Beth-aven (bĕth'â'ven), house of vanity. or idols. A place and desert near Bethel on the east, Joshua 7:2, Joshua 18:12, 1 Samuel 13:5, 1 Samuel 14:23; a name reproachfully used at times for Bethel itself, after the golden calves were there set up, Hosea 4:15, Hosea 10:5; Bethel meaning the "house of God."