בְּתוּל
𐤁𐤕𐤅𐤋
Betul
H1329 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name of a settlement; refers specifically to a town named Bethul/Bethuel in the territory assigned to the tribe of Simeon in the southern region of ancient Israel. The name identifies a geographic location and is not used for individuals in the biblical canon. The semantic range is limited to the toponym and does not extend to broader meanings.
Semantic Range
toponym, settlement name; refers solely to the town called Bethul in the southern region, no broader semantic usage
Root / Etymology
From the root בתל or more probably a contracted form of בְּתוּאֵל (Bethuel), itself traditionally parsed as deriving from בֵּית (house) + אֵל (El, the deity), meaning 'House of El (God)'. However, the final form בְּתוּל reflects either a contraction or a distinct local pronunciation. Etymology is somewhat uncertain due to the lack of clear root outside this toponymic usage.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בְּתוּל occurs as a toponym in Joshua 19:4 and 1 Chronicles 4:30, describing a town among those inherited by the Simeonite clans within the southern part of Israelite territory, near the Negev. While the town's name resembles that of Bethuel (the patriarch, father of Rebekah), in biblical usage בְּתוּל is not a personal name but exclusively a location. English translations often render the name as 'Bethul' or 'Bethuel', potentially causing confusion with the personal name. In post-biblical and later period geographies, the identification of this site remains uncertain, and its precise location has not been definitively established. The word is distinct from similar roots referring to virginity (בתול) or from other toponyms such as בֵּית־אֵל (Bethel), which have different meanings and associations.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
for בְּתוּאֵל; Bethul (i.e. Bethuel), a place in Palestine; Bethuel.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בתל (b-t-l) — to be destroyed, to be in ruins; (in this form) settlement name
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1328 | בְּתוּאֵל | Betu-El |
| H1330 | בְּתוּלָה | set-apart maiden |
| H1331 | בְּתוּלִים | my virginity |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1329-01 |
וּ/בְת֖וּל | uvetul | HC/Np |
and Bethul | and Bethul | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1329-01 |
Joshua 19:4 | וּ/בְת֖וּל | uvetul | HC/Np |
and Bethul | and Bethul |