בַּת רַבִּים
𐤁𐤕 𐤓𐤁𐤉𐤌
Bath Rabbîym
H1337 noun
SILEX Entry
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
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot 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 |