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בָּלַל

𐤁𐤋𐤋

bâlal

H1101 verb

SILEX Entry

Root בלל to mix, to blend, to confuse (by mixing), to mingle

Definition

To mix together or intermingle, particularly referring to substances, materials, or languages. The verb denotes the action of combining disparate elements to create a mixture, whether in physical, ritual, or metaphorical senses. Its semantic range can also extend to acts of confusion or disorganization brought about by mixing.

Semantic Range

to mix (materials or substances), to blend (ingredients), to mingle (liquids, such as wine or oil), to confound (languages or people by mixing them), to temper (as in preparing offerings), to fodder or provide provender (by mixing feed), to bring to confusion by mixing

Root / Etymology

From the root ב-ל-ל, which broadly means 'to mix, mingle, confound.' Some related nouns (such as בְּלִיל, 'mixture') derive from the same root, while the denominative sense ('to fodder' or 'to provide provender') is secondary and specific to contexts involving animal feed. The primary sense is 'to mix.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

בָּלַל appears across various strata of the Hebrew Bible. In early usages, it commonly refers to material mixing, such as the combination of flour and oil for grain offerings (e.g., Leviticus), or in Proverbs, 'mingling' wine. The verb's figurative application surfaces in Genesis 11 (the Tower of Babel), when languages are 'confounded' or mixed, providing the narrative etiology for diverse languages—later tradition associates this root (and the name 'Babel') with confusion, but in the text the key action is mixing, not mere confusion. In some cultic or ritual contexts, the verb can refer to the tempering or blending of ingredients for sacred purposes. The sense 'to fodder' (provide provender for livestock) is by extension from mixing grain and fodder. Later Hebrew sometimes generalizes the verb to contexts of mental or social confusion, but this is not the primary biblical sense. English translations sometimes shift the sense toward 'confound' in narrative contexts and toward 'mix' or 'mingle' for ritual uses. The nuance of purposeful mixing (for offerings or food) is often underrepresented in translation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; (also denominatively from בְּלִיל) to fodder; to overflow (specifically with oil.); by implication, to mix; to fodder; anoint, confound, [idiom] fade, mingle, mix (self), give provender, temper.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בלל (b-l-l) — to mix, to blend, to mingle, to confuse (by mixing)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1098 בְּלִיל mixed grain-fodder
H8397 תֶּבֶל illicit mixture
H8400 תְּבַּלֻּל eye-clouding mixture
H894 בָּבֶל Babel
H895 בַּבֶל Babel/Babylon

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1101-04 בְּלוּלָ֥ה belulah HVqsfsa mixed mixed one 28
H1101-05 בְּלוּלֹ֣ת belulot HVqsfpa mixed mixed ones 5
H1101-03 בָּל֨וּל balul HVqsmsa mixed mixed 4
H1101-02 בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י baloti HVqp1cs I-am-anointed I mixed 1
H1101-01 בָּלַ֥ל balal HVqp3ms confused he mixed 1
H1101-06 וַ/יָּ֖בָול vayavavl HC/Vqw3ms and gave provender and he mixed 1
H1101-07 בְלוּלָֽה velulah HVqsfsa mixed mixed 1
H1101-09 יִתְבּוֹלָ֑ל yitebolal HVri3ms mixes-himself he will intermingle himself 1
H1101-08 וְ/נָבְלָ֥ה venavelah HC/Vqh1cp and confuse and let us mix 1

Occurrences in Scripture

43 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1101-08 Genesis 11:7 וְ/נָבְלָ֥ה venavelah HC/Vqh1cp and confuse and let us mix
H1101-01 Genesis 11:9 בָּלַ֥ל balal HVqp3ms confused he mixed
H1101-05 Exodus 29:2 בְּלוּלֹ֣ת belulot HVqsfpa mixed mixed ones
H1101-03 Exodus 29:40 בָּל֨וּל balul HVqsmsa mingled mixed
H1101-05 Leviticus 2:4 בְּלוּלֹ֣ת belulot HVqsfpa mixed mixed ones
H1101-04 Leviticus 2:5 בְּלוּלָ֥ה belulah HVqsfsa mixed mixed one
H1101-07 Leviticus 7:10 בְלוּלָֽה velulah HVqsfsa mixed mixed
H1101-05 Leviticus 7:12 בְּלוּלֹ֣ת belulot HVqsfpa mixed mixed ones
H1101-05 Leviticus 7:12 בְּלוּלֹ֥ת belulot-2 HVqsfpa mixed mixed ones
H1101-04 Leviticus 9:4 בְּלוּלָ֣ה belulah HVqsfsa mixed mixed one
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