יִבְלְעָם
𐤉𐤁𐤋𐤏𐤌
Yiveleam
H2991 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun designating a specific town in the northern hill country of Canaan. Most commonly refers to a township in the territory allocated to the tribe of Manasseh, known as Yibleam or Ibleam. While the name appears to mean 'the people devour,' it functions strictly as a geographic place name in biblical references.
Semantic Range
proper place name (town in Manasseh), possible literal sense 'the people devour'; strict usage as a toponym in biblical contexts
Root / Etymology
Compound formation from the roots בלע ('to swallow, devour') and עם ('people, nation'). The literal sense of the name is 'the people swallow/devour' or 'devourer of people,' but it is employed as a location name rather than an appellative phrase. There is no conclusive evidence as to whether the compound meaning had symbolic topographical or historical significance.
Historical & Contextual Notes
יִבְלְעָם appears as a proper place name in the books of Joshua (17:11), Judges (1:27), 2 Kings (9:27), and 1 Chronicles (6:55 [6:70 in English numbering]). It was a township on the southwestern border of the tribal allocation of Manasseh, near the Jezreel Valley. The town's name has a theophoric or descriptive structure common in Canaanite toponymy, though the sense of 'devourer of people' is not explained in the biblical text. In translation tradition (e.g., Septuagint, Vulgate), forms such as Ieblaam/Ieblaam and Ibleam are used. Later English translations reflect this (Ibleam, Jibleam), but sometimes the sense of the Hebrew name is obscured. The site's exact identification remains debated archaeologically, but it is generally associated with modern Khirbet Belameh, near Jenin. The possibility of the name referring to a destructive event, a population characteristic, or a founding ancestor is speculative and not substantiated by biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בָּלַע and עַם; devouring people; Jibleam, a place in Palestine; Ibleam.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בלע, עם (b-l-ʿ; ʿ-m) — to swallow, to devour; people, nation, kin group
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2991-02 |
יִבְלְעָם֙ | yiveleam | HNp |
Ibleam | Yibleam | 2 |
H2991-01 |
וְ/יִבְלְעָ֨ם | veyiveleam | HC/Np |
and Ibleam | and Yibleam | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H2991-01 |
Joshua 17:11 | וְ/יִבְלְעָ֨ם | veyiveleam | HC/Np |
and Ibleam | and Yibleam |
H2991-02 |
Judges 1:27 | יִבְלְעָם֙ | yiveleam | HNp |
Ibleam | Yibleam |
H2991-02 |
2 Kings 9:27 | יִבְלְעָ֔ם | yiveleam | HNp |
Ibleam | Yibleam |