בַּיִת

𐤁𐤉𐤕

bayith

H1004 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בנה to build, construct, establish (family)

Definition

A physical structure used for human habitation (house, dwelling), an architectural building, or a shelter. By extension, designates a household (the people living together in a house), a lineage or family group (often used in genealogical or dynastic contexts: 'house of X'), a clan, a dynastic entity (especially of rulers: 'house of David'), or a temple (especially the sanctuary for the national deity; e.g., 'House of YHWH' for the Jerusalem temple). In rarer uses, refers to a prison or dungeon, a palace, or other large buildings. The semantic range can include interior rooms or compartmentalized spaces within other structures.

Semantic Range

house, dwelling, household, family, clan, dynasty, temple, palace, interior room, prison, building, place, lineage, court, group, home

Root / Etymology

Root בנה (“to build, construct, establish family”). בַּיִת is a primary noun form rooted in the idea of constructed space or structure. While בנה emphasizes the action of building or establishing, בַּיִת refers to both the result (a built dwelling) and associated social units (those belonging to or arising from that house).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the earliest biblical texts, בַּיִת most commonly refers to a physical dwelling, but already in patriarchal and monarchic contexts, the term is used metonymically for the household, extended family, or even tribe (e.g., 'house of Jacob'). From the monarchy onward, especially in royal or priestly texts, בַּיִת is frequently used for ruling dynasties ('house of David') and temple buildings ('house of YHWH'). The term differentiates from מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, 'tabernacle')—which emphasizes impermanence or mobility—whereas בַּיִת connotes permanence, established presence, and sometimes institutional or dynastic continuity. In later periods (post-exilic), בַּיִת takes on even greater abstractness in second temple and Persian period literature, further developing its institutional or communal sense (e.g., 'house of Israel'). Standard English translations as 'house' or 'household' sometimes obscure these collective, dynastic, and metaphorical nuances; 'temple' or 'dynasty' is contextually more accurate in various passages. The later English term 'Jewish' house or 'Jewish' people in translation does not match biblical usage where ethnic, geographic, or dynastic meanings of 'bayith' are present, and should be avoided for earlier periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably from בָּנָה abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.); court, daughter, door, [phrase] dungeon, family, [phrase] forth of, [idiom] great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, [phrase] prison, [phrase] steward, [phrase] tablet, temple, web, [phrase] within(-out).

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Root Family

בנה (b-n-h) — to build, construct, establish (family)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1006 בַּיִת the house
H1007 בֵּית אָוֶן house-of
H1008 בֵּית־אֵל in house of
H1009 בֵּית אַרְבֵּאל house of

Word Forms

95 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1004-20 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of 724
H1004-28 הַ/בַּ֔יִת habayit HTd/Ncmsa the house the built-house 226
H1004-33 לְ/בֵ֣ית leveyt HR/Ncmsc of the house to a house of 150
H1004-15 בְּ/בֵ֥ית beveyt HR/Ncmsc in the house in the house of 100
H1004-25 בֵּית֑/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his house his built-house 97
H1004-45 מִ/בֵּ֣ית mibeyt HR/Ncmsc from the house from the built-house 74
H1004-87 בֵית veyt HNcmsc house house-of 61
H1004-69 וּ/בֵית uveyt HC/Ncmsc and house and house of 42
H1004-02 בַּ/בָּ֑יִת babayit HRd/Ncmsa in the house in the built-house 42
H1004-11 בָּ֔יִת bayit HNcmsa a house built house 38

Occurrences in Scripture

2056 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1004-44 Genesis 6:14 מִ/בַּ֥יִת mibayit HR/Ncmsa inside from a house
H1004-23 Genesis 7:1 בֵּיתְ/ךָ֖ beytekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your household your house
H1004-55 Genesis 12:1 וּ/מִ/בֵּ֣ית umibeyt HC/R/Ncmsc and from and from the built-house of
H1004-20 Genesis 12:15 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of
H1004-25 Genesis 12:17 בֵּית֑/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his household his built-house
H1004-92 Genesis 14:14 בֵית֗/וֹ veyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms in his house his built-house
H1004-24 Genesis 15:2 בֵּיתִ֔/י beyti HNcmsc/Sp1cs born in my house my house
H1004-24 Genesis 15:3 בֵּיתִ֖/י beyti HNcmsc/Sp1cs of my household my house
H1004-11 Genesis 17:12 בָּ֔יִת bayit HNcmsa in the house built house
H1004-23 Genesis 17:13 בֵּֽיתְ/ךָ֖ beytekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms in your house your house