בֵּית דִּבְלָתַיִם

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤃𐤁𐤋𐤕𐤉𐤌

Bêyth Diblâthayim

H1015 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בּית, דבל to house, to contain, to press, to compress (figs)

Definition

A toponym referring to a settlement east of the Jordan, likely in Moabite territory, signifying 'house of fig cakes' or 'house of fig-cakes' (possibly 'double fig-cake'), based on the meanings of its constituent parts. The name reflects either a place associated with the production or abundance of dried figs pressed into cakes, or a site named for its agricultural product. Used as a geographic designation in the prophetic literature.

Semantic Range

city name, settlement known for agricultural production (fig cakes), house of (the) fig cakes, place of dried pressed figs

Root / Etymology

Formed from בֵּית ('house of') + דִּבְלָתַיִם, a dual/plural form related to דְּבֵלָה ('pressed fig cake'). The dual ending in דִּבְלָתַיִם suggests 'double fig cakes' or 'figcakes' as a collective. The whole name thus means 'house of fig cakes.' The root for דְּבֵלָה is דבל, meaning 'to press, compress' (related to processing figs).

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֵּית דִּבְלָתַיִם appears in Jeremiah 48:22 as a Moabite city, listed among other settlements in the territory of Moab. The name is likely descriptive of a local agricultural specialty—pressed fig cakes, an important dietary staple in the ancient Near East. There is scholarly debate on whether this identifies with Diblath (Ezekiel 6:14) or if they are distinct sites; most consider them separate, as the Hebrew spelling differs. Greek translations (LXX) transliterate the name without translating its meaning. In later English Bible translations, the name is often left untranslated as a proper noun, which may obscure its agricultural connotation for modern readers. Archaeological identification is uncertain, although some locate it near the ancient plains of Moab.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בַּיִת and the dual of דְּבֵלָה; house of (the) two figcakes; Beth-Diblathajim, a place East of the Jordan; Beth-diblathaim.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בנה (b-n-h) — to build, construct, establish (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
H1015-02 דִּבְלָתָֽיִם divelatayim HNp Diblathaim House of Fig-Cakes 1
H1015-01 בֵּ֖ית beyt HNp Beth house-of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1015-01 Jeremiah 48:22 בֵּ֖ית beyt HNp Beth house-of
H1015-02 Jeremiah 48:22 דִּבְלָתָֽיִם divelatayim HNp Diblathaim House of Fig-Cakes