בֵּית הָעֵמֶק
𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤄𐤏𐤌𐤒
Bêyth hâ-ʻÊmeq
H1025 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place name meaning 'house of the valley.' Used as a geographical designation for a specific settlement or locality, most notably in the territory allotted to the tribe of Asher. The name likely denotes a town situated in or near a valley, distinguishing it from settlements in more elevated terrain.
Semantic Range
settlement in a valley, house in the valley, the locality called Beth-ha-Emek, toponym designating a place associated with a valley
Root / Etymology
Derived from the noun בַּיִת (bayit, 'house') and עֵמֶק (ʽemeq, 'valley'), with the definite article הַ (ha-) interposed before 'valley', forming a construct phrase. The root for בַּיִת is בנה ('to build, establish'), while עֵמֶק derives from עמק ('to be deep, broad, or vast'). The form as a proper noun reflects a standard Hebrew naming convention for locations, indicating a house, settlement, or community situated in a valley.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֵּית הָעֵמֶק appears as a settlement in the territorial list of Asher (Joshua 19:27), likely a distinct locality during the early Israelite settlement period. The use of 'house of' (בֵּית) in biblical place names commonly designates a building, sanctuary, estate, or entire settlement. The inclusion of the article before 'valley' is a feature found in several Hebrew toponyms, serving to specify the geographical feature. Later translations sometimes preserve the full name (e.g., 'Beth-ha-Emek') or render it as 'Beth-emek.' The modern identification of the precise site is uncertain, though some suggest a location in northern Israel. The term makes no reference to later (post-biblical) populations or religious identities. English translations using 'Beth-emek' or 'Beth-haEmek' may obscure the descriptive nature encoded in the original Hebrew, which indicates both habitation (house/settlement) and geographic setting (the valley).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בַּיִת and עֵמֶק with the article interposed; house of the valley; Beth-ha-Emek, a place in Palestine; Beth-emek.
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
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1025-01 |
בֵּ֥ית | beyt | HNp |
Beth | house of | 1 |
H1025-02 |
הָעֵ֖מֶק | haemeq | HNp |
emek | House of the Valley | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1025-01 |
Joshua 19:27 | בֵּ֥ית | beyt-2 | HNp |
Beth | house of |
H1025-02 |
Joshua 19:27 | הָעֵ֖מֶק | haemeq | HNp |
emek | House of the Valley |