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בְּרֵכָה

𐤁𐤓𐤊𐤄

bᵉrêkâh

H1295 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ברך to kneel, to bless

Definition

An artificial pool, reservoir, or cistern for collecting and storing water, often constructed for irrigation, public utility, or ornamental purposes; sometimes specifically a fishpond. The term denotes a constructed body of water (natural or artificial) intended for public or private use, including support for livestock, irrigation of fields, or as part of monumental architecture.

Semantic Range

artificial pool, water reservoir, cistern, fishpond, ornamental pool, communal water source

Root / Etymology

The noun בְּרֵכָה (berēkâh) derives from the root בָּרַךְ (brk), whose core meaning is 'to kneel, bless.' The connection between the root and the noun is debated: one view suggests an association between the action of kneeling (as camels do at watering places) and the pool; another considers the pool as a place of 'blessing' (source of water/life). However, the precise semantic development is uncertain; the noun's meaning is established contextually as 'pool' or 'reservoir.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

בְּרֵכָה appears exclusively in contexts describing man-made or engineered water features, often as part of urban infrastructure (e.g., pools in Jerusalem: 2 Sam 2:13, Isa 7:3). Unlike מַעְיָן (ma‘yan — spring, source), which refers to a natural spring, and אֲגַם (’agam — marsh, pond), בְּרֵכָה always refers to a deliberately constructed pool or reservoir. In post-exilic and Persian/Hellenistic periods, berēkâh designates pools used for communal or ritual purposes as in Nehemiah. In later Hebrew, the word came to include fishponds and ornamental basins. Some English translations (esp. KJV, RSV) use terms like 'pool,' 'reservoir,' or occasionally 'fishpool,' which correctly reflect the word's functional range though do not convey the precise artificial quality implied in the Hebrew. Not to be confused with בְּרָכָה (berakhah — blessing), a related but distinct noun also built on the same root.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בָרַךְ; a reservoir (at which camels kneel as a resting-place); (fish-) pool.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ברך (b-r-k) — to kneel, to bless

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1263 בָּרוּךְ blessed one
H1288 בָרַךְ let me bless
H1289 בְּרַךְ to pronounce blessing
H1290 בֶּרֶךְ knee
H1291 בֶּרֶךְ his knees

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1295-03 הַ/בְּרֵכָה֙ haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa the pool the water-reservoir 10
H1295-01 בְּרֵכַ֥ת berekhat HNcfsc pool reservoir of 4
H1295-02 בְּרֵכ֣וֹת berekhot HNcfpa pools water reservoirs 2
H1295-04 כִ/בְרֵֽכַת khiverekhat HR/Ncfsc like-a-pool like a reservoir of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

17 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1295-01 2 Samuel 2:13 בְּרֵכַ֥ת berekhat HNcfsc pool reservoir of
H1295-03 2 Samuel 2:13 הַ/בְּרֵכָה֙ haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-03 2 Samuel 2:13 הַ/בְּרֵכָ֖ה haberekhah-2 HTd/Ncfsa the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-03 2 Samuel 4:12 הַ/בְּרֵכָ֖ה haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-01 1 Kings 22:38 בְּרֵכַ֣ת berekhat HNcfsc pool reservoir of
H1295-03 2 Kings 18:17 הַ/בְּרֵכָ֣ה haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa of the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-03 2 Kings 20:20 הַ/בְּרֵכָה֙ haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-03 Isaiah 7:3 הַ/בְּרֵכָ֣ה haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa of the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-03 Isaiah 22:9 הַ/בְּרֵכָ֖ה haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa of the pool the water-reservoir
H1295-03 Isaiah 22:11 הַ/בְּרֵכָ֣ה haberekhah HTd/Ncfsa the-pool the water-reservoir
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