בעל
Baal
BDB lists 5 entries for ‘Baal’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H1168 appears — 68 distinct verses across 9 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Judges 11 verses
- Judges 2:11 הַ/בְּעָלִֽים ptcl def.art + n Proper The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals;
- Judges 2:13 לַ/בַּ֖עַל prep det + n Proper They forsook Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
- Judges 3:7 הַ/בְּעָלִ֖ים ptcl def.art + n Proper The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
- Judges 6:25 הַ/בַּ֨עַל֙ ptcl def.art + n Proper It happened the same night, that Yahweh said to him, Take your father's bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it;
- Judges 6:28 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built.
- Judges 6:30 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Then the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.
- Judges 6:31 לַ/בַּ֗עַל prep det + n Proper Joash said to all who stood against him, Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? he who will contend for him, let him be put to death while [it is yet] morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar.
- Judges 6:32 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.
- Judges 8:33 הַ/בְּעָלִ֑ים ptcl def.art + n Proper It happened, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the prostitute after the Baals, and made Baal Berith their god.
- Judges 10:6 הַ/בְּעָלִ֣ים ptcl def.art + n Proper The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals, and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook Yahweh, and didn't serve him.
- Judges 10:10 הַ/בְּעָלִֽים ptcl def.art + n Proper The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, saying, We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.
1 Samuel 2 verses
- 1 Samuel 7:4 הַ/בְּעָלִ֖ים ptcl def.art + n Proper Then the children of Israel did put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served Yahweh only.
- 1 Samuel 12:10 הַ/בְּעָלִ֖ים ptcl def.art + n Proper They cried to Yahweh, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh, and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.
1 Kings 11 verses
- 1 Kings 16:31 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper It happened, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.
- 1 Kings 16:32 לַ/בָּ֑עַל הַ/בַּ֔עַל prep det + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper He reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
- 1 Kings 18:18 הַ/בְּעָלִֽים ptcl def.art + n Proper He answered, I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of Yahweh, and you have followed the Baals.
- 1 Kings 18:19 הַ/בַּ֜עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.
- 1 Kings 18:21 הַ/בַּ֖עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people answered him not a word.
- 1 Kings 18:22 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Then Elijah said to the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of Yahweh; but Baal's prophets are four hundred fifty men.
- 1 Kings 18:25 הַ/בַּ֗עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
- 1 Kings 18:26 הַ֠/בַּעַל הַ/בַּ֣עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any who answered. They leaped about the altar which was made.
- 1 Kings 18:40 הַ/בַּ֗עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper and Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal; don't let one of them escape. They took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
- 1 Kings 19:18 לַ/בַּ֔עַל prep det + n Proper Yet will I leave [me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.
- 1 Kings 22:53 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper He served Baal, and worshiped him, and provoked to anger Yahweh, the God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
2 Kings 16 verses
- 2 Kings 3:2 הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made.
- 2 Kings 10:18 הַ/בַּ֖עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu will serve him much.
- 2 Kings 10:19 הַ/בַּ֡עַל לַ/בַּ֔עַל הַ/בָּֽעַל ptcl def.art + n Proper prep det + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice [to do] to Baal; whoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
- 2 Kings 10:20 לַ/בַּ֖עַל prep det + n Proper Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal. They proclaimed it.
- 2 Kings 10:21 הַ/בַּ֔עַל הַ/בַּ֔עַל הַ/בַּ֖עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that didn't come. They came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another.
- 2 Kings 10:22 הַ/בָּ֑עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper He said to him who was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. He brought them forth vestments.
- 2 Kings 10:23 הַ/בָּ֑עַל הַ/בַּ֗עַל הַ/בַּ֖עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal; and he said to the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of Yahweh, but the worshippers of Baal only.
- 2 Kings 10:25 הַ/בָּֽעַל ptcl def.art + n Proper It happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and kill them; let none come forth. They struck them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
- 2 Kings 10:26 הַ/בַּ֖עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper They brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them.
- 2 Kings 10:27 הַ/בָּ֑עַל הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper They broke down the pillar of Baal, and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine, to this day.
- 2 Kings 10:28 הַ/בַּ֖עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
- 2 Kings 11:18 הַ/בַּ֜עַל הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and broke it down; his altars and his images broke they in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. The priest appointed officers over the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Kings 17:16 הַ/בָּֽעַל ptcl def.art + n Proper They forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served Baal.
- 2 Kings 21:3 לַ/בַּ֗עַל prep det + n Proper For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as did Ahab king of Israel, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served them.
- 2 Kings 23:4 לַ/בַּ֣עַל prep det + n Proper The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of the temple of Yahweh all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of the sky, and he burned them outside of Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel.
- 2 Kings 23:5 לַ/בַּ֗עַל prep det + n Proper He put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of the sky.
1 Chronicles 4 verses
- 1 Chronicles 4:33 בָּ֑עַל n Proper and all their villages that were round about the same cities, to Baal. These were their habitations, and they have their genealogy.
- 1 Chronicles 5:5 בַּ֥עַל n Proper Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,
- 1 Chronicles 8:30 וּ/בַ֥עַל conj + n Proper and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab,
- 1 Chronicles 9:36 וּ/בַ֥עַל conj + n Proper and his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab,
2 Chronicles 6 verses
- 2 Chronicles 17:3 לַ/בְּעָלִֽים prep det + n Proper Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and didn't seek the Baals,
- 2 Chronicles 23:17 הַ/בַּ֨עַל֙ הַ/בַּ֔עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper ptcl def.art + n Proper All the people went to the house of Baal, and broke it down, and broke his altars and his images in pieces, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.
- 2 Chronicles 24:7 לַ/בְּעָלִֽים prep det + n Proper For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of Yahweh did they bestow on the Baals.
- 2 Chronicles 28:2 לַ/בְּעָלִֽים prep det + n Proper but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baals.
- 2 Chronicles 33:3 לַ/בְּעָלִים֙ prep det + n Proper For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served them.
- 2 Chronicles 34:4 הַ/בְּעָלִ֔ים ptcl def.art + n Proper They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the engraved images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it on the graves [of those] who had sacrificed to them.
Jeremiah 12 verses
- Jeremiah 2:8 בַ/בַּ֔עַל prep det + n Proper The priests didn't say, Where is Yahweh? and those who handle the law didn't know me: the rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
- Jeremiah 2:23 הַ/בְּעָלִים֙ ptcl def.art + n Proper How can you say, I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals? see your way in the valley, know what you have done: [you are] a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
- Jeremiah 7:9 לַ/בָּ֑עַל prep det + n Proper Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,
- Jeremiah 9:14 הַ/בְּעָלִ֔ים ptcl def.art + n Proper but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them;
- Jeremiah 11:13 לַ/בָּֽעַל prep det + n Proper For according to the number of your cities are your gods, Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal.
- Jeremiah 11:17 לַ/בָּֽעַל prep det + n Proper For Yahweh of Hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have worked for themselves in provoking me to anger by offering incense to Baal.
- Jeremiah 12:16 בַּ/בָּ֑עַל prep det + n Proper It shall happen, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, As Yahweh lives; even as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built up in the midst of my people.
- Jeremiah 19:5 הַ/בַּ֗עַל לַ/בָּ֑עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper prep det + n Proper and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal; which I didn't command, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
- Jeremiah 23:13 בַ/בַּ֔עַל prep det + n Proper I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied by Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
- Jeremiah 23:27 בַּ/בָּֽעַל prep det + n Proper who think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
- Jeremiah 32:29 לַ/בַּ֗עַל prep det + n Proper and the Chaldeans, who fight against this city, shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses, on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal, and poured out drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
- Jeremiah 32:35 הַ/בַּ֜עַל ptcl def.art + n Proper They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] to Molech; which I didn't command them, neither did it come into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
Hosea 5 verses
- Hosea 2:8 לַ/בָּֽעַל prep det + n Proper For she did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, And multiplied to her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.
- Hosea 2:13 הַ/בְּעָלִים֙ ptcl def.art + n Proper I will visit on her the days of the Baals, To which she burned incense, When she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, And went after her lovers, And forgot me," says Yahweh.
- Hosea 2:17 הַ/בְּעָלִ֖ים ptcl def.art + n Proper For I will take away the names of the Baals out of her mouth, And they will no more be mentioned by their name.
- Hosea 11:2 לַ/בְּעָלִ֣ים prep det + n Proper They called to them, so they went from them. They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to engraved images.
- Hosea 13:1 בַּ/בַּ֖עַל prep + n Proper When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, But when he became guilty in Baal, he died.
Zephaniah 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“Baal” is the headline sense of the Hebrew name בעל (Baʻal). Scripture first uses it in Judges 2:11. It appears 68 verses across 9 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its moderately common vocabulary. The sections below give every occurrence and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1168 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 68
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 68 distinct verses.
- 9 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 9 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #501
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 501 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 68 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 68 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 58 verses · 85%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 10 verses · 15%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Baal 58×, Baalim 18×
- American Standard Version: Baal 56×, Baalim 18×
- Berean Standard Bible: Baal 54×, Baals 18×, Baal’s 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Baal 58×, Baals 18×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1168 across 80 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H1168 across 80 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H1168 across 80 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1168 across 78 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 2 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
16 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 16 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- I.
- 1. owner (often pl. c. sf. in sg. meaning): of ox Ex 21:28, 29(×2); 22:10, 11, 13, 14 (E); ב׳ הבור of pit Ex 21:34, 36 (E), of house Ex 22:7 (E) Ju 19:22, 23, debt Dt 15:2, the land Jb 31:39, the ass Is 1:3, goods Ec 5:10, riches Ec 5:12; ב׳ טוב one to whom good is due Pr 3:27, gain Pr 1:19; ב׳ שׂכל one having understanding Pr 16:22; ב׳ השׁחד receiver of the gift Pr 17:8. e.g. Exodus 21:28
- 2. husband Gn 20:3 Ex 21:3, 32 (E) Dt 22:22; 24:4 2 S 11:26 Jo 1:8 Pr 12:4; 31:11, 23, 28 Est 1:17, 20; בַּעְלִי Ho 2:18 (my Baal, reference to the divine name used in the northern kingdom, here for the first time forbidden). e.g. Genesis 20:3
- 3. citizens, inhabitants: בַּעֲלֵי of Jericho Jos 24:11 (E), of the high places of Arnon Nu 21:28 (E), of Shechem Ju 9:2 + 12 times, of the tower of Shechem Ju 9:46, 47, of the city Ju 9:51, of Gibeah Ju 20:5, of Keilah 1 S 23:11, 12, of Jabesh 2 S 21:12. e.g. Joshua 24:11
- 4. rulers, lords: בַּעֲלֵי גוֹיִם Is 16:8. e.g. Isaiah 16:8
- 5. n. of relation:
- a. בַּעַל: ב׳ החלמות dreamer Gn 37:19 (E); ב׳ דברים whosoever hath cases, complaints Ex 24:14 (E); ב׳ שׂער an hairy man 2 K 1:8; ב׳ חמה wrathful Na 1:2 Pr 29:22; ב׳ אף one given to anger Pr 22:24; ב׳ החכמה one having wisdom Ec 7:12; ב׳ משׁחית destroyer Pr 18:9; ב׳ כנף winged thing, bird Pr 1:17 Ec 10:20; ב׳ נפשׁ one given to appetite Pr 23:2; ב׳ מזמות mischievous person Pr 24:8; ב׳ הלשׁון charmer Ec 10:11; ב׳ רשׁע one given to wickedness Ec 8:8; ב׳ פיפיות double-edged Is 41:15; ב׳ משׁפט adversary Is 50:8; ב׳ פקדת captain of the ward Je 37:13; ב׳ הקרנים two-horned Dn 8:6, 20. e.g. Genesis 37:19
- b. בַּעֲלֵי: בּ׳ בְּרִית confederates Gn 14:13; ב׳ חצים archers Gn 49:23 (poet.) ב׳ הפרשׁים horsemen 2 S 1:6; ב׳ שׁבועה conspirators Ne 6:18; ב׳ אספות members of assemblies; or well-grouped sayings; or collectors (of wise sentences) Ec 12:11.—On 2 S 6:2 v. ii. בַּעֲלָה. (בַּעַל in Hex not J or P; בעל Lv 21:4 𝔊 ἐξάπινα = כבלּע Nu 4:20: Di בְּאֵבֶל). e.g. Genesis 14:13
- II. lord, specif. as divine name, †Baal.
- 1. without article: במות בעל Nu 22:41 (poet. Balaam); בעל פעור Nu 25:3, 5 (E) Dt 4:3 (vid. below). This divine name is not used elsewhere in Hex. It probably originated from the sense of divine ownership, rather than sovereignty (RSSem 92). It seems to have been used in Northern Israel = אדון in the South. It was the special name of the God of the Canaanites, Philistines, etc., = Babylonian בֵּל, cf. SchrSK 1874, 335 ff. In later times scribes substituted בֹּשֶׁת, in n.pr. (ירבשׁת = ירבעל, אשׁבשׁת = אשׁבעל, vid. בֹּשֶׁת, GeiZMG 1862, 728 ff.), & also in the text for בעל Ho 9:10 Je 11:13 (hence ἡ βάαλ Je 2:23; 7:9; 11:13, 17; 19:5 Ho 2:10; 13:1 +, Rom 11:4, see DiBaal mit d. weib. Artikel, MBA 1881, June 16 Dr 2 S 4:4). e.g. Numbers 22:41
- 2. c. art.: הַבַּעַל Ju 2:13; 6:25, 28, 30, 31, 32 1 K 16:31, 32(×2); 18:19, 21, 22, 25, 26(×2), 40; 19:18; 22:54 2 K 3:2; 10:18, 19(×2), 20, 21(×3), 22, 23(×3), 25, 26, 27(×2), 28; 11:18(×2); 17:16; 21:3; 23:4, 5 2 Ch 23:17(×2) Je 2:8; 7:9; 11:13, 17; 12:16; 19:5(×2); 23:13, 27; 32:29, 35 Ho 2:10; 13:1 Zp 1:4. e.g. Judges 2:13
- 3. הַבְּעָלִים emphatic pl. (cf. האלהים, האדונים) the great lord, the sovereign owner Ju 2:11; 3:7; 8:33; 10:6, 10 1 S 7:4; 12:10 1 K 18:18 2 Ch 17:3; 24:7; 28:2; 33:3; 34:4 Je 2:23; 9:13 Ho 2:15, 19; 11:2 (or local special Baʿals, vid. DrSm. p. 50; pillars of Baal MV). e.g. Judges 2:11
- 4. c. attrib.: בַּעַל בְּרִית Lord of covenant Ju 8:33; 9:4 (cf. אל ברית 9:46; NöZMG 1888, 478); ב׳ זְבוּב Lord of flies 2 K 1:2, 3, 6, 16, Philistine god, 𝔊 Βααλ μυῖαν (Beelzebub, Mt 12:24) cf. BaeRel. 25. e.g. Judges 8:33
- 1. n.pr.loc. city in the tribe of Simeon 1 Ch 4:33 = בַּעֲלַת בְּאֵר. e.g. 1 Chronicles 4:33
- 2. n.pr.m.
- a. a Reubenite 1 Ch 5:5; e.g. 1 Chronicles 5:5
- b. a Gibeonite 1 Ch 8:30; 9:36. e.g. 1 Chronicles 8:30
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
n.m. owner, lord (Ph. בעל; Palm. id. husband Vog62 cf. BaeRel. 72 ff.; Assyrian bêlu l.c. DlGram. Gloss.; Arabic بعْلٌ husband etc., v. especially NöZMG 1886, 174, Sab. בעל CISiv. 1, 2)—Gn 20:3 + 92 times; sf. בַּעְלִי Ho 2:18; בַּעְלָהּ Dt 24:4 + 5 times; pl. בְּעָלִים Ju 2:11 + 17 times; cstr. בַּעֲלֵי Gn 14:13 + 27 times; sf. בְּעָלָיו Ex 21:29 + 14 times; בְּעָלֶיהָ Jb 31:39 + 2 times; בַּעְלֵיהֶן Est 1:17, 20;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from בעל (baʻal) (H1167) — husband.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
בָּעַל
- , v. בָּעָה, to enter into, take possession) [in b. h. to be master, protect;] to have sexual intercourse (both legal or illicit), to embrace a woman. Kidd. 9ᵇ וּבְעָלָהּ מלמד וכ׳ ‘and he embraced her’ (Deut. XXIV, 1), this intimates that woman can be acquired as wife by intercourse, v. בִּיאָה.—בּוֹעֵל lover, adulterer, contrad. to בַּעַל husband. Sot. V, 1, a. fr. כשם שאסורה לַבַּעַל … לַבּוֹעֵל as well as the woman suspected of adultery is forbidden to her husband (who must separate himself from her), so is she forbidden to the lover (who cannot marry her after leaving her husband). Yeb. 103ᵃ שבע בעילות ב׳ וכ׳ that wicked man had seven sexual connections &c.; a. fr.—Part. pass. f. בְּעוּלָה one no longer a virgin, opp. to בתולה; married woman, opp. to ארוסה, v. אָרַס. Keth. 10ᵇ; a. fr.—Pl. בְּעוּלוֹת. Y. Kidd. I, 58ᵇ bot.; a. fr. e.g. Deuteronomy 24:1
- she had intercourse. Keth. 5ᵃ נישאת … ונִבְעֶלֶת וכ׳ is married on the fourth day and embraced in the night of the fifth day of the week. Ib. 3ᵇ תִּיבָּעֵל לטפסר וכ׳ must first be surrendered to the (Roman) officer (jus primæ noctis); a. fr.—Masc. נִבְעַל (of the hermaphrodite). Tosef. Bicc. II, 5; Y. Yeb. VIII, 9ᵈ bot.
בְּעַל
- Targ. O. Deut. XXI, 13; a. fr.—Keth. 6ᵇ דבעי למִיבְעַל because he is anxious to perform his marital duty. Ib. דטריד דלא בעיל he is excited because he has not &c.; a. fr.
- , part. pass. f. מְבַעֲלָא married, having had intercourse. Targ. Ruth I, 12; a. e.
- as preced. Nif. Yoma 19ᵇ ואִבְּעוּל כמה וכ׳, (Ms. M. ואיבעיל) and how many virgins have been seduced (to-day) in Nahardea!
בַּעַל
- preced.)
- 1. husband. Kidd. I, 1 and she becomes her own master בגט ובמיתת הב׳ through a letter of divorce or on the husband’s death; a. v. fr.
- 2. the idol Baal. Y. Ab. Zar. III, 43ᵃ bot. ב׳ ראש גוייה הוה וכ׳ the Baal was the phallus and had the shape of a bean [read וכאפון].
- 3. [the fructifier,] rain (v. Taan. 6ᵇ; cmp. Is. LV, 10). בֵּית בַּ׳ a field sufficiently watered by rain and requiring no artificial irrigation. Tosef. M. Kat. I, 1 שדה (בית) הב׳. B. Bath. III, 1. Tosef. Succ. II, 7 ערבה של ב׳ (sub. בית) a willow in a naturally watered field. Ib. Shebi. II, 4 בשל ב׳ (= בשדה של ב׳), opp. של שוקי. Num. R. s. 16 the Egyptian gods של שקר הם (read שקי) are gods of artificial drainage, but those of Canaan של ב׳ הם are gods of rain; (Tanḥ. Sh’laḥ 13, through misunderstanding, שקר … בעליכח. e.g. Isaiah 55:10
- 4. (mostly in compounds) owner of, master of, possessed of, given to &c.; e.g. ב׳ אבידה owner of a lost object; ב׳ אגדה master of Agadah, lecturer; ב׳ דין opponent in court; v. infra. Pes. 86ᵇ ב׳ השם אני I am so named.—Pl. בְּעָלִים, בְּעָלִין owners; mostly as sing. owner. B. Mets. VIII, 1; a. fr. [Y. Dem. III, 23ᵇ bot. לבלעין, read לבעלין.]
- He who knows man’s thoughts. Snh. 19ᵇ.—Ib. בעלי מ׳ those entertaining considerations (of fear), hesitating to do justice.—ב׳ שיבה gray-haired. Ned. III, 8.—ב׳ תשובה repentant sinner. Succ. 53ᵃ; a. fr.—ב׳ תשובות a man of many objections or excuses. Gen. R. s. 20 beg.—[For other compounds, not self-evident, see the respective determinants.]
עֹל
- , v. עוֹל
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 32 distinct written forms H1168 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַ/בַּ֔עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 16:31 | 14 |
| הַ/בַּ֖עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 18:21 | 6 |
| הַ/בְּעָלִ֖ים | Noun, Proper | Hosea 2:17 | 4 |
| הַ/בַּ֗עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 18:25 | 4 |
| לַ/בַּ֗עַל | Noun, Proper | 2 Kings 21:3 | 4 |
| הַ/בְּעָלִֽים | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 18:18 | 3 |
| הַ/בַּ֜עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 18:19 | 3 |
| הַ/בָּ֑עַל | Noun, Proper | 2 Kings 10:22 | 3 |
| הַ/בָּֽעַל | Noun, Proper | 2 Kings 10:19 | 3 |
| לַ/בְּעָלִֽים | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 17:3 | 3 |
| לַ/בָּ֑עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 16:32 | 3 |
| לַ/בָּֽעַל | Noun, Proper | Hosea 2:8 | 3 |
| בַ/בַּ֔עַל | Noun, Proper | Jeremiah 2:8 | 2 |
| הַ/בְּעָלִ֔ים | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 34:4 | 2 |
| הַ/בְּעָלִים֙ | Noun, Proper | Hosea 2:13 | 2 |
| הַ/בַּ֨עַל֙ | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 23:17 | 2 |
| וּ/בַ֥עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 8:30 | 2 |
| לַ/בַּ֔עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 19:18 | 2 |
| לַ/בַּ֖עַל | Noun, Proper | 2 Kings 10:20 | 2 |
| בַּ/בַּ֖עַל | Noun, Proper | Hosea 13:1 | 1 |
| בַּ/בָּ֑עַל | Noun, Proper | Jeremiah 12:16 | 1 |
| בַּ/בָּֽעַל | Noun, Proper | Jeremiah 23:27 | 1 |
| בַּ֥עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 5:5 | 1 |
| בָּ֑עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Chronicles 4:33 | 1 |
| הַ/בְּעָלִ֑ים | Noun, Proper | Judges 8:33 | 1 |
| הַ/בְּעָלִ֣ים | Noun, Proper | Judges 10:6 | 1 |
| הַ/בַּ֡עַל | Noun, Proper | 2 Kings 10:19 | 1 |
| הַ/בַּ֣עַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 18:26 | 1 |
| הַ֠/בַּעַל | Noun, Proper | 1 Kings 18:26 | 1 |
| לַ/בְּעָלִ֣ים | Noun, Proper | Hosea 11:2 | 1 |
| לַ/בְּעָלִים֙ | Noun, Proper | 2 Chronicles 33:3 | 1 |
| לַ/בַּ֣עַל | Noun, Proper | 2 Kings 23:4 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1168, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Derived from this word
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- בעל המון Baʻal Hâmôwn H1174 Baal-hamon
- בעל חנן Baʻal Chânân H1177 Baal-hanan
- בעל חצור Baʻal Châtsôwr H1178 Baal-hazor
- בעל חרמון Baʻal Chermôwn H1179 Baal-hermon
- בעלי Baʻălîy H1180 Baali
- בעליה Bᵉʻalyâh H1183 Bealiah
- בעלי יהודה Baʻălêy Yᵉhûwdâh H1184 Baale-Judah
- בעל פרצים Baʻal Pᵉrâtsîym H1188 Baal-perazim
- בעל תמר Baʻal Tâmâr H1193 Baal-tamar
- Βααλ Báal G896 Baal
- בל Bêl H1078 Bel
- בעל ברית Baʻal Bᵉrîyth H1170 Baal-berith
- בעל גד Baʻal Gâd H1171 Baal-gad
- בעל זבוב Baʻal Zᵉbûwb H1176 Baal-zebub
- בעלידע Bᵉʻelyâdâʻ H1182 Beeliada
- בעל מעון Baʻal Mᵉʻôwn H1186 Baal-meon
- בעל פעור Baʻal Pᵉʻôwr H1187 Baal-peor
- בעל צפון Baʻal Tsᵉphôwn H1189 Baal-zephon
- בעל שלשה Baʻal Shâlishâh H1190 Baal-shalisha
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 24 — not the complete family. 19 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Baal). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
Lord. (1.) The name appropriated to the principal male god of the Phoenicians. It is found in several places in the plural BAALIM (Judg. 2:11; 10:10; 1 Kings 18:18; Jer. 2:23; Hos. 2:17). Baal is identified with Molech (Jer. 19:5). It was known to the Israelites as Baal-peor (Num. 25:3; Deut. 4:3), was worshipped till the time of Samuel (1 Sam 7:4), and was afterwards the religion of the ten tribes in the time of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33; 18:19, 22). It prevailed also for a time in the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 8:27; comp. 11:18; 16:3; 2 Chr. 28:2), till finally put an end to by the severe discipline of the Captivity (Zeph. 1:4-6). The priests of Baal were in great numbers (1 Kings 18:19), and of various classes (2 Kings 10:19). Their mode of offering sacrifices is described in 1 Kings 18:25-29. The sun-god, under the general title of Baal, or "lord," was the chief object of worship of the Canaanites. Each locality had its special Baal, and the various local Baals were summed up under the name of Baalim, or "lords." Each Baal had a wife, who was a colourless reflection of himself.
(2.) A Benjamite, son of Jehiel, the progenitor of the Gibeonites (1 Chr. 8:30; 9:36).
(3.) The name of a place inhabited by the Simeonites, the same probably as Baal-ath-beer (1 Chr. 4:33; Josh. 19:8).
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
geographical. This word occurs as the prefix or suffix to the names of several places in Palestine, some of which are as follows:
+ BAAL a town of Simeon, named only in (1 Chronicles 4:33) which from the parallel list in (Joshua 19:8) seems to have been identical with BAALATH-BEER. + Baalah (mistress). A. Another name for Kirjath-JEARIM, or Kirjath BAAL, the well-known town now Kuriet el Enab . (Joshua 15:9,10; 1 Chronicles 13:6) b. A town in the south of Judah, (Joshua 15:29) which in Josh 19:3 Is called Balah, and in the parallel list, (1 Chronicles 4:29) Bilhah. + Baalath (mistress), a town of Dan named with Gibbethon, Gath-rim-mon and other Philistine places. (Joshua 19:44) + BAALATH-BEER (lord of the well). BAAL 1, a town among those in the south part of Judah, given to Simeon, which also bore the name of RAMATH-NEGEB, or "the height of the south." (Joshua 19:8) + BAAL-GAD (lord of fortune), used to denote the most northern, (Joshua 11:17; 12:7) or perhaps northwestern, (Joshua 13:5) point to which Joshua's victories extended. It was in all probability a Phoenician or Canaanite sanctuary of Baal under the aspect of Gad or Fortune. + BAAL-HAMON (lord of a multitude), a place at which Solomon had a vineyard, evidently of great extent. (Song of Solomon 8:11) + BAAL-HAZOR (village of Baal), a place where Absalom appears to have had a sheep-farm, and where Amnon was murdered. (2 Samuel 13:23) + Mount, Mount, Mountain BAAL-HERMON (Lord of Hermon), (Judges 3:3) and simply Baal-hermon. (1 Chronicles 5:23) This is usually considered as a distinct place from Mount Hermon; but we know that this mountain had at least three names (3:9) and Baal-hermon may have been a fourth in use among the Phoenician worshippers. + BAAL-MEON (lord of the house), one of the towns which were built by the Reubenites. (Numbers 32:38) It also occurs in (1 Chronicles 5:8) and on each occasion with Nebo. In the time of Ezekiel it was Moabite, one of the cities which were the "glory of the country." (Ezekiel 25:9) + BAAL-Perazim (lord of divisions), the scene of a victory of David over the Philistines, and of a great destruction of their images. (2 Samuel 5:20; 1 Chronicles 14:11) See (Isaiah 28:21) where it is called Mount, Mount, Mountain Perazim. + BAAL-SHALISHA (lord of Shalisha), a place named only in (2 Kings 4:42) apparently not far from Gilgal; comp. (2 Kings 4:38) + BAAL-TAMAR (lord of the palm tree), a place named only in (Judges 20:33) as near Gibeah of Benjamin. The palm tree (tamar) of Deborah, (Judges 4:5) was situated somewhere in the locality, and is possibly alluded to. + BAAL-ZEPHON (lord of the north), a place in Egypt near where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. (Numbers 33:7; Ezekiel 14:2,9) We place Baal-zephon on the western shore of the Gulf of Suez, a little below its head, which at that time was about 30 or 40 miles northward of the Present head.
the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashtoreth Venus. There can be no doubt of the very high antiquity of the worship of Baal. It prevailed in the time of Moses among the Moabites and Midianites, (Numbers 22:41) and through them spread to the Israelites. (Numbers 25:3-18; 4:3) In the times of the kings it became the religion of the court and people of the ten tribes, (1 Kings 16:31-33; 18:19,22) and appears never to have been permanently abolished among them. (2 Kings 17:16) Temples were erected to Baal in Judah, (1 Kings 16:32) and he was worshipped with much ceremony. (1 Kings 18:19,26-28; 2 Kings 10:22) The attractiveness of this worship to the Jews undoubtedly grew out of its licentious character. We find this worship also in Phoenician colonies. The religion of the ancient British islands much resembled this ancient worship of Baal, and may have been derived from it. Nor need we hesitate to regard the Babylonian Bel, (Isaiah 46:1) or Beaus, as essentially identical with Baal, though perhaps under some modified form. The plural, Baalim, is found frequently, showing that he was probably worshipped under different compounds, among which appear--
+ BAAL-BERITH (the covenant Baal), (Judges 8:33; 9:4) the god who comes into covenant with the worshippers. + BAAL-ZEBUB (lord of the fly), and worshipped at Ekron. (2 Kings 1:2,3,16) + BAAL-HANAN. a. The name of one of the early kings of Edom. (Genesis 36:38,39; 1 Chronicles 1:49,50) b. The name of one of David's officers, who had the superintendence of his olive and sycamore plantations. (1 Chronicles 27:28) + BAAL-PEOR (lord of the opening, i.e. for others to join in the worship). We have already referred to the worship of this god. The narrative (Numb 25) seems clearly to show that this form of Baal-worship was connected with licentious rites.
(lord).
+ A Reubenite (1 Chronicles 5:5) + The son of Jehiel, and grandfather of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:30; 9:36)
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
master; lord
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 66 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 68 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Judges 2:11
- 1 Samuel 7:4
- 1 Kings 16:31
- 2 Kings 3:2
- 1 Chronicles 4:33
- 2 Chronicles 17:3
- Jeremiah 2:8
- Hosea 2:8
- Zephaniah 1:4
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
