A behest is an order or an authoritative request, a command. Behest is a noun and is almost always used in the phrase structure at someone’s behest, as in at his behest, at your behest, at my behest. The word behest is derived from the Old English word behæs which means a vow.
A bequest is a legacy, something that is willed to a beneficiary. Bequest may also be used to mean the act of leaving something to a beneficiary in a will. The word bequest is derived from the Old English word becwethan, meaning about to say, modeled on the related verb, bequeath.
Examples
Delhi LG ‘abetting’ Kejriwal at behest of Congress to embarrass BJP, says Subramanian Swamy (The Times of India)
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today apprehended a conspiracy at the behest of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to disturb peace and destabilise Punjab ahead of elections. (The Punjab News Express)
The man, Ko Hyon-chol, 53, confessed to trying to kidnap two North Korean orphaned girls and take them to the South at the behest of South Korean intelligence officers, Agence France-Presse reported from Pyongyang, the North’s capital. (The New York Times)
A generous bequest for the town library, saving a shade tree and a liquor license warning for a downtown restaurant owner occupied the Edgartown selectmen at their meeting Monday. (The Vineyard Gazette)
A $400 million gift to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, earmarked in large part for water research, is the largest-ever bequest in Israel. (Haaretz)
On Tuesday morning, USM held a press conference to announce a record bequest of $1.65 million from the Costello estate. (The Portland Press Herald)