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בֵּית בִּרְאִי

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤁𐤓𐤀𐤉

Bêyth Birʼîy

H1011 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בית, uncertain (בִּרְאִי as a personal name) to build, to house, to dwell (for בית); uncertain (for בִּרְאִי)

Definition

A toponym meaning 'house of Bir'i' or 'house belonging to Bir'i'. Refers specifically to a settlement or location within the territory of the tribe of Simeon, and appears as a proper noun in genealogical records in the Hebrew Bible. The name may either indicate a site associated with an individual named Bir'i or preserve a theophoric element, though the precise meaning of 'Bir'i' is unclear.

Semantic Range

place-name, settlement, habitation, house of Bir'i, possibly place associated with a personal name or clan

Root / Etymology

From the noun בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') combined with בִּרְאִי (Bir'i), treated here as a personal name or a place-related designation. The second element's root is uncertain but is likely a proper name not otherwise attested. It has no direct connection with the verb בָּרָא ('to create'), despite the similarity in consonants, as the vocalization and context do not support this derivation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֵּית בִּרְאִי appears only in 1 Chronicles 4:31 among the list of towns associated with the descendants of Simeon. Later translations such as the KJV offer 'Bethbirei,' following transliteration conventions. The name itself suggests a typical Israelite place-name formation (house of X). There is no evidence in the Hebrew Bible that the location carried cultic or creative connotations, nor is the exact identification of the site known archaeologically. The association of 'Bir'i' with the verb 'to create' is linguistically tenuous; more likely it preserves a personal or clan name. In the context of First Temple period Israelite settlements, such names reflected either prominent individuals, clans, or longstanding traditions associated with a locality. The name does not appear in lists outside of Chronicles nor in post-biblical texts, and later English 'Beth-birei' is simply a phonetic approximation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

xlit Birʻîy corrected to Birʼîy; from בַּיִת and בָּרָא; house of a creative one; Beth-Biri, a place in Palestine; Bethbirei.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בית, בראי (b-y-t; b-r-ʾ-y) — house, dwelling, settlement; Bir'i (personal name, uncertain meaning)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1011-01 בִּרְאִ֖י birei HNp Biri House of Bir'i 1
H1011-02 וּ/בְ/בֵ֥ית uveveyt HC/R/Np and in Beth and in the house of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1011-02 1 Chronicles 4:31 וּ/בְ/בֵ֥ית uveveyt-2 HC/R/Np and in Beth and in the house of
H1011-01 1 Chronicles 4:31 בִּרְאִ֖י birei HNp Biri House of Bir'i
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