בׇּשְׂמַת (H1315) — Hebrew Lexicon

בׇּשְׂמַת

𐤁𐤔𐤌𐤕

Bsemat

H1315 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בּשׂם to be fragrant, to smell sweet, to emit pleasant odor

Definition

Personal name; Bosmat. Derived from the concept of pleasant fragrance or perfume. Used as the proper name for two Israelite women: one a wife of Esau (a descendant of Abraham through Isaac), the other a daughter of King Solomon. While the literal sense refers to 'fragrance,' in proper name usage, it likely conveys the idea of 'pleasantness' or attraction, paralleling other names with positive connotations.

Semantic Range

fragrance, pleasant scent (in root); personal name Bosmat (in use as a proper noun)

Root / Etymology

From the root בשׂם (b-s-m), meaning 'to be fragrant' or 'to smell sweet/fragrant.' The feminine form בׇּשְׂמַת (Bosmat) likely functions as a noun meaning 'fragrance' or 'perfumed one.' The root בשׂם gives rise to several nouns for 'spice,' 'balsam,' and 'perfume/oil.' The formation of Bosmat follows common patterns for feminine personal names in Biblical Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בׇּשְׂמַת (Bosmat) is used as a personal name in the Hebrew Bible: in Genesis 26:34 and 36:3, 4, 10, 13, 17 as the wife of Esau, and in 1 Kings 4:15 as the daughter of Solomon. The use of nouns or adjective-forms as feminine names reflecting positive qualities (pleasantness, beauty, fragrance) was common in ancient Israelite naming practices. In translation tradition, the Hebrew form is often rendered 'Bashemath' or 'Basmath,' though the Hebrew preserves a form equivalent to 'Bosmat.' It is important to note that while some English translations render the name differently, the identity is the same. In earlier biblical contexts (the patriarchal and monarchic periods), Bosmat identifies individuals through personal and familial relations, without connotations tied to later terms such as 'Jew.' The meaning intrinsic to the name remains consistent, with no developed usage beyond the naming convention; unlike terms like בשׂם (besem), this term is not used of substances, but only as a personal name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of בֶּשֶׂם (the second form); fragrance; Bosmath, the name of a wife of Esau, and of a daughter of Solomon; Bashemath, Basmath.

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Root Family

בשׂם (b-s-m) — to be fragrant, to smell sweet, to emit pleasant odor

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H1313	בָּשָׂם	my fragrant resin
H3005	יִבְשָׂם	And Fragrant-One
H4017	מִבְשָׂם	Fragrant One
H7643	שְׂבָם	Sibmah

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H1315-01`	בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת	basemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Fragrant One	4
`H1315-03`	בָשְׂמַ֖ת	vasemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Bosmat	2
`H1315-02`	וּ/בָ֣שְׂמַ֔ת	uvasemat	`HC/Np`	and Basemath	And Fragrant-One	1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H1315-01`	Genesis 26:34	בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת	basemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Fragrant One
`H1315-01`	Genesis 36:3	בָּשְׂמַ֥ת	basemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Fragrant One
`H1315-02`	Genesis 36:4	וּ/בָ֣שְׂמַ֔ת	uvasemat	`HC/Np`	and Basemath	And Fragrant-One
`H1315-01`	Genesis 36:10	בָּשְׂמַ֖ת	basemat	`HNp`	of Basemath	Fragrant One
`H1315-03`	Genesis 36:13	בָשְׂמַ֖ת	vasemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Bosmat
`H1315-03`	Genesis 36:17	בָשְׂמַ֖ת	vasemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Bosmat
`H1315-01`	1 Kings 4:15	בָּשְׂמַ֥ת	basemat	`HNp`	Basemath	Fragrant One

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