Lexical Summary betach: Security, safety, confidence, trust Original Word: בֶּטח Strong's Exhaustive Concordance assurance, boldly, without care, confidence, hope, safely secure, surely From batach; properly, a place of refuge; abstract, safety, both the fact (security) and the feeling (trust); often (adverb with or without preposition) safely -- assurance, boldly, (without) care(- less), confidence, hope, safe(-ly, -ty), secure, surely. see HEBREW batach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom batach Definition security NASB Translation confidence (1), safely (1), safety (6), secure (2), securely (21), security (8), unawares (1), unsuspecting (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. בֶּ֫טַח noun [masculine] security — Genesis 34:25 41t.; הַשְׁקֵט וָבֶטַח Isaiah 32:17 quietness and security = בְּהַשְׁקֵט וּבְבִטְחָה Isaiah 30:15 (but probably both infinitives) elsewhere always adverb; — securely, ישׁב לבטח Leviticus 25:18,19; Leviticus 26:5; Judges 18:7; 1 Kings 5:5; Psalm 4:9; Proverbs 3:29; Isaiah 47:8; Jeremiah 32:37; Jeremiah 49:31; Ezekiel 28:26; Ezekiel 34:25,28; Ezekiel 38:8,11,14; Ezekiel 39:6,26; Zephaniah 2:15; Zechariah 14:11; ישׁב בטח Deuteronomy 12:10; 1 Samuel 12:11; שׁכן לבטח Deuteronomy 33:12; Psalm 16:9; Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; שׁכן בטח Deuteronomy 33:28; Proverbs 1:33; (היה) לבטח Job 24:23; Ezekiel 34:27; היה בטח Judges 8:11; הלך לבטח Proverbs 3:23; הלך בטח Proverbs 10:9; שׁכב לבטח Job 11:18; Hosea 2:20; רבץ לבטח Isaiah 14:30; נחה לבטח Psalm 78:53; עבר בטח Micah 2:8; כושׁ בטח Cush (dwelling) securely Ezekiel 30:9 (pregnant construction, strike out בטח Co); וַיָּבאֹוּ עַל הָעִיר בֶּטַח and they came upon the city (dwelling) securely Genesis 34:25 (J). Topical Lexicon OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 983 carries the idea of settled safety, confidence, or trustful security. In Scripture it is always an outcome—never self-generated but bestowed or presumed—so its theological weight lies in the source of that security. Of the roughly forty-two appearances, the contexts fall naturally into blessing, warning, and eschatological promise. Patterns of Usage 1. Security that flows from covenant obedience (Deuteronomy 12:10; Leviticus 25:18-19). Covenant Blessings and Consequences When Israel was to “rest and live in safety” (Deuteronomy 12:10), the word signaled the tangible, day-to-day result of covenant faithfulness: settled borders, undisturbed homes, and worry-free worship. The converse appears in prophetic indictments, where the same term exposes complacency. Isaiah confronts Babylon, “you who dwell securely” (Isaiah 47:8), underscoring that security apart from the Lord becomes illusion. Thus the word becomes a diagnostic tool revealing the spiritual pulse of nations and individuals. Domestic Tranquility Proverbs employs the noun in the sphere of neighborly relations: “Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he dwells by you in safety” (Proverbs 3:29). The moral fabric of a community either preserves or undermines betach. Personal integrity fosters it—“He who walks in integrity walks securely” (Proverbs 10:9)—linking ethics, wisdom, and peace. Personal Refuge in the Psalms The Psalmist repeatedly turns betach into liturgy. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). Even in death-tinged contexts the same security reigns: “My body also rests secure” (Psalm 16:9). Here the noun serves doxology, proof that the believer’s deepest quietness is not circumstantial but relational. Historical Vignettes • Judges records Laish “living quietly and securely” (Judges 18:7, 10, 27) before Dan’s surprise attack. The sudden loss of betach dramatizes vulnerability when security lacks divine sanction. Prophetic Promises of Restoration Jeremiah and Ezekiel repeatedly employ the term in oracles of hope. “They will dwell in their own land in safety” (Jeremiah 32:37). Ezekiel’s shepherd oracle climaxes, “They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them” (Ezekiel 34:28). The phrase becomes shorthand for the full covenant package: forgiveness, restored land, righteous leadership, and the presence of God. Ezekiel 38–39 uses betach to set the stage for Gog’s invasion: Israel’s divinely given security becomes the very magnet for hostile forces, ultimately showcasing the Lord’s deliverance. Thus end-time security is neither naïve nor precarious; it is designed to display God’s glory when threatened. False Security Denounced Isaiah, Zephaniah, and Obadiah turn the noun into an indictment. The self-indulgent city that says “I am, and there is none besides me” (Isaiah 47:8) epitomizes arrogance. Zephaniah 2:15 reprises the taunt against Nineveh: a metropolis that “dwells securely” yet is destined for desolation. False betach is therefore a moral, not merely military, miscalculation. Messianic Overtones Jeremiah 23:6 joins the term to the royal title “The LORD Our Righteousness,” promising a future king under whom “Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safety.” The security hoped for in earlier histories converges on the righteous Branch, foreshadowing the peace Christ secures through His atonement and future reign. Theology of Safety Betach affirms that true security is: • God-given: rooted in His covenant faithfulness. Ministry Significance 1. Pastoral Care: Betach invites believers to rest in God’s sovereignty amid personal trials. Psalm 4:8 offers counselees a prayer for insomnia borne of anxiety. Representative Passages • Deuteronomy 12:10 – “When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you and you live in safety.” Summary Strong’s 983 portrays security as a gift from God, grounded in covenant, maintained through righteousness, forfeited by pride, and perfected under Messiah. It encourages believers to anchor their confidence not in circumstance but in the unchanging character and promises of the Lord. Forms and Transliterations בֶּ֑טַח בֶּ֔טַח בֶּ֤טַח בֶּֽטַח׃ בֶֽטַח׃ בטח בטח׃ וָבֶ֖טַח ובטח לָ֝בֶ֗טַח לָ֠בֶטַח לָ֭בֶטַח לָבֶ֑טַח לָבֶ֔טַח לָבֶ֖טַח לָבֶ֗טַח לָבֶ֣טַח לָבֶ֥טַח לָבֶֽטַח׃ לָבֶטַח֒ לבטח לבטח׃ be·ṭaḥ ḇe·ṭaḥ Betach beṭaḥ ḇeṭaḥ lā·ḇe·ṭaḥ lāḇeṭaḥ laVetach vaVetach Vetach wā·ḇe·ṭaḥ wāḇeṭaḥLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 34:25 HEB: עַל־ הָעִ֖יר בֶּ֑טַח וַיַּֽהַרְג֖וּ כָּל־ NAS: upon the city unawares, and killed KJV: upon the city boldly, and slew INT: upon the city unawares and killed every Leviticus 25:18 Leviticus 25:19 Leviticus 26:5 Deuteronomy 12:10 Deuteronomy 33:12 Deuteronomy 33:28 Judges 8:11 Judges 18:7 1 Samuel 12:11 1 Kings 4:25 Job 11:18 Job 24:23 Psalm 4:8 Psalm 16:9 Psalm 78:53 Proverbs 1:33 Proverbs 3:23 Proverbs 3:29 Proverbs 10:9 Isaiah 14:30 Isaiah 32:17 Isaiah 47:8 Jeremiah 23:6 Jeremiah 32:37 42 Occurrences |
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