בָּלַע
To make away with (specifically by swallowing ); generally, to destroy
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does בָּלַע (bala) mean in the Bible?
בָּלַע (bala) is a Hebrew word meaning "to make away with (specifically by swallowing ); generally, to destroy". to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy BDB: swallow down Usage: cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up). The LORD disrupts national wisdom as part of his judgment. This term runs through the canonical themes of Wisdom.
Meaning
Swallowing as annihilation: physical ingestion metaphor for total obliteration, often divine judgment consuming the wicked.
to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy BDB: swallow down Usage: cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up).
Why This Word Matters
The Lord disrupts national wisdom as part of His judgment. Hosea 8:8-14
The verb underscores the total defeat of death. Isaiah 19:1-4
Imagery of exile and disappearance. Isaiah 25:6-12
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 11×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 3×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 2×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 2×
Hithpael reflexive or reciprocal — the subject acts on itself or mutually with others 1×
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Showing 8 of 50 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.