Banias

BANIAS bå’ nī əs. A town on the southern slopes of Mt. Hermon.

Today the Arab. spells it “Banias,” but the older form was “Paneas” from “Paneion.” The name comes from Pan, the pagan god who was worshiped there. Niches for Pan’s statues can still be seen. The best-known alternative name is Caesarea Philippi. The easternmost tributary of the Jordan River has its source near Banias.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

(B, Banias; A, Bani; the King James Version Banid (1 Esdras 8:36)): An ancestor of Salimoth. The descendants of Banias returned with Ezra to Jerusalem. The name is omitted (Ezr 8:10), perhaps due to the oversight of a copyist or a mistaken reading of bene, "sons of," for bani.