Biblica Analytica

בֶ֫לַע

be.la (H1105)

swallowing

2 verses 2 books OT 2 / NT 0
AI Word Study

# Analysis of בְלַע (bela) Based on the lexical data provided, בְלַע is a Hebrew noun meaning "swallowing" that appears only twice in the biblical text. This limited occurrence suggests it represents a specialized or emphatic usage rather than a common vocabulary item. The term denotes the physical act of ingestion—the process by which something passes through the throat into the digestive system. The rarity of this specific form in biblical Hebrew is notable. With only two attestations across the entire corpus, the word likely carried particular weight or served a specific rhetorical purpose in the contexts where it appeared. Without access to those specific passages here, we can observe that Hebrew had alternative ways to express related concepts, meaning the authors' choice to use this particular term rather than synonyms would have been deliberate and meaningful to contemporary readers. The lexical data alone does not permit conclusions about the metaphorical applications or theological significance this word may have carried, nor does it indicate whether both occurrences appear in similar or contrasting contexts. Its fundamental semantic range remains limited to the concrete physical meaning of the swallowing action itself.

AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.

Psalms 52:4

You love all devouring words, you deceitful tongue.

Jeremiah 51:44

I will execute judgment on Bel in Babylon, and I will bring out of his mouth that which he has swallowed up. The nations will not flow any more to him. Yes, the wall of Babylon will fall.