בֵּית גָּמוּל

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤂𐤌𐤅𐤋

Bêyth Gâmûwl

H1014 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גמל to deal fully, repay, recompense, wean

Definition

Proper noun: Name of a settlement east of the Jordan River, likely meaning 'house of recompense' or 'house of reward'. Refers specifically to a locality mentioned as included among the towns of Moab in prophetic oracles. The form derives from the noun 'house' combined with a participial or nominal form related to requital or recompense, possibly indicating either the function, reputation, or a traditional aspect of the site.

Semantic Range

proper noun (toponym, settlement name); as a formation, can imply 'house of recompense', 'house of reward', rarely 'house of weaning'; used exclusively as a place name in the Hebrew Bible

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') plus גָּמוּל (gāmûl), derived from the passive participle of the root גמל (g-m-l), which fundamentally means 'to deal with fully, to repay, to recompense, to wean'. Hence, the name probably means 'house of recompense', though 'house of weaning' is a less likely interpretation in context.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֵּית גָּמוּל appears in Jeremiah 48:23 among the Moabite cities threatened with destruction. The structure of the compound name follows a common biblical pattern for place names (e.g. Beth-shean, Beth-peor), pairing 'bayit' (house) with a descriptive or commemorative term. While 'gāmûl' can refer to being weaned (used of children in Isaiah 11:8), in place names the root גמל more frequently conveys the sense of recompense or repayment. Ancient translators or later English Bibles at times render the second component as 'weaned', but in the context of settlement names and ancient onomastic practices, 'recompense' or 'reward' is more plausible. The location's precise site east of the Jordan is uncertain, but it is associated with Moab in prophetic catalogues of towns. The term does not refer to an ethnic identity, nor does it function as a common noun in biblical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בַּיִת and the passive participle of גְּמוּל; house of (the) weaned; Beth-Gamul, a place East of the Jordan; Beth-gamul.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1004 בַּיִת in the houses
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1006 בַּיִת the house
H1007 בֵּית אָוֶן house-of
H1008 בֵּית־אֵל in house of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1014-01 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp Beth house of 1
H1014-02 גָּמ֖וּל gamul HNp Gamul recompensed one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1014-01 Jeremiah 48:23 בֵּ֥ית beyt HNp Beth house of
H1014-02 Jeremiah 48:23 גָּמ֖וּל gamul HNp Gamul recompensed one