בַּ/סֶּ֖לַע

𐤁/𐤎𐤋𐤏

basela

in the rock

from an unused root meaning to be lofty; a craggy rock, literally or figuratively (a fortress); (ragged) rock, stone(-ny), strong hold.

H5553

Numbers 24:21 · Word #10

Lexicon H5553

Lemmaסֶלַע
Lemma (Paleo)𐤎𐤋𐤏
Transliterationçelaʻ
Strong'sH5553
In-contextin the rock

Morphology HRd/Ncmsa All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

SIBI-P1 H5553-01

in the lofty crag-rock

Rootסלע (s-l-ʿ)
Core Meaningsloftiness, crag, cliff, elevated rock, rocky stronghold
Semantic Rangecrag, cliff, rocky height, stone outcrop, natural stronghold or refuge
Conceptual SignificanceOften associated with refuge, protection, and elevated security, the סֶלַע evokes imagery of stability and divine shelter, especially when used metaphorically of YHWH as a rock or stronghold.
Morphological NotesPreposition בְּ ("in") with assimilated definite article (בַּ־) + noun סֶלַע, masculine singular absolute.
Rendering RationaleThe noun סֶלַע denotes a high, craggy rock or cliff, reflecting the root idea of loftiness and elevation. The prefixed בַּ־ is the preposition "in" with the definite article assimilated, and the noun is masculine singular absolute, hence "in the lofty crag-rock" preserves both the root sense and the definite singular form.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root סלע (loftiness, crag, cliff, elevated rock, rocky stronghold)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H5553-02 besela in the lofty crag
H5553-03 hasala the Lofty Crag
H5553-04 hasela the crag-rock
H5553-05 haselaim the lofty crags
misala from a lofty crag
H5553-06 misela from a lofty crag
H5553-07 sala a lofty crag
H5553-08 salei my lofty crag
H5553-09 sela crag-rock of
H5553-10 selaim lofty crags
H5553-11 vasela in the lofty crag

Word Usage (59 occurrences of H5553)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Numbers 20:8 הַ/סֶּ֛לַע hasela rock
Numbers 20:8 הַ/סֶּ֔לַע hasela-2 the-rock
Numbers 20:10 הַ/סָּ֑לַע hasala the rock