katlaughing and others, as you probably know, the Hebrew female name "Beulah" means "married".

I believe that "Beulah" is used so often in the name of African American churches because of its Old Testament use and not its literal meaning. The Biblical use of the word "Beulah land" caused this word to be adopted by 19th century African Americans as an indirect reference for Canada, where formerly enslaved people could live as free people without the threat present in the Northern United States of being recaptured and returned into bondage.

See this exerpt from Rereading Isaiah 62:4: Beulah Land
by Claude Mariottini, Professor of Old Testament at Northern Baptist Seminary.

I'm quoting this article at length as a means of helping to preserve this information.

"One of my favorite hymns is Beulah Land, a hymn written by Edgar Page Stites and John R. Sweney:

I've reached the land of corn and wine,
And all its riches freely mine;
Here shines undimmed one blissful day,
For all my night has passed away.

Refrain

O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land,
As on thy highest mount I stand,
I look away across the sea,
Where mansions are prepared for me,
And view the shining glory shore,
My Heav'n, my home forever more!

My Savior comes and walks with me,
And sweet communion here have we;
He gently leads me by His hand,
For this is Heaven's border land.

The beauty of this hymn is that it speaks of the eternal glory prepared for believers. Beulah Land is "Heaven's border land," a land where "shines undimmed one blissful day, For all my night has passed away."

Today, this beautiful hymn is seldom sung in churches where praise songs and contemporary Christian rock music dominate the worship experience. But this phenomenon is not peculiar to contemporary churches. A brief survey of hymnals from several denominations reveals that this hymn is either unknown or no longer relevant to many churches.

The theme of Beulah Land appears in many Christian hymns but many people who know the hymn, sing its words, and love its message do not know the story behind Beulah Land.

The concept of Beulah Land comes from a passage found in Isaiah 62: 4. The reason many people are unfamiliar with the concept of Beulah Land is because the word appears only in older translations of Isaiah 62:4, including the King James Version and the American Standard Version of 1901:

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah; for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married (Isaiah 62:4 ASV).

The words of the prophet are words of encouragement: Never again will you be called the Godforsaken City (Isaiah 62:4 NLB). Because of its exile in Babylon, the people of Judah believed that God had forsaken his people: Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me" (Isaiah 49:14)...

The metaphor of marriage is used in the Old Testament to describe the relationship between God and his people. The concept of Yahweh as Israel's husband appears in Hosea, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. This idea is clearly expressed in Isaiah 62:5: As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you...

To the surprise of many, the idea of the land of Beulah as heaven's border land comes from John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress. In his work, Bunyan says that "the Enchanted ground is place so nigh to the land Beulah, and so near the end of their race." He also says that the land of Beulah is the place "where the sun shineth night and day."

Bunyan's concept of Beulah land as heaven's border land entered into Christian hymns through the Holiness Movement in America"...