בָּלַע
bâlaʻ · baw-lah'
to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy
Lexicon
Derivation: a primitive root;
to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy
- to make away with (specifically by swallowing)
- generally, to destroy
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up).
Letters
- בBet2
Picture: floor plan of a tent or house
- Concrete
- house · tent · dwelling
- Extended
- family · household · what is inside · in
- לLamed30
Picture: shepherd's staff or goad
- Concrete
- staff · goad · yoke · cattle prod
- Extended
- authority · to lead · to teach · to bind · toward
- עAyin70
Picture: an eye
- Concrete
- eye · spring of water
- Extended
- to see · to know · experience · to watch
Possible cultural reading (auto-composed)
the house, what is within › authority, the one who leads › to see and know
The house, what is within of authority, the one who leads that works to see and know.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of בָּלַע above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
49 occurrences · 49 OT · 0 NT · 48 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- and swallowed them up3 · 10%
- devoured2 · 7%
- devoureth2 · 7%
- he hath swallowed up2 · 7%
- swallowed up1 · 3%
- swallowed1 · 3%
- are covered1 · 3%
- and swallow them up1 · 3%
- swallow us up1 · 3%
- be swallowed up1 · 3%
- why wilt thou swallow up1 · 3%
- from me, that i should swallow up1 · 3%
- me against him, to destroy1 · 3%
- till i swallow down1 · 3%
- if he destroy1 · 3%
- yet thou dost destroy1 · 3%
- he hath swallowed down1 · 3%
- and shall not swallow it down1 · 3%
- surely he shall be swallowed up1 · 3%
- shall swallow them up1 · 3%
- we have swallowed him up1 · 3%
- destroy1 · 3%
- swallow me up1 · 3%
- and swallowed up1 · 3%
- end1 · 3%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.