בַּת רַבִּים

𐤁𐤕 𐤓𐤁𐤉𐤌

Bath Rabbîym

H1337 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בת, רב to be a daughter, to be great/many

Definition

Name of a location, 'Bath-rabbim', likely signifying 'Daughter of Rabbah' or 'Gate/Outskirts of Rabbah.' The phrase refers to a distinct place, probably a gateway, suburb, or peripheral settlement associated with the Ammonite city of Rabbah. Used as a toponym, most notably in poetic literature to evoke imagery of beauty or prominence.

Semantic Range

name of a location, suburb or district linked to a principal city, the outskirts of Rabbah, a poetic designation for a significant gate or area, metaphorically alluding to beauty or prominence

Root / Etymology

Compound phrase from בַּת (bat, 'daughter') and רַבִּים (rabbîm, masculine plural of רַב, 'great, many, chief'). The phrase literally means 'daughter of many/great ones' or 'daughter (settlement) of Rabbah.' בַּת is a feminine noun denoting 'daughter' or, by extension, 'dependent town/settlement'; רַבִּים forms the genitive, indicating association. The construction parallels other place names in biblical Hebrew where 'daughter' designates a subsidiary or satellite town.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Appears in the Song of Songs (7:5/4 English), in poetic language describing a place of beauty. Scholars generally identify Bath-rabbim as a gateway, suburb, or associated locality near the city of Rabbah (the Ammonite capital). In the context of Song of Songs, the name evokes a place noted for its significance or attractiveness, not a literal child of an individual, but as metaphor for a settlement linked to a major city. This terminology ('daughter of X') is common in biblical place naming, often describing towns on the periphery of a larger city or settlements under its authority. The English tradition of translating or interpreting the name as 'Bath-rabbim' or 'Bath-rabbim Gate' reflects earlier approaches but may obscure the socio-geographic nuance apparent in biblical Hebrew. It does not refer to an individual female, but to a geographic entity. There is no evidence that the inhabitants were Israelites or Judahites; rather, the locale is Ammonite. The plural 'rabbîm' here is probably either honorific or collective, not indicating multiple separate individuals or cities.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בַּת and a masculine plural from רַב; the daughter (i.e. city) of Rabbah; Bath-rabbim.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בנה (b-n-h) — to build, to create, to establish descendants

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1004 בַּיִת in the houses
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1006 בַּיִת the house
H1007 בֵּית אָוֶן house-of
H1008 בֵּית־אֵל in house of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1337-02 רַבִּ֔ים rabim HNp of many many 1
H1337-01 בַּת bat HNp daughter daughter of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1337-01 Song of Songs 7:5 בַּת bat HNp daughter daughter of
H1337-02 Song of Songs 7:5 רַבִּ֔ים rabim HNp of many many