughter of Bes was not amusement for its own sake but a way of disarming evil powers. Even obscene or shocking imagery could be turned into a spiritual safeguard.
4. Etymology and Interpretations of Bes
Scholars have debated the origin and meaning of the name Bes:
Traditional views: linked to verbs meaning “to initiate,” “to emerge,” or “to protect.”
Recent arguments: suggest Bes may refer to a prematurely born child or foetus wrapped in a lion’s skin and placed in a reed basket. This interpretation explains why Bes, though grotesque, symbolized protection of vulnerable new life.
Protective role: whether as dwarf, lion-man, or child, Bes embodied the idea that weakness itself could be turned into strength against evil.
The personal name Bes in Israel may have carried connotations of protection, particularly for children born in difficult circumstances.
5. Bes in the Archaeological Record of Israel
While Bes is not directly worshiped in the Bible, archaeological discoveries confirm his influence in the land of Israel:
Samaria ostraca: contain names such as q[.]bš, likely meaning “Bes created.”
Inscribed seals: include bsy, a name with Bes as the theophoric element.
Kuntillet ʿAjrud (Pithos A): depicts figures widely interpreted as Bes, including a male and a feminized variant.
Amulets: Bes figurines from Iron Age sites such as Lachish, Tell Jemmeh, and Gezer, likely worn for protection during childbirth.
This evidence suggests that Bes was known in Palestine during the Iron Age as an apotropaic figure—an adopted Egyptian presence within Israelite territory.
6. Bes and Biblical Theology of Protection
The presence of Bes imagery in Israel challenges and clarifies the biblical view of protection:
Contrast with Yahweh: Whereas Bes was invoked through grotesque images and rituals, the God of Israel alone promised to protect His people (Ps 121:7–8).
Peril of syncretism: Amulets and figurines suggest that Israelites sometimes turned to foreign apotropaic practices alongside worship of Yahweh, an act condemned as idolatry (Deut 18:10–12).
True refuge: In contrast, God identifies Himself as the one who shelters under His wings, protecting from the “snare of the fowler” and “deadly pestilence” (Ps 91:3–4).
Thus Bes becomes an illustration of false refuge—a substitute for God’s covenant promises.
7. Bes and the Gospel
Where Bes symbolized distorted protection through grotesque strength, the Gospel reveals God’s paradoxical protection through weakness made strong.
Bes personified a vulnerable child turned into a fierce guardian.
Christ came as a child, weak and despised, yet through His death and resurrection conquered sin, death, and the devil (Heb 2:14–15).
Where Bes sought to guard only pregnancy and birth, Christ secures eternal life for His people, guarding them unto salvation (1 Pet 1:5).
The contrast highlights the futility of idols and the sufficiency of Christ as the only protector who can deliver from both physical and spiritual dangers.
8. Eschatological Reflections on Bes
In ancient thought, Bes guarded against the chaos of birth and life’s fragility. Yet such guardians were temporary and powerless before ultimate death.
The Bible points instead to the final victory of God over all chaos:
False protectors like Bes will fade, but the Lord will swallow up death forever (Isa 25:8).
At the end of days, there will be no need for grotesque apotropaic figures, for “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Rev 21:3).
The imagery of Bes, bound to pregnancy and birth, is ironically replaced in Scripture by the promise of new creation, where every tear is wiped away (Rev 21:4).
Bible Verses on True Refuge in God
Psalm 121:7–8 – “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in.”
Psalm 91:3–4 – “He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions.”
Isaiah 25:8 – “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.”
Isaiah 31:1 – “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help… but do not look to the Holy One of Israel.”
Jeremiah 2:13 – “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns that can hold no water.”
Deuteronomy 18:10–12 – “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or daughter as an offering… for whoever does these things is an abomination.”
1 Peter 1:5 – “By God’s power you are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Hebrews 2:14–15 – “Through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
2 Corinthians 1:10 – “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope.”
Revelation 21:3–4 – “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them… and death shall be no more.”
