בְּרִיעָה

𐤁𐤓𐤉𐤏𐤄

Beriah

H1283 noun

SILEX Entry

Root רעע to be bad, to be evil, to be broken

Definition

Proper noun: Beriyyah — a personal name borne by several figures in the Hebrew Bible. The etymology is debated; it may connote 'in calamity' or 'misfortune,' but the precise nuance as a name is uncertain. The term appears exclusively as a name, not as a common noun.

Semantic Range

proper name of persons (Beriyyah), possibly implying 'in misfortune' or 'in calamity' but not attested as a noun or adjective

Root / Etymology

Derived most likely from the root רעע (רע), which conveys 'to be bad, evil, or broken,' possibly with a prepositional component ב (b-, 'in') and/or as a feminine abstract form. Some suggest it means 'in misfortune,' but the construction is uncertain and the form is archaic or unique to names. The actual root is רעע.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בְּרִיעָה appears only as a proper name for four individuals in different genealogical contexts (Genesis 46:17; 1 Chronicles 7:23, 30; 8:13). It is not used as a pathological term for 'trouble' or 'misfortune' outside of names. Traditional translations sometimes link the name to a state of misfortune, particularly for the son of Ephraim, possibly reflecting a maternal circumstance or birth event, but there is no evidence it was ever used as a common noun. English renderings such as 'Beriah' are transliterations rather than translations, as the Hebrew term conveys no clear, agreed-upon meaning in standard English. Usage is confined to genealogical records, making contextual expansion speculative. Later rabbinic interpretations suggest connection with tragedy or calamity due to narrative context, but strictly lexically, the word denotes only the name itself.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

apparently from the feminine of רַע with a prepositional prefix; in trouble; Beriah, the name of four Israelites; Beriah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ) — badness, evil, brokenness, calamity

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1251 בַּר bad
H1254 בָּרָא bad
H1262 בָּרָה bad
H4828 מֵרֵעַ to his associate
H7200 רָאָה your badness

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1283-03 וּ/בְרִיעָ֖ה uveriah HC/Np and Beriah and Beriyyah 5
H1283-04 בְרִיעָ֔ה veriah HNp Beriah Beriyyah 4
H1283-01 בְּרִיעָ֔ה beriah HNp Beriah Beriyyah 1
H1283-02 לִ/בְרִיעָ֕ה liveriah HR/Np of Beriah to Beriyyah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1283-03 Genesis 46:17 וּ/בְרִיעָ֖ה uveriah HC/Np and Beriah and Beriyyah
H1283-04 Genesis 46:17 בְרִיעָ֔ה veriah HNp of Beriah Beriyyah
H1283-02 Numbers 26:44 לִ/בְרִיעָ֕ה liveriah HR/Np of Beriah to Beriyyah
H1283-04 Numbers 26:45 בְרִיעָ֔ה veriah HNp Beriah Beriyyah
H1283-01 1 Chronicles 7:23 בְּרִיעָ֔ה beriah HNp Beriah Beriyyah
H1283-03 1 Chronicles 7:30 וּ/בְרִיעָ֖ה uveriah HC/Np and Beriah and Beriyyah
H1283-04 1 Chronicles 7:31 בְרִיעָ֔ה veriah HNp Beriah Beriyyah
H1283-03 1 Chronicles 8:13 וּ/בְרִעָ֣ה uveriah HC/Np and Beriah and Beriyyah
H1283-04 1 Chronicles 8:16 בְרִיעָֽה veriah HNp Beriah Beriyyah
H1283-03 1 Chronicles 23:10 וּ/בְרִיעָ֑ה uveriah HC/Np and Beriah and Beriyyah