בַּיִת

𐤁𐤉𐤕

Bayit

H1004 noun

SILEX Entry

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).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

בנה (Bayit) — to build, construct, establish

Root בנה to build, construct, establish (family)
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1121 בֵּן sons
H1122 בֵּן son
H1123 בֵּן sons of
H1124 בְּנָא the ones building

Word Forms

95 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1004-20 בֵּית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of 724
H1004-28 הַ/בַּ֖יִת habayit HTd/Ncmsa the house the built-house the house 226
H1004-33 לְ/בֵ֥ית leveyt HR/Ncmsc of the house to a house of to the house of 150
H1004-15 בְּ/בֵ֣ית beveyt HR/Ncmsc in the house in the house of in the house of 100
H1004-25 בֵּית֖/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his house his built-house his house 97
H1004-45 מִ/בֵּ֖ית mibeyt HR/Ncmsc from the house from the built-house from the house 74
H1004-87 בֵית veyt HNcmsc house house-of house of 61
H1004-02 בַּ/בַּ֕יִת babayit HRd/Ncmsa in the house in the built-house in the house 42
H1004-69 וּ/בֵית֙ uveyt HC/Ncmsc and house and house of and house of 42
H1004-11 בָּֽיִת bayit HNcmsa a house built house a house 38

Occurrences in Scripture

2056 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1004-44 Genesis 6:14 מִ/בַּ֥יִת mibayit HR/Ncmsa inside from a house from the inside
H1004-23 Genesis 7:1 בֵּיתְ/ךָ֖ beytekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms your household your house your household
H1004-55 Genesis 12:1 וּ/מִ/בֵּ֣ית umibeyt HC/R/Ncmsc and from and from the built-house of and from the house of
H1004-20 Genesis 12:15 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of
H1004-25 Genesis 12:17 בֵּית֑/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his household his built-house his house
H1004-92 Genesis 14:14 בֵית֗/וֹ veyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms in his house his built-house his house
H1004-24 Genesis 15:2 בֵּיתִ֔/י beyti HNcmsc/Sp1cs born in my house my house my house
H1004-24 Genesis 15:3 בֵּיתִ֖/י beyti HNcmsc/Sp1cs of my household my house my house
H1004-11 Genesis 17:12 בָּ֔יִת bayit HNcmsa in the house built house house
H1004-23 Genesis 17:13 בֵּֽיתְ/ךָ֖ beytekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms in your house your house your house
H1004-92 Genesis 17:23 בֵית/וֹ֙ veyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms in his house his built-house his house
H1004-20 Genesis 17:23 בֵּ֣ית beyt HNcmsc of [Abraham's] house house-of house of
H1004-92 Genesis 17:27 בֵית/וֹ֙ veyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his house his built-house his household
H1004-11 Genesis 17:27 בָּ֔יִת bayit HNcmsa in the house built house household
H1004-25 Genesis 18:19 בֵּית/וֹ֙ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his household his built-house his household
H1004-20 Genesis 19:2 בֵּ֨ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of
H1004-25 Genesis 19:3 בֵּית֑/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his house his built-house his house
H1004-28 Genesis 19:4 הַ/בַּ֔יִת habayit HTd/Ncmsa the house the built-house the house
H1004-27 Genesis 19:10 הַ/בָּ֑יְתָ/ה habayetah HTd/Ncmsa/Sd into the house to the built-house into the house
H1004-28 Genesis 19:11 הַ/בַּ֗יִת habayit HTd/Ncmsa of the house the built-house the house
H1004-45 Genesis 20:13 מִ/בֵּ֣ית mibeyt HR/Ncmsc from the house from the built-house from the house
H1004-33 Genesis 20:18 לְ/בֵ֣ית leveyt HR/Ncmsc of the house to a house of to a house of
H1004-25 Genesis 24:2 בֵּית֔/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms of his house his built-house his house
H1004-45 Genesis 24:7 מִ/בֵּ֣ית mibeyt HR/Ncmsc from the house from the built-house from the house
H1004-20 Genesis 24:23 בֵּית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of
H1004-20 Genesis 24:27 בֵּ֖ית beyt HNcmsc to the house house-of house of
H1004-33 Genesis 24:28 לְ/בֵ֣ית leveyt HR/Ncmsc to the house of to a house of to the house of
H1004-28 Genesis 24:31 הַ/בַּ֔יִת habayit HTd/Ncmsa the house the built-house the house
H1004-27 Genesis 24:32 הַ/בַּ֔יְתָ/ה habayetah HTd/Ncmsa/Sd into the house to the built-house into the house
H1004-20 Genesis 24:38 בֵּית beyt HNcmsc house house-of the house of
H1004-55 Genesis 24:40 וּ/מִ/בֵּ֥ית umibeyt HC/R/Ncmsc and from the house and from the built-house of and from the house of
H1004-02 Genesis 27:15 בַּ/בָּ֑יִת babayit HRd/Ncmsa in the house in the built-house in the house
H1004-21 Genesis 28:2 בֵּ֥יתָ/ה beytah HNcmsc/Sd to the house her house her house
H1004-20 Genesis 28:17 בֵּ֣ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of
H1004-20 Genesis 28:21 בֵּ֣ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of
H1004-20 Genesis 28:22 בֵּ֣ית beyt HNcmsc house house-of house of
H1004-25 Genesis 29:13 בֵּית֑/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his house his built-house his house
H1004-37 Genesis 30:30 לְ/בֵיתִֽ/י leveyti HR/Ncmsc/Sp1cs for my own household to my house to my house
H1004-15 Genesis 31:14 בְּ/בֵ֥ית beveyt HR/Ncmsc in the house in the house of in the house of
H1004-33 Genesis 31:30 לְ/בֵ֣ית leveyt HR/Ncmsc for the house to a house of to the house of
H1004-89 Genesis 31:37 בֵיתֶ֔/ךָ veytekha HNcmsc/Sp2ms of your house your built-house your house
H1004-17 Genesis 31:41 בְּ/בֵיתֶ/ךָ֒ beveytekha HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms in your house in your house in your house
H1004-11 Genesis 33:17 בָּ֑יִת bayit HNcmsa a house built house a house
H1004-20 Genesis 34:19 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNcmsc the house house-of the house of
H1004-45 Genesis 34:26 מִ/בֵּ֥ית mibeyt HR/Ncmsc from the house of from the built-house from the house of
H1004-02 Genesis 34:29 בַּ/בָּֽיִת babayit HRd/Ncmsa in the house in the built-house in the built-house
H1004-74 Genesis 34:30 וּ/בֵיתִֽ/י uveyti HC/Ncmsc/Sp1cs and my household and my house and my household
H1004-25 Genesis 35:2 בֵּית֔/וֹ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his household his built-house his household
H1004-25 Genesis 36:6 בֵּית/וֹ֒ beyto HNcmsc/Sp3ms of his household his built-house his household
H1004-87 Genesis 38:11 בֵית veyt HNcmsc in the house house-of in the house of