What does בָּלַע (bala) mean in the Bible?
בָּלַע (bala): Swallowing as annihilation: physical ingestion metaphor for total obliteration, often divine judgment consuming the wicked.
Hebrew · H1104
בָּלַע
To make away with (specifically by swallowing ); generally, to destroy
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בָּלַע H1104
Pronunciation bala
What does בָּלַע (bala) mean in the Bible?
בָּלַע (bala): Swallowing as annihilation: physical ingestion metaphor for total obliteration, often divine judgment consuming the wicked.
Full entry for בָּלַע (H1104) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1104?
The BSB source-word alignment has 49 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and swallowed (3), He has swallowed up (2), He will swallow up (2), swallow up (2), swallowed up (2).
Where does בָּלַע (bala) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 41:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (8), Job (7), Psalms (7), Lamentations (5).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It and swallowed 3× Numbers 16:32, Numbers 26:10, Psalms 106:17
He has swallowed up 2× Lamentations 2:5
He will swallow up 2× Isaiah 25:7, Isaiah 25:8
swallow up 2× 2 Samuel 20:20, Habakkuk 1:13
swallowed up 2× Genesis 41:7, Exodus 7:12
[and] swallow it 1× Isaiah 28:4
and are befuddled 1× Isaiah 28:7
and destroy me 1× Job 10:8
and I will frustrate 1× Isaiah 19:3
and swallowed them 1× Deuteronomy 11:6
and swallows 1× Numbers 16:30
and those who devoured you 1× Isaiah 49:19
are swallowed up 1× Isaiah 9:16
confuse 1× Psalms 55:9
consume him 1× Ecclesiastes 10:12
consumes them 1× Proverbs 21:20
consuming it 1× Job 20:18
even for a moment 1× Numbers 4:20
from destroying 1× Lamentations 2:8
has swallowed up 1× Lamentations 2:2
he has swallowed me 1× Jeremiah 51:34
he is uprooted 1× Job 8:18
He swallows 1× Job 20:15
is swallowed up 1× Hosea 8:8
let us swallow them 1× Proverbs 1:12
swallow 1× Job 7:19
swallow me up 1× Psalms 69:15
swallow us too 1× Numbers 16:34
swallowed 1× Genesis 41:24
swallowed them up 1× Exodus 15:12
swallows 1× Proverbs 19:28
they turn you 1× Isaiah 3:12
they would have swallowed us 1× Psalms 124:3
to be swallowed up 1× Job 37:20
to ruin him 1× Job 2:3
to swallow 1× Jonah 1:17
was useless 1× Psalms 107:27
We have swallowed her up 1× Lamentations 2:16
We have swallowed him up 1× Psalms 35:25
will be swallowed up 1× 2 Samuel 17:16
will engulf them 1× Psalms 21:9
would swallow it up 1× Hosea 8:7
would you swallow up 1× 2 Samuel 20:19
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 41:7 וַתִּבְלַ֙עְנָה֙ to swallowed up Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural Genesis 41:24 וַתִּבְלַ֙עְןָ֙ to swallowed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural Exodus 7:12 וַיִּבְלַ֥ע to swallowed up Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 15:12 תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ to swallowed them up Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine plural Numbers 4:20 כְּבַלַּ֥ע to even for a moment Preposition-k | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct Numbers 16:30 וּבָלְעָ֤ה to and swallows Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular Numbers 16:32 וַתִּבְלַ֥ע to and swallowed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Numbers 16:34 תִּבְלָעֵ֖נוּ to swallow us too Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular | first person common plural Numbers 26:10 וַתִּבְלַ֥ע to and swallowed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Deuteronomy 11:6 וַתִּבְלָעֵ֥ם to and swallowed them Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 41:7
Aligned rows 49
Books represented 15
Genesis 2 Exodus 2 Numbers 5 Deuteronomy 1 2 Samuel 3 Job 7 Psalms 7 Proverbs 3 Ecclesiastes 1 Isaiah 8 Jeremiah 1 Lamentations 5 Hosea 2 Jonah 1 Habakkuk 1
Source forms
וַתִּבְלַ֥ע 2x wat·tiḇ·la‘ Numbers 16:32, Numbers 26:10
אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ 1x ’ă·ḇal·lê·a‘ Isaiah 19:3
אֲבַלַּ֖ע 1x ’ă·ḇal·la‘ 2 Samuel 20:20
בְּבַלַּ֥ע 1x bə·ḇal·la‘ Habakkuk 1:13
בִּלַּ֤ע 1x bil·la‘ Isaiah 25:8
בִּלַּ֨ע 1x bil·la‘ Lamentations 2:2
בִּלַּ֣ע 1x bil·la‘ Lamentations 2:5
בִּלַּע֙ 1x bil·la‘ Lamentations 2:5
Parsing patterns
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular 4x Isaiah 25:8, Lamentations 2:2, Lamentations 2:5
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular 3x Numbers 16:32, Numbers 26:10, Psalms 106:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine plural 2x Genesis 41:7, Genesis 41:24
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular 2x 2 Samuel 20:20, Isaiah 19:3
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular 2x Job 8:18, Proverbs 21:20
Verb - Pual - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x 2 Samuel 17:16, Job 37:20
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 1x Isaiah 25:7
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular 1x Job 10:8
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Swallowing as annihilation: physical ingestion metaphor for total obliteration, often divine judgment consuming the wicked.
Strong's H1104
Lexical occurrences 50 verses Word forms 5 forms 19 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Hosea 8:8-14 Source Gloss
to make away with (specifically by swallowing ); generally, to destroy
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
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).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 19
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 11×
Perfect Isa 25:8 · Lam 2:2 · Lam 2:5 · Isa 3:12 · Lam 2:16 6×
Imperfect 2Sam 20:20 · Isa 19:3 · 2Sam 20:19 · Prov 19:28 4×
Sequential imperfect Ps 55:10 1×
Pual intensive passive — intensive action received by the subject 3×
Imperfect 2Sam 17:16 · Job 37:20 2×
Participle passive Isa 9:15 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 2×
Perfect Hos 8:8 · Isa 28:7 2×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 2×
Perfect Job 20:15 1×
Imperfect Job 20:18 1×
Hithpael reflexive or reciprocal — the subject acts on itself or mutually with others 1×
Imperfect Ps 107:27 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
to swallow, consume
To swallow up or confuse.
To engulf or consume completely.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 50 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
בָּלַע is a primitive root - no further derivation.
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
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain