1237. biqah

Lexical Summary

biqah: valley, plain, valleys

Original Word: בִּקְעָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: biq`ah
Pronunciation: bik-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (bik-aw')
KJV: plain, valley
NASB: valley, plain, valleys, broad valley
Word Origin: [from H1234 (בָּקַע - split)]

1. (properly) a split
2. a wide level valley between mountains

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

plain, valley

From baqa'; properly, a split, i.e. A wide level valley between mountains -- plain, valley.

see HEBREW baqa'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from baqa
Definition
a valley, plain
NASB Translation
broad valley (1), plain (7), valley (8), valleys (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

בִּקְעָה noun feminine valley (cleft), plain — absolute ׳ב Genesis 11:2 8t.; construct בִּקְעַת Deuteronomy 34:3 7t.; plural בְּקָעוֺת Isaiah 41:18; Psalm 104:8; בְּקָעֹת Deuteronomy 11:11; —

1 valley (opposed to הַר mountain) Deuteronomy 8:7; Deuteronomy 11:11; compare Isaiah 41:18; also Isaiah 63:14 כַּבְּהֵמָה בַּבִּקְעָח תֵרֵד; in creation-poem Psalm 104:8 יַעֲלוּ הָרִים יֵ˜רְדוּ בְקָעוֺת.

2 plain (sometimes valley-plain, broad valley) Genesis 11:2; also Ezekiel 3:22,23; Ezekiel 8:4; Ezekiel 37:1,2(׳עַלמְּֿבֵי הַבּ) as level, opposed to הָֽרְכָּ סִים Isaiah 40:4 ("" מִישׁוֺר); elsewhere construct mostly with proper name Deuteronomy 34:3 יְרֵחוֺ ׳ב (appositive הַכִּכָּר), מִצְפֶה ׳ב Joshua 11:8, הַלְּבָנוֺן ׳ב Joshua 11:17; Joshua 12:7, מִגִדּוֺ ׳ב2Chronicles 35:22 compare Zechariah 12:11, אוֺנוֺ ׳ב Nehemiah 6:2; אָֿוֶן׳ב Amos 1:5 plain of idolatry = Baalbek (Damascus, according to Wetzst in De^{Jes 3, 702}; ᵐ5 πέδιον Ὤη).

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Overview

בִּקְעָה (biq‘āh) designates a broad, open valley or plain—terrain lying between elevated ridges, capable of sustaining settlement, agriculture, and travel. Scripture uses the word in literal geography, strategic warfare, covenant blessing, prophetic vision, and symbolic theology.

Geographical and Settlement Patterns

• Genesis 11:2 introduces the post-Flood peoples settling “a plain in the land of Shinar,” an expansive surface suitable for urban construction and, tragically, for the tower of Babel.
• Deuteronomy 34:3 calls the fertile stretch below Jericho “the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms,” a luxuriant lowland fed by the Jordan’s watershed.
• The “Valley of Lebanon” (Joshua 11:17; 12:7) marks the northern rim of the Promised Land. Here biq‘āh frames the covenant boundaries, anchoring Israel’s territorial promise in measurable topography.
• Nehemiah 6:2 locates Ono on “the plain,” demonstrating the word’s breadth—from Mesopotamia to post-exilic Judah.

Military and Political Theater

Valleys often became arenas of conflict:
• Joshua defeated Canaanite coalitions in “the Valley of Mizpeh” (Joshua 11:8).
• King Josiah fell “on the Plain of Megiddo” (2 Chronicles 35:22), the same locale evoked in Zechariah 12:11 as a type of national mourning.
• Amos 1:5 foretells judgment on Syria’s monarchy “in the Valley of Aven,” underscoring how plains, while fertile, could also become stages of divine retribution.

Agricultural Provision and Covenant Blessing

בִּקְעָה stands for the life-giving lowlands promised to Israel:
• “A land of… fountains and springs that flow out in the valleys and hills” (Deuteronomy 8:7).
• “A land of mountains and valleys that drinks in the rain from heaven” (Deuteronomy 11:11).

These verses weave biq‘āh into the theology of provision—the LORD alone irrigates and sustains His people’s inheritance.

Arena of Divine Revelation

The prophet Ezekiel repeatedly receives visions in “the plain”:
• “Go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you” (Ezekiel 3:22–23; 8:4).
• In Ezekiel 37:1–2 the Spirit sets him in “the middle of a valley… full of bones,” turning the lowland into a classroom of resurrection power.

Plains become meeting places where the glory of the LORD confronts human impotence.

Prophetic Symbolism: Judgment and Restoration

• Isaiah 40:4 envisions eschatological leveling: “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low.” God inverts geography to prepare the way for His glory, picturing salvation that exalts the humble.
• Isaiah 41:18 promises rivers “in the middle of the valleys,” reversing barrenness.
• Psalm 104:8 celebrates creation’s original ordering: “The mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place You appointed for them.” Biq‘āh thus testifies to both the Creator’s wisdom and His future renewal.

Typological Connections and Theological Insights

1. Humility and Exaltation: Valleys symbolize human lowliness; God’s promise to “lift up” valleys (Isaiah 40:4) prefigures the Gospel theme of the low humbled and then raised in Christ (Luke 1:52).
2. Resurrection Hope: The valley of dry bones projects corporate resurrection, fulfilled definitively in Jesus’ empty tomb and anticipated in the Church’s bodily resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
3. Covenant Geography: Israel’s account moves from the broad Mesopotamian plain (Babel) to the covenant plains of Jordan and Lebanon, tracing a redemptive arc from rebellion to inheritance.

Practical Applications for Ministry Today

• God Speaks in the Low Places: Like Ezekiel, believers often receive clarity in seasons of humility; ministry can intentionally seek the “plain” of quiet dependence for renewed vision.
• Fertile Ground for Discipleship: The image of watered valleys encourages cultivating heart-soil through Scripture and prayer, trusting the Spirit to produce fruit where He sends the “rain from heaven.”
• Comfort in Mourning: Zechariah’s plain of Megiddo reminds congregations that national and personal grief find context within God’s redemptive plan, leading to the pierced Messiah (Zechariah 12:10).

Summary

בִּקְעָה threads through Scripture as literal landscape and layered metaphor. Whether hosting early civilization, Israel’s battles and blessings, prophetic encounters, or eschatological promises, the valley motif proclaims a God who meets humanity in open spaces, supplies abundance, levels pride, judges evil, and raises the dead. Its twenty occurrences collectively call readers to trust the LORD who fills the lowlands with His glory and life.

Forms and Transliterations

בְּבִקְעַ֥ת בְּקָע֖וֹת בְקָע֑וֹת בִּקְעַ֥ת בִּקְעַ֧ת בִקְעָ֛ה בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה בַּבִּקְעָ֣ה בַּבִּקְעָֽה׃ בבקעה בבקעה׃ בבקעת בקעה בקעות בקעת הַבִּקְעָ֑ה הַבִּקְעָ֔ה הַבִּקְעָה֒ הבקעה וּבְקָעֹ֑ת ובקעת לְבִקְעָֽה׃ לבקעה׃ מִבִּקְעַת־ מבקעת־ bab·biq·‘āh babbikAh babbiq‘āh bə·ḇiq·‘aṯ bə·qā·‘ō·wṯ ḇə·qā·‘ō·wṯ bəḇiq‘aṯ bekaot bəqā‘ōwṯ ḇəqā‘ōwṯ bevikAt bikAt ḇiq‘āh biq‘aṯ ḇiq·‘āh biq·‘aṯ hab·biq·‘āh habbikAh habbiq‘āh lə·ḇiq·‘āh ləḇiq‘āh levikAh mib·biq·‘aṯ- mibbikat mibbiq‘aṯ- ū·ḇə·qā·‘ōṯ ūḇəqā‘ōṯ uvekaOt vekaot vikAh

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 11:2
HEB: מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַֽיִּמְצְא֥וּ בִקְעָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ שִׁנְעָ֖ר
NAS: that they found a plain in the land
KJV: that they found a plain in the land
INT: east found A plain the land of Shinar

Deuteronomy 8:7
HEB: וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת יֹצְאִ֥ים בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה וּבָהָֽר׃
NAS: flowing forth in valleys and hills;
KJV: that spring out of valleys and hills;
INT: and springs flowing valleys and hills

Deuteronomy 11:11
HEB: אֶ֥רֶץ הָרִ֖ים וּבְקָעֹ֑ת לִמְטַ֥ר הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם
NAS: of hills and valleys, drinks
KJV: of hills and valleys, [and] drinketh
INT: A land of hills and valleys the rain of heaven

Deuteronomy 34:3
HEB: וְֽאֶת־ הַכִּכָּ֞ר בִּקְעַ֧ת יְרֵח֛וֹ עִ֥יר
NAS: and the plain in the valley of Jericho,
KJV: and the plain of the valley of Jericho,
INT: and the Negev and the plain the valley of Jericho the city

Joshua 11:8
HEB: מַ֔יִם וְעַד־ בִּקְעַ֥ת מִצְפֶּ֖ה מִזְרָ֑חָה
NAS: and Misrephoth-maim and the valley of Mizpeh
KJV: and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh
INT: and Misrephoth-maim until and the valley of Mizpeh to the east

Joshua 11:17
HEB: בַּ֤עַל גָּד֙ בְּבִקְעַ֣ת הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן תַּ֖חַת
NAS: as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon
KJV: even unto Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon
INT: far Baal-gad the valley of Lebanon the foot

Joshua 12:7
HEB: מִבַּ֤עַל גָּד֙ בְּבִקְעַ֣ת הַלְּבָנ֔וֹן וְעַד־
NAS: from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon
KJV: from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon
INT: the west Baal-gad the valley of Lebanon far

2 Chronicles 35:22
HEB: וַיָּבֹ֕א לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם בְּבִקְעַ֥ת מְגִדּֽוֹ׃
NAS: to make war on the plain of Megiddo.
KJV: to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
INT: came war the plain of Megiddo

Nehemiah 6:2
HEB: יַחְדָּ֛ו בַּכְּפִירִ֖ים בְּבִקְעַ֣ת אוֹנ֑וֹ וְהֵ֙מָּה֙
NAS: at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.
KJV: in [some one of] the villages in the plain of Ono.
INT: together the villages the plain of Ono they

Psalm 104:8
HEB: הָ֭רִים יֵרְד֣וּ בְקָע֑וֹת אֶל־ מְ֝ק֗וֹם
NAS: rose; the valleys sank down
KJV: they go down by the valleys unto the place
INT: the mountains sank the valleys to the place

Isaiah 40:4
HEB: לְמִישׁ֔וֹר וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים לְבִקְעָֽה׃
NAS: And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
KJV: and the rough places plain:
INT: A plain and the rugged A broad

Isaiah 41:18
HEB: נְהָר֔וֹת וּבְת֥וֹךְ בְּקָע֖וֹת מַעְיָנ֑וֹת אָשִׂ֤ים
NAS: in the midst of the valleys; I will make
KJV: in the midst of the valleys: I will make
INT: rivers the midst of the valleys and springs will make

Isaiah 63:14
HEB: כַּבְּהֵמָה֙ בַּבִּקְעָ֣ה תֵרֵ֔ד ר֥וּחַ
NAS: which go down into the valley, The Spirit
KJV: goeth down into the valley, the Spirit
INT: as the cattle the valley go the Spirit

Ezekiel 3:22
HEB: צֵא֙ אֶל־ הַבִּקְעָ֔ה וְשָׁ֖ם אֲדַבֵּ֥ר
NAS: up, go out to the plain, and there
KJV: go forth into the plain, and I will there talk
INT: go to the plain and there will speak

Ezekiel 3:23
HEB: וָאֵצֵ֣א אֶל־ הַבִּקְעָה֒ וְהִנֵּה־ שָׁ֤ם
NAS: up and went out to the plain; and behold,
KJV: and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory
INT: and went to the plain and behold there

Ezekiel 8:4
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִ֖יתִי בַּבִּקְעָֽה׃
NAS: which I saw in the plain.
KJV: that I saw in the plain.
INT: which saw the plain

Ezekiel 37:1
HEB: וַיְנִיחֵ֖נִי בְּת֣וֹךְ הַבִּקְעָ֑ה וְהִ֖יא מְלֵאָ֥ה
NAS: in the middle of the valley; and it was full
KJV: in the midst of the valley which [was] full
INT: and set the middle of the valley and it was full

Ezekiel 37:2
HEB: עַל־ פְּנֵ֣י הַבִּקְעָ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֖ה יְבֵשׁ֥וֹת
NAS: on the surface of the valley; and lo,
KJV: in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very
INT: among the surface of the valley and lo dry

Amos 1:5
HEB: וְהִכְרַתִּ֤י יוֹשֵׁב֙ מִבִּקְעַת־ אָ֔וֶן וְתוֹמֵ֥ךְ
NAS: the inhabitant from the valley of Aven,
KJV: the inhabitant from the plain of Aven,
INT: and cut the inhabitant the valley of Aven holds

Zechariah 12:11
HEB: הֲדַדְ־ רִמּ֖וֹן בְּבִקְעַ֥ת מְגִדּֽוֹן׃
NAS: of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
KJV: of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
INT: the mourning of Hadadrimmon the plain of Megiddo

20 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1237
20 Occurrences

bab·biq·‘āh — 3 Occ.
bə·qā·‘ō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
bə·ḇiq·‘aṯ — 5 Occ.
biq·‘aṯ — 2 Occ.
hab·biq·‘āh — 4 Occ.
lə·ḇiq·‘āh — 1 Occ.
mib·biq·‘aṯ- — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇə·qā·‘ōṯ — 1 Occ.
ḇə·qā·‘ō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
ḇiq·‘āh — 1 Occ.