בֵּית הַיְשִׁימוֹת
𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤄𐤉𐤔𐤉𐤌𐤅𐤕
Bêyth ha-Yshîy-môwth
H1020 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place name meaning 'House of Desolations' or 'House in the Desolate Places,' referring to a settlement located east of the Jordan River on the plains of Moab. The name denotes a location characterized by barrenness or wasteland, likely reflecting the geography or environment surrounding the settlement. The phrase includes the prefixed definite article 'ha-' and refers specifically to the site traditionally called 'Beth-ha-Yeshimoth.'
Semantic Range
proper name of a location; settlement or encampment in a barren region; 'house of the desolate places' or 'house in the wastelands'
Root / Etymology
From the noun בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') and the plural of יְשִׁימָה (yeshimah, 'desolation, wasteland'), with the definite article -הַ (ha-) inserted between. Thus, literally, 'House of the Desolations.' The root of yeshimah is י-שׁ-מ (ישׁם), meaning 'to be desolate.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֵּית הַיְשִׁימוֹת occurs in narratives describing the final encampment of the Israelites in the plains of Moab before entering Canaan (Num 33:49; Ezek 25:9). The form is unusual in preserving the article within a proper name, suggesting specificity (i.e., 'the desolations' as opposed to generic 'desolations'). While English translations typically render the name as 'Beth-jeshimoth,' the full Hebrew form indicates a location identified both by a dwelling or settlement (בֵּית) and a terrain feature (יְשִׁימוֹת). Its identification with present-day sites is debated but it is clearly linked to the arid northeastern shores of the Dead Sea. The term does not connote a deserted town, but rather a settlement in or near a desolate region. In later periods, the area's meaning and boundaries may have shifted, but the basic place-name sense remained. English translations do not always reflect the full sense of the element ישִׁימוֹת as 'desolations' or 'wastelands.'
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בַּיִת and the plural of יְשִׁימַה with the article interposed; house of the deserts; Beth-ha-Jeshimoth, a town East of the Jordan; Beth-jeshimoth.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot 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
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1020-02 |
הַיְשִׁמֹ֔ת | hayeshimot | HNp |
jeshimoth | House of the Desolations | 4 |
H1020-01 |
בֵּ֣ית | beyt | HNp |
Beth | house-of | 2 |
H1020-04 |
וּ/בֵ֥ית | uveyt | HC/Np |
and Beth | and house-of | 1 |
H1020-03 |
מִ/בֵּ֣ית | mibeyt | HR/Np |
from Beth | from the house of | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
8 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1020-03 |
Numbers 33:49 | מִ/בֵּ֣ית | mibeyt | HR/Np |
from Beth | from the house of |
H1020-02 |
Numbers 33:49 | הַיְשִׁמֹ֔ת | hayeshimot | HNp |
jeshimoth | House of the Desolations |
H1020-01 |
Joshua 12:3 | בֵּ֣ית | beyt | HNp |
Beth | house-of |
H1020-02 |
Joshua 12:3 | הַיְשִׁמ֑וֹת | hayeshimot | HNp |
Jeshimoth | House of the Desolations |
H1020-04 |
Joshua 13:20 | וּ/בֵ֥ית | uveyt-2 | HC/Np |
and Beth | and house-of |
H1020-02 |
Joshua 13:20 | הַיְשִׁמֽוֹת | hayeshimot | HNp |
jeshimoth | House of the Desolations |
H1020-01 |
Ezekiel 25:9 | בֵּ֣ית | beyt | HNp |
Beth- | house-of |
H1020-02 |
Ezekiel 25:9 | הַיְשִׁימֹ֔ת | hayeshimot | HNp |
jeshimoth | House of the Desolations |