בֵּית לְעַפְרָה (H1036) — Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּית לְעַפְרָה

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤋𐤏𐤐𐤓𐤄

Bêyth lᵉ-ʻAphrâh

H1036 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בית, עפר to house, dwell, place house; dust, loose earth

Definition

A toponym meaning 'House of Dust' or possibly 'House of (the clan/person) Aphrah.' Primarily, the lexical meaning is a place associated with 'dust' (עָפָר, ʿāphār), with possible connections to mourning, humility, or a reference to a local clan or settlement. In the biblical context, it designates a locality named in Micah 1:10, the precise location of which is uncertain.

Semantic Range

house of dust, house belonging to Aphrah, place of dust (as symbolic of mourning or humility), possible proper clan or personal name

Root / Etymology

The name is composed of בֵּית (bêth, 'house'), the construct form of 'house' or 'dwelling,' and לְעַפְרָה (le-ʿAphrāh), which is most likely a prepositional phrase meaning 'to/of Aphrah' or 'to/of dust.' עָפָר (ʿāphār, 'dust') is a common Hebrew noun; the feminine ending here could indicate a feminine noun, perhaps a proper name or a collective. The prefixed preposition לְ (le-) generally means 'to' or 'for,' but in place names it often serves to bind to a following proper noun. Thus, the etymology is: from the root בית ('to house, dwell') + עָפָר ('dust'), with the preposition לְ structurally linking them as 'house of dust.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֵּית לְעַפְרָה appears in Micah 1:10 in a dirge-like oracle listing several towns connected to the prophet's lament regarding impending disaster. The name itself may contain a wordplay on עָפָר, 'dust,' reflecting the clause 'roll yourself in the dust.' It may either be an actual place or function symbolically in the verse. The construction בית + ל preposition + noun is somewhat unique but finds parallels among Israelite toponyms, where בֵּית prefixes are used with a following name or clan (e.g., Beth-Lehem, Beth-El). English translations sometimes preserve the Hebrew form (Beth-le-Aphrah) or render the meaning ('house of dust'), but both conceal the likely wordplay and nuances of the original. Some later translations and traditions have associated this location with different sites in the Shephelah or Benjaminite territory, but archaeological identification remains inconclusive. The use of 'house of dust' may reflect mourning practices or indicate the identity of the settlement's inhabitants. Unlike 'Bethlehem', which indicates 'house of bread', this name does not refer to economic activity but to symbolic posture or circumstances.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בַּיִת and the feminine of עָפָר (with preposition interposed); house to (i.e. of) dust; Beth-le-Aphrah, a place in Palestine; house of Aphrah.

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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
H1009	בֵּית אַרְבֵּאל	house of
H1010	בֵּית בַּעַל מְעוֹן	house-of
H1011	בֵּית בִּרְאִי	and in the house of
H1012	בֵּית בָּרָה	house of
H1013	בֵּית־גָּדֵר	house-of
H1014	בֵּית גָּמוּל	house of
H1015	בֵּית דִּבְלָתַיִם	house-of
H1016	בֵּית־דָּגוֹן	house-of
H1017	בֵּית הָאֱלִי	house of
H1018	בֵּית הָאֵצֶל	house of
H1020	בֵּית הַיְשִׁימוֹת	house-of
H1021	בֵּית הַכֶּרֶם	house-of
H1022	בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי	house of
H1023	בֵּית הַמֶּרְחָק	house-of
H1024	בֵּית הַמַּרְכָּבוֹת	and house of
H1025	בֵּית הָעֵמֶק	house of
H1026	בֵּית הָעֲרָבָה	house-of
H1027	בֵּית הָרָם	house-of
H1028	בֵּית הָרָן	house of
H1029	בֵּית הַשִּׁטָּה	house-of
H1030	בֵּית הַשִּׁמְשִׁי	house-of
H1031	בֵּית חׇגְלָה	house of
H1032	בֵּית חוֹרוֹן	house-of
H1033	בֵּית כַּר	to the built-house of
H1034	בֵּית לְבָאוֹת	and house-of
H1035	בֵּית לֶחֶם	in the house of
H1038	בֵּית מַעֲכָה	house of
H1039	בֵּית נִמְרָה	house of
H1041	בֵּית עַזְמָוֶת	house of
H1042	בֵּית עֲנוֹת	and house of
H1043	בֵּית עֲנָת	and house-of
H1044	בֵּית עֵקֶד	house-of
H1046	בֵּית פֶּלֶט	and house of
H1047	בֵּית פְּעוֹר	house of
H1048	בֵּית פַּצֵּץ	and house-of
H1049	בֵּית צוּר	house of
H1050	בֵּית רְחוֹב	house-of
H1051	בֵּית רָפָא	house of
H1052	בֵּית שְׁאָן	in the built-house of
H1053	בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ	in the built-house of
H1054	בֵּית תַּפּוּחַ	and house of
H1121	בֵּן	sons
H1122	בֵּן	son
H1123	בֵּן	sons of
H1124	בְּנָא	the ones building
H1125	בֶּן־אֲבִינָדָב	son
H1126	בֶּן־אוֹנִי	son
H1127	בֶּן־גֶּבֶר	son
H1128	בֶּן־דֶּקֶר	son
H1129	בָּנָה	he built
H1130	בֶּן־הֲדַד	son
H1131	בִּנּוּי	Built-Up One
H1132	בֶּן־זוֹחֵת	and son of
H1133	בֶּן־חוּר	son
H1134	בֶּן־חַיִל	to a son of
H1135	בֶּן־חָנָן	son
H1136	בֶּן־חֶסֶד	son
H1137	בָּנִי	Built-one
H1138	בֻּנִּי	Built One
H1139	בְּנֵי־בְּרַק	and sons of
H1140	בִּנְיָה	and the built-structure
H1141	בְּנָיָה	Yahweh has built
H1142	בְּנֵי יַעֲקָן	among sons of
H1145	בֶּן־יְמִינִי	son
H1146	בִּנְיָן	constructed structure
H1147	בִּנְיָן	the built structure
H1151	בֶּן־עַמִּי	son
H1323	בַּת	daughters
H1324	בַּת	daughter of
H1337	בַּת רַבִּים	daughter of
H1339	בַּת־שֶׁבַע	daughter of
H1340	בַּת־שׁוּעַ	to a daughter of
H205	אָוֶן	and building-stone
H2995	יַבְנְאֵל	and God-Builds
H2996	יַבְנֶה	Yabneh, Building-place
H2997	יִבְנְיָה	Yah Has Built
H2998	יִבְנִיָּה	Yah Builds
H358	אֵילוֹן בֵּית חָנָן	house of
H3845	לִבְנִי	to my son
H4011	מִבְנֶה	like the built-structure of
H4012	מְבֻנַּי	Built-Up One
H4996	נֹא	his son
H5524	סֻכּוֹת בְּנוֹת	daughters of
H5854	עַטְרוֹת בֵּית יוֹאָב	house of
H62	אָבֵל בֵּית־מֲעַכָה	house of
H68	אֶבֶן	your building-stones
H69	אֶבֶן	building-stone of
H72	אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר	building-stone of
H8401	תֶּבֶן	the straw residue
H8403	תַּבְנִית	in building-pattern of
H885	בְּאֵרֹת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקַן	sons of
H935	בּוֹא	daughter of
H956	בּוּת	and daughter of
H995	בִּין	son of
H996	בֵּין	son

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H1036-01`	בְּ/בֵ֣ית	beveyt	`HR/Ncmsc`	in house-of	in the built-house of	1
`H1036-02`	לְעַפְרָ֔ה	leaferah	`HNp`	Leaphrah	House of Dust	1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H1036-01`	Micah 1:10	בְּ/בֵ֣ית	beveyt	`HR/Ncmsc`	in house-of	in the built-house of
`H1036-02`	Micah 1:10	לְעַפְרָ֔ה	leaferah	`HNp`	Leaphrah	House of Dust

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