Lexical Summary bala: To swallow, engulf, consume Original Word: בָּלַע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down up A primitive root; to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy -- cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to swallow down, swallow up, engulf NASB Translation brought to confusion (1), confound (1), confuse (2), confused (1), consume (1), destroy (1), destroyed (1), destroying (1), end (1), moment (1), removed (1), ruin (1), spreads (1), swallow (13), swallowed (18), swallows (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs בָּלַע verb swallow down, swallow up, engulf (idea of quickness, suddenness) (Late Hebrew id., Arabic ![]() ![]() ![]() Qal Perfect בָּלַע Job 20:15, suffix בְּלָעַנִי Jeremiah 51:34 (Qr, compare ᵐ5 Kt נוּ-); 3 feminine singular בָּֽלְעָה Numbers 16:30; 3plural suffix בְּלָעוּנוּ Psalm 124:3; Imperfect יִבְלָ֑ע Job 20:18, וַיִּבְלַע Exodus 7:12, suffix יִבְלָעֶנָּה Isaiah 28:4; 3feminine singular וַתִּבְלַע Numbers 16:32 2t.; suffix תִּבְלָעֵנִי Psalm 69:16, תִּבְלָעֵנוּ Numbers 16:34, וַתִּבְלָעֵם Deuteronomy 11:6, תִּבְלָעֵמוֺ Exodus 15:12; 3masculine plural suffix יִבְלָעֻהוּ Hosea 8:7; 3feminine plural וַתִּבְלַעְנָה Genesis 41:7, וַתִּבְלַעְןָ Genesis 41:24; 1plural suffix נִבְלָעֵם Proverbs 1:12; Infinitive לִבְלֹעַ Jonah 2:1; suffix בִּלְעִי Job 7:19; — 1 swallow down, with accusative Job 7:19; Isaiah 28:4, subject דָּג Jonah 2:1; subject שִׁבֳּלִים Genesis 41:7,24; מַטֶּה Exodus 7:12. 2 swallow up, engulf, subject אֶרֶץ Exodus 15:12; Numbers 16:30,32,34; Numbers 26:10; Deuteronomy 11:6; Psalm 106:17; figurative of greed Job 20:15 (object חַיִל; opposed to קיא vomit); of violence, extortion Proverbs 1:12 (כִּשְׁאוֺל); of devastation by enemy Hosea 8:7; Jeremiah 51:34; Psalm 124:3; over-whelming by calamity Psalm 69:16 (subject מצולה); of full enjoyment, profit Job 20:18 (no object) Niph`al Perfect נִבְלַע Hosea 8:8, נִבְלְעוּ Isaiah 28:7; — swallowed up, i.e. devastated Hosea 8:8; engulfed by wine (yet compare Pi`el Isaiah 3:12) Isaiah 28:7 (מןהֿיין ׳נ, "" שָׁגוּ בַשֵּׁכָר). Pi`el Perfect בִּלַּע Isaiah 25:8 3t.; וּבִלַּע consecutive Isaiah 25:7; 3plural בִּלֵּ֑עוּ Isaiah 3:12; 1plural בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ Lamentations 2:16, suffix בִּלַּעֲנוּהוּ Psalm 35:25; Imperfect יְבַלַּעֿ Proverbs 19:28, suffix 3masculine singular יְבַלְּעֶנּוּ Job 8:18; Proverbs 21:20; יְבַלְּעֵם Psalm 21:10; 3feminine singular suffix 3 masculine singular תְּבַלְּעֶנּוּ Ecclesiastes 10:12; 2masculine singular תְּבַלַּע 2 Samuel 20:19, suffix וַתְּבַלְּעֵנִי Job 10:8; 1singular אֲבַלַּע 2 Samuel 20:20, אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ Isaiah 19:3; Imperative בַּלַּע Psalm 55:10; Infinitive בַּלַּע Numbers 4:20; Habakkuk 1:13, בַּלֵּ֑עַ Lamentations 2:8, suffix בַּלְּעוֺ Job 2:3; Participle suffix מְבַלְּעָ֑יִךְ Isaiah 49:19; — 1 swallow Numbers 4:20 (כְּבַלַּע as a swallowing = for an instant); elsewhere 2 swallow up, engulf, usually with accusative, a. figurative of destruction, ruin, Isaiah 3:12 (object דֶּרֶךְ); (Ba from a √ II. בלע confound, compare Di; see also Isaiah 9:15; Isaiah 19:3; Isaiah 28:7; Psalm 55:10; Psalm 107:27); subject ׳י Lamentations 2:2,5 (twice in verse); Lamentations 2:8; Job 2:3; Job 10:8; Psalm 21:10 ("" אכל), Isaiah 19:3 (object עֵצָה), i.e. confuse, confound; so Psalm 55:10 בַּלַּע אֲדֹנָי מַּלַּג לְשׁוֺנָם confuse, Lord, divide their speech (compare בלל Genesis 11:7,9 & see De Che); subject wicked men, enemies Psalm 35:25; Isaiah 49:19 compare Lamentations 2:16 (absolute) Habakkuk 1:13; object reflexive in sense Ecclesiastes 10:12; = annihilate Isaiah 25:7,8; b. literally = destroy 2 Samuel 20:19,20 ("" הִשְׁחִית); indefinite subject Job 8:18 ממקמו ׳יב; c. figurative for greedily (seize, adopt) practise Proverbs 19:28, for extravagance, squandering Proverbs 21:20. Pu`al Imperfect יְבֻלַּע 2 Samuel 17:16, יְבֻלָּ֑ע Job 37:20; Participle מְבֻלָּעִים Isaiah 9:15; — be swallowed up, i.e. destroyed Job 37:20; compare מֶּןיְֿבֻלַּע לַמֶּלֶךְ 2 Samuel 17:16 (impersonal); ruined Isaiah 9:15 (yet compare below Pi`el) Hithpa`el Imperfect3feminine singular תִּתְבַּלָּ֑ע Psalm 107:27 (subject חכמה) their wisdom is all gone, 'they are at their wit's end' (compare below Pi`el) Topical Lexicon Root Meaning and Imageryבָּלַע paints the vivid picture of something being gulped down so completely that it disappears from sight. Scripture employs the verb for animate and inanimate agents—soil, sea, beast, enemy, wine, even God Himself—each capable of engulfing a person, object, or abstract reality. The act is usually sudden, irreversible, and total, conveying both peril and, in a redemptive turn, ultimate victory. Representative Old Testament Occurrences • Exodus 7:12 – “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” A sign that the God of Israel devours false power. Literary Distribution Occurrences span Torah, Former Prophets, Writings, and latter prophets—about forty-nine times—underscoring a pan-biblical motif. The Psalms and Prophets use the verb metaphorically for hostile forces; Narrative books employ it literally (earth, fish, staff), while Wisdom literature uses it for moral exhortation. Divine Judgment and Protection בָּלַע frequently marks decisive divine judgment: earth engulfing rebels (Numbers 16), enemy nations gulping Jerusalem (Jeremiah 51), or death devouring mortal life (Isaiah 25). Yet the same action portrays God’s protective counter-measure; He lets the sea swallow Pharaoh (Exodus 15:12) but keeps the waves from engulfing His people (Psalm 124:3-6). The antithesis highlights the covenant principle: obedience invites rescue, rebellion invites ruin. Redemptive Trajectory Isaiah 25:8 becomes the seed for 1 Corinthians 15:54, where Paul exults, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” The once-terrifying verb is turned against death itself, demonstrating God’s capacity to reverse the curse. This eschatological reversal turns the fearful image into a promise of final triumph. Historical and Cultural Resonances Ancient Near Eastern literature speaks of gods or monsters devouring victims; Scripture subverts the myth by showing Yahweh sovereign over every swallowing agent. Natural catastrophes (earthquakes), political conquests, and personal calamities all fall under His governance. The lexeme therefore served Israel as a theological lens through which to interpret disaster and deliverance. Pastoral and Homiletical Applications 1. Warning against Sin’s Consumption – Proverbs 1:12 and Job 20:15 equip preachers to expose how greed and violence eventually devour the perpetrator. Related Hebrew Concepts בָּלַע dovetails with terms for “devour” (אָכַל), “consume” (כָּלָה), and “destroy” (שָׁחַת), expanding the biblical theology of annihilation versus preservation. Each root fills out the spectrum of divine dealings—from immediate physical destruction to gradual moral erosion. Ministerial Significance For discipleship, בָּלַע reinforces vigilance against forces that would absorb faith and holiness. For mission, it supplies imagery of cultures swallowed by idolatry yet recoverable through Christ, who has already swallowed death. For worship, it elicits awe before the God whose judgment is as total as His salvation. Forms and Transliterations אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ אֲבַלַּ֖ע אבלע בְּבַלַּ֥ע בְּלָע֑וּנוּ בִּֽלַּעֲנֽוּהוּ׃ בִּלְעִ֥י בִּלֵּֽעוּ׃ בִּלַּ֣ע בִּלַּ֤ע בִּלַּ֨ע בִּלַּע֙ בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ בַּלַּ֣ע בָּ֭לַע בְּלָעַ֙נִי֙ בבלע בלע בלעו׃ בלעונו בלעי בלענו בלענוהו׃ בלעני וַֽתְּבַלְּעֵֽנִי׃ וַיִּבְלַ֥ע וַתִּבְלַ֙עְןָ֙ וַתִּבְלַ֙עְנָה֙ וַתִּבְלַ֣ע וַתִּבְלַ֥ע וַתִּבְלָעֵ֥ם וּבִלַּע֙ וּבָלְעָ֤ה ובלע ובלעה ויבלע ותבלע ותבלעם ותבלען ותבלענה ותבלעני׃ יְבַלְּעֵ֑ם יְבַלְּעֶ֥נּוּ יְבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ׃ יְבַלַּע־ יְבֻלַּ֣ע יְבֻלָּֽע׃ יִבְלָ֑ע יִבְלָעֶֽנָּה׃ יִבְלָעֻֽהוּ׃ יבלע יבלע־ יבלע׃ יבלעהו׃ יבלעם יבלענה׃ יבלענו יבלענו׃ כְּבַלַּ֥ע כבלע לְבַלְּע֥וֹ לִבְלֹ֖עַ לבלע לבלעו מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ׃ מְבֻלָּעִֽים׃ מִבַּלֵּ֑עַ מבלע מבלעיך׃ מבלעים׃ נִ֭בְלָעֵם נִבְלְע֣וּ נִבְלַ֖ע נבלע נבלעו נבלעם תְּבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ׃ תְבַלַּ֖ע תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ תִּבְלָעֵ֖נוּ תִּבְלָעֵ֣נִי תִּתְבַּלָּֽע׃ תבלע תבלעמו תבלענו תבלענו׃ תבלעני תתבלע׃ ’ă·ḇal·la‘ ’ă·ḇal·lê·a‘ ’ăḇalla‘ ’ăḇallêa‘ avalLa avalLea bā·la‘ bal·la‘ Bala bāla‘ balLa balla‘ bə·ḇal·la‘ bə·lā·‘a·nî bə·lā·‘ū·nū bəḇalla‘ bəlā‘anî bəlā‘ūnū belaAni belaUnu bevalLa bil‘î bil·‘î bil·la‘ bil·la·‘ă·nū·hū bil·lā·‘ə·nū bil·lê·‘ū bilI bilLa billa‘ billa‘ănūhū billā‘ənū BillaaNuhu bilLaenu billê‘ū bilLeu kə·ḇal·la‘ kəḇalla‘ kevalLa lə·ḇal·lə·‘ōw ləḇallə‘ōw levalleO liḇ·lō·a‘ liḇlōa‘ livLoa mə·ḇal·lə·‘ā·yiḵ mə·ḇul·lā·‘îm məḇallə‘āyiḵ məḇullā‘îm mevalleAyich mevullaIm mib·bal·lê·a‘ mibbalLea mibballêa‘ niḇ·la‘ niḇ·lā·‘êm niḇ·lə·‘ū niḇla‘ niḇlā‘êm niḇlə‘ū nivLa Nivlaem nivleU ṯə·ḇal·la‘ tə·ḇal·lə·‘en·nū ṯəḇalla‘ təḇallə‘ennū tevalLa tevalleEnnu tiḇ·lā·‘ê·mōw tiḇ·lā·‘ê·nî tiḇ·lā·‘ê·nū tiḇlā‘êmōw tiḇlā‘ênî tiḇlā‘ênū tiṯ·bal·lā‘ titbalLa tiṯballā‘ tivlaEmov tivlaEni tivlaEnu ū·ḇā·lə·‘āh ū·ḇil·la‘ ūḇālə‘āh ūḇilla‘ uvalAh uvilLa vaiyivLa VattevalleEni vattivLa vattivlaEm vattivLana vattivLanah wat·tə·ḇal·lə·‘ê·nî wat·tiḇ·la‘ wat·tiḇ·la‘·nā wat·tiḇ·la‘·nāh wat·tiḇ·lā·‘êm wattəḇallə‘ênî wattiḇla‘ wattiḇlā‘êm wattiḇla‘nā wattiḇla‘nāh way·yiḇ·la‘ wayyiḇla‘ yə·ḇal·la‘- yə·ḇal·lə·‘êm yə·ḇal·lə·‘en·nū yə·ḇul·la‘ yə·ḇul·lā‘ yəḇalla‘- yəḇallə‘êm yəḇallə‘ennū yəḇulla‘ yəḇullā‘ yevalla yevalleEm yevalleEnnu yevulLa yiḇ·lā‘ yiḇ·lā·‘en·nāh yiḇ·lā·‘u·hū yiḇlā‘ yiḇlā‘ennāh yiḇlā‘uhū yivLa yivlaEnnah yivlaUhuLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 41:7 HEB: וַתִּבְלַ֙עְנָה֙ הַשִּׁבֳּלִ֣ים הַדַּקּ֔וֹת NAS: ears swallowed up the seven KJV: ears devoured the seven INT: swallowed ears the thin Genesis 41:24 Exodus 7:12 Exodus 15:12 Numbers 4:20 Numbers 16:30 Numbers 16:32 Numbers 16:34 Numbers 26:10 Deuteronomy 11:6 2 Samuel 17:16 2 Samuel 20:19 2 Samuel 20:20 Job 2:3 Job 7:19 Job 8:18 Job 10:8 Job 20:15 Job 20:18 Job 37:20 Psalm 21:9 Psalm 35:25 Psalm 55:9 Psalm 69:15 Psalm 106:17 49 Occurrences |