בִּלְעָם֙
𐤁𐤋𐤏𐤌
bileam
of Balaam
probably from בַּל and עַם; not (of the) people, i.e. foreigner; Bilam, a Mesopotamian prophet; also a place in Palestine; Balaam, Bileam.
H1109
Numbers 24:3 · Word #5
Lexicon H1109
| Lemma | בִּלְעָם |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤁𐤋𐤏𐤌 |
| Transliteration | Bilʻâm |
| Strong's | H1109 |
| In-context | of Balaam |
Morphology HNp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | p — Proper Name — Proper name |
SIBI-P1 H1109-01
Bilam (Swallower-of-a-People)
| Root | בלע + עם (b-l-ʿ + ʿ-m) |
| Core Meanings | to swallow, engulf, consume; people, nation, kin-group |
| Semantic Range | Personal name meaning "Bilam" or "Balaam"; possibly also a toponym. Etymologically suggestive of destruction or consumption of a people. |
| Conceptual Significance | Bilam is a Mesopotamian seer hired to curse Israel but compelled to bless them (Numbers 22–24). His name’s likely association with "swallowing" a people forms an ironic contrast with his inability to destroy Israel and later biblical portrayals of him as a corrupting influence. |
| Morphological Notes | Masculine singular proper noun (HNp). Used as the personal name of a non-Israelite prophet and occasionally as a place name. No inflectional variation in the cited forms. |
| Rendering Rationale | The name בִּלְעָם is likely derived from בלע (to swallow, consume) and עם (people), yielding the sense "Swallower-of-a-People." As a masculine singular proper noun (HNp), the rendering preserves its personal-name function while making the underlying root meaning transparent in English. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Word Usage (61 occurrences of H1109)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers 22:5 | בִּלְעָ֣ם | bileam | Balaam |
| Numbers 22:7 | בִּלְעָ֔ם | bileam | Balaam |
| Numbers 22:8 | בִּלְעָֽם | bileam | Balaam |