בָּעָה
𐤁𐤏𐤄
bâʻâh
H1158 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To swell or bubble up, primarily describing a physical or emotional upsurge or outpouring; in figurative usage, to express urgent desire, petition, or the stirring of strong feeling; to ask fervently or beg. Used both literally for swelling (e.g. water or emotion) and metaphorically for asking or entreating with intensity.
Semantic Range
to swell out, to gush forth, to express urgent desire, to entreat intensely, to beg, to ask earnestly, to seek fervently
Root / Etymology
Root בָּעָה derives from the triliteral root בּ־ע־ה, with an original concrete sense of 'to swell' or 'to gush forth.' The verb then developed figurative meanings such as 'to express strong desire' or 'to entreat.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Biblical Hebrew, בָּעָה typically occurs in poetic passages and is rare in prose. Its earliest and most literal use refers to a swelling or bubbling up, such as water gushing or emotions flooding forth. Over time, it acquired a more abstract sense connected to the act of pleading or desperately asking—tied to the intensity one experiences when overwhelmed or filled up emotionally. Some late biblical texts employ בָּעָה with the nuance of petitioning, but it never becomes the standard verb for simple asking (as שָׁאַל or בִּקֵּשׁ do). Instead, its force is always urgent, intense, or overwhelming. English translations sometimes render it as 'ask,' 'seek,' or 'cause,' but these glosses often miss the sense of emotional force or swelling embedded in the Hebrew. The word is uncommon, and its metaphorical sense stands in contrast to more neutral terms for asking or inquiring. There is no consistent evidence that the term bore specific cultic or institutional meaning in ancient Israel; rather, it embodies the psychological intensity of urgent desire or need.
Translation Consistency
The dominant semantic range in SILEX is urgent petition and intense asking (entreating, seeking fervently). “Beg” is a natural, widely understood verb that conveys the force and urgency of the figurative senses and can be used metaphorically for outpouring of feeling; it is the best single base form to cover the typical uses of בָּעָה.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to gush over, i.e. to swell; (figuratively) to desire earnestly; by implication to ask; cause, inquire, seek up, swell out.
Bantu Hebrew
| Language | Bantu Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bemba | bula | to increase, to swell up | |
| Chokwe | kubula | to multiply, to increase, to swell | |
| Kaonde | kubula | to swell, to increase | |
| Kikongo | buya | to swell; be swollen | |
| Kimbundu | kubúya | to swell | |
| Lingala | bóya | to swell | |
| Luba-Katanga | kubula | to increase, to multiply | |
| Lunda | kubula | to swell, to increase | |
| Luvale | kubula | to multiply, to increase |
Root Family
בעה (b-ʿ-h) — to swell, to bubble up, to gush forth
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1158-03 |
נִבְע֖וּ | niveu | HVNp3cp |
are sought out | they were swollen up | were sought out | 1 |
H1158-05 |
תִּבְעֶה | tiveeh | HVqi3fs |
boils | she will gush forth | it boils | 1 |
H1158-04 |
תִּבְעָי֥וּ/ן | tiveayun | HVqi2mp/Sn |
you would inquire | you will gush forth | you inquire | 1 |
H1158-02 |
נִבְעֶ֖ה | niveeh | HVNrmsa |
bulging | one swelling up | bulging | 1 |
H1158-01 |
בְּעָ֖יוּ | beayu | HVqv2mp |
inquire | Gush forth! | inquire | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1158-04 |
Isaiah 21:12 | תִּבְעָי֥וּ/ן | tiveayun | HVqi2mp/Sn |
you would inquire | you will gush forth | you inquire |
H1158-01 |
Isaiah 21:12 | בְּעָ֖יוּ | beayu | HVqv2mp |
inquire | Gush forth! | inquire |
H1158-02 |
Isaiah 30:13 | נִבְעֶ֖ה | niveeh | HVNrmsa |
bulging | one swelling up | bulging |
H1158-05 |
Isaiah 64:1 | תִּבְעֶה | tiveeh | HVqi3fs |
boils | she will gush forth | it boils |
H1158-03 |
Obadiah 1:6 | נִבְע֖וּ | niveu | HVNp3cp |
are sought out | they were swollen up | were sought out |