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בְּתוּלָה

𐤁𐤕𐤅𐤋𐤄

bᵉthûwlâh

H1330 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A young woman of marriageable age who has not engaged in sexual relations; often translated as 'virgin', but may, in context, refer to a young, unmarried woman whose sexual experience is presumed but not always explicitly stated. The word is used both for individual females (emphasizing purity or eligibility for marriage) and metaphorically for cities or nations depicted as young, unviolated women.

Semantic Range

unmarried young woman, virgin, maiden eligible for marriage, metaphor for unviolated city or nation; rarely, a bride (by association with age/status)

Root / Etymology

Root is uncertain; traditionally linked to a root meaning 'to separate, to be distinct' (ב-ת-ל), though there is no securely attested verbal form in biblical Hebrew. The term is a feminine noun, likely derived to express one who is set apart, possibly for marriage or by social status. The sense of physical virginity is developed contextually rather than strictly by etymology.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, בְּתוּלָה appears in both legal (e.g., Deuteronomy 22) and poetic/prophentic texts (e.g., Jeremiah 18:13; Isaiah 47:1), denoting an unmarried young woman, typically assumed to be sexually inexperienced. However, the focus in context may be on social status rather than on sexual history alone. Contrast with עַלְמָה (ʿalmāh), which refers more generally to a young woman of childbearing age without specifying virginity, and with נַעֲרָה (naʿarāh), which denotes a girl or young woman without a direct implication of virginity. In prophetic and poetic texts, בְּתוּלָה is often used metaphorically to personify cities or nations (e.g., 'virgin Israel'), emphasizing their prior untouched or unspoiled state. Ancient versions and later translations (including the Greek LXX and Christian traditions) often render the term strictly as 'virgin,' especially in polemical or christological contexts (e.g., Isaiah 7:14), but this can oversimplify the Hebrew semantic range in its native contexts. Over time, especially in post-biblical Hebrew, the term has come to denote virginity more exclusively.

Translation Consistency

primary "young woman" 26 occurrences

A neutral, natural modern-English phrase that covers the typical semantic range (an unmarried, marriageable female) without the strong sexual/purity connotations of 'virgin' or the archaic tone of 'maiden'. 'Young woman' also works naturally in metaphorical contexts (a city or nation pictured as an unviolated female). Where the text explicitly requires emphasis on sexual inexperience, a contextual alternative ('virgin') can be handled separately.

Alternatives (24 occurrences):
"young women" (8x) "virgins" (7x) "virgin" (4x) "virgin of" (1x) "set-apart young women" (1x) "like a set-apart maiden" (1x) "set-apart maidens" (1x) "maiden of" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine passive participle of an unused root meaning to separate; a virgin (from her privacy); sometimes (by continuation) a bride; also (figuratively) a city or state; maid, virgin.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

בתל (Betuel) — uncertain; possible—desolate, cut off; to be associated with the deity; to dwell

Root בתל to separate, to set apart (root sense — uncertain attestation)
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1328 בְּתוּאֵל Betu-El
H1329 בְּתוּל and Bethul
H1331 בְּתוּלִים my virginity

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1330-02 בְּתוּלַת֙ betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of 12
H1330-01 בְּתוּלָ֔ה betulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden virgin 8
H1330-03 בְּתוּל֖וֹת betulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart maidens young women 8
H1330-12 בְתוּלָ֔ה vetulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden a young woman 6
H1330-07 הַ/בְּתוּלֹ֖ת habetulot HTd/Ncfpa the virgins the set-apart maidens the virgins 4
H1330-10 וּ/בְתוּלָ֖ה uvetulah HC/Ncfsa and virgin and set-apart maiden and young woman 3
H1330-04 בְּתוּלֹתַ֥/י betulotay HNcfpc/Sp1cs my-virgins my set-apart maidens my virgins 2
H1330-06 הַ/בְּתוּלָ֜ה habetulah HTd/Ncfsa the virgin the set-apart young woman the young woman 2
H1330-05 בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥י/הָ betuloteyha HNcfpc/Sp3fs her virgins her set-apart maidens her set-apart maidens 1
H1330-08 כִּ/בְתוּלָ֥ה kivetulah HR/Ncfsa like a virgin like a set-apart maiden like a set-apart maiden 1

Occurrences in Scripture

50 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1330-01 Genesis 24:16 בְּתוּלָ֕ה betulah HNcfsa a virgin set-apart maiden virgin
H1330-01 Exodus 22:15 בְּתוּלָ֛ה betulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden virgin
H1330-07 Exodus 22:16 הַ/בְּתוּלֹֽת habetulot HTd/Ncfpa of virgins the set-apart maidens the virgins
H1330-06 Leviticus 21:3 הַ/בְּתוּלָה֙ habetulah HTd/Ncfsa the virgin the set-apart young woman the young woman
H1330-01 Leviticus 21:14 בְּתוּלָ֥ה betulah HNcfsa a virgin set-apart maiden young woman
H1330-02 Deuteronomy 22:19 בְּתוּלַ֣ת betulat HNcfsc a virgin set-apart young woman of the virgin of
H1330-12 Deuteronomy 22:23 בְתוּלָ֔ה vetulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden a young woman
H1330-12 Deuteronomy 22:28 בְתוּלָה֙ vetulah HNcfsa who is a virgin set-apart maiden a young woman
H1330-01 Deuteronomy 32:25 בְּתוּלָ֔ה betulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden young woman
H1330-06 Judges 19:24 הַ/בְּתוּלָ֜ה habetulah HTd/Ncfsa the virgin the set-apart young woman the young woman
H1330-12 Judges 21:12 בְתוּלָ֔ה vetulah HNcfsa virgins set-apart maiden a young woman
H1330-12 2 Samuel 13:2 בְתוּלָ֖ה vetulah HNcfsa a virgin set-apart maiden a young woman
H1330-07 2 Samuel 13:18 הַ/בְּתוּלֹ֖ת habetulot HTd/Ncfpa the-virgins the set-apart maidens the virgins
H1330-12 1 Kings 1:2 בְתוּלָ֔ה vetulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden a young woman
H1330-02 2 Kings 19:21 בְּתוּלַת֙ betulat HNcfsc the virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-13 Isaiah 23:4 בְתוּלֽוֹת vetulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart young women set-apart young women
H1330-02 Isaiah 23:12 בְּתוּלַ֣ת betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-02 Isaiah 37:22 בְּתוּלַת֙ betulat HNcfsc the virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-02 Isaiah 47:1 בְּתוּלַת֙ betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-01 Isaiah 62:5 בְּתוּלָ֔ה betulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden virgin
H1330-01 Jeremiah 2:32 בְּתוּלָה֙ betulah HNcfsa a-virgin set-apart maiden young woman
H1330-02 Jeremiah 14:17 בְּתוּלַת֙ betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-02 Jeremiah 18:13 בְּתוּלַ֖ת betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-02 Jeremiah 31:4 בְּתוּלַ֖ת betulat HNcfsc O virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-01 Jeremiah 31:13 בְּתוּלָה֙ betulah HNcfsa the virgin set-apart maiden young woman
H1330-02 Jeremiah 31:21 בְּתוּלַ֣ת betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-02 Jeremiah 46:11 בְּתוּלַ֖ת betulat HNcfsc O virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-10 Jeremiah 51:22 וּ/בְתוּלָֽה uvetulah HC/Ncfsa and virgin and set-apart maiden and young woman
H1330-10 Ezekiel 9:6 וּ/בְתוּלָה֩ uvetulah HC/Ncfsa and virgin and set-apart maiden and young woman
H1330-03 Ezekiel 44:22 בְּתוּלֹ֗ת betulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-08 Joel 1:8 כִּ/בְתוּלָ֥ה kivetulah HR/Ncfsa like a virgin like a set-apart maiden like a set-apart maiden
H1330-02 Amos 5:2 בְּתוּלַ֖ת betulat HNcfsc virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-07 Amos 8:13 הַ/בְּתוּלֹ֧ת habetulot HTd/Ncfpa the virgins the set-apart maidens the virgins
H1330-03 Zechariah 9:17 בְּתֻלֽוֹת betulot HNcfpa the young women set-apart maidens young women
H1330-03 Psalms 45:15 בְּתוּל֣וֹת betulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-11 Psalms 78:63 וּ֝/בְתוּלֹתָ֗י/ו uvetulotayv HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and their virgins and his set-apart maidens and their virgins
H1330-03 Psalms 148:12 בְּתוּל֑וֹת betulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-01 Job 31:1 בְּתוּלָֽה betulah HNcfsa a-virgin set-apart maiden virgin
H1330-05 Lamentations 1:4 בְּתוּלֹתֶ֥י/הָ betuloteyha HNcfpc/Sp3fs her virgins her set-apart maidens her set-apart maidens
H1330-09 Lamentations 1:15 לִ/בְתוּלַ֖ת livetulat HR/Ncfsc the virgin maiden of the maiden of
H1330-04 Lamentations 1:18 בְּתוּלֹתַ֥/י betulotay HNcfpc/Sp1cs my-virgins my set-apart maidens my virgins
H1330-03 Lamentations 2:10 בְּתוּלֹ֖ת betulot HNcfpc virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-02 Lamentations 2:13 בְּתוּלַ֖ת betulat HNcfsc O virgin set-apart young woman of young woman of
H1330-04 Lamentations 2:21 בְּתוּלֹתַ֥/י betulotay HNcfpc/Sp1cs my-virgins my set-apart maidens my virgins
H1330-03 Lamentations 5:11 בְּתֻלֹ֖ת betulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-03 Esther 2:2 בְּתוּל֖וֹת betulot HNcfpa virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-12 Esther 2:3 בְ֠תוּלָה vetulah HNcfsa virgin set-apart maiden a young woman
H1330-07 Esther 2:17 הַ/בְּתוּלֹ֑ת habetulot HTd/Ncfpa the virgins the set-apart maidens the virgins
H1330-03 Esther 2:19 בְּתוּל֖וֹת betulot HNcfpa the virgins set-apart maidens young women
H1330-10 2 Chronicles 36:17 וּ/בְתוּלָ֖ה uvetulah HC/Ncfsa and-virgin and set-apart maiden and young woman
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