Bible Dictionary
BESET
To be surrounded or hemmed in. Scripture uses the term both for God's encompassing presence and for sins that press upon a person like a besieging army.
Definition
To beset means to surround or hem in. The word can describe an encompassing presence, the consequences of wrongdoing, or a danger that presses upon a person like a besieging army.
Biblical Usage
The surrounding imagery in Psalm 139:5 teaches God’s omnipresence. Hebrews 12:1 warns against sin, especially apostasy, and against any sin that repeatedly surrounds and endangers a person.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>be-set' (euperistatos): The most common sense of this word is "to surround." This is the thought in Ps 139:5, and teaches the omnipresence of God. Often wicked men find that the things which they have done so envelope them that they cannot escape ruin (Ho 7:2). The reference in Heb 12:1 is first of all against the sin of apostasy against which repeated warning is given in this book. But the warning is also against any sin that is especially dangerous to us. It, again and again, surrounds us like a besieging army. To surrender would be traitorous and disgraceful, since the Captain of the Lord's host is with us.</p><p>Jacob W. Kapp</p>