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בּוּל

𐤁𐤅𐤋

Bul

H945 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בלל to mix, to moisten, to confuse

Definition

The eighth month of the ancient Israelite lunisolar calendar, corresponding roughly to October–November in the modern Gregorian system. The term refers both to the calendrical designation and, by possible extension, is associated with the time of rain or wet weather in the agricultural cycle.

Semantic Range

eighth month of the Israelite calendar, time of early rain, period of agricultural transition, designation for autumn season

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root בלל (balal), meaning 'to mix' or 'to moisten,' possibly referring to the rainy season or to the mixing of crops and fields during this time of year. Some connect the root to יבל (yaval) 'to bring forth, produce' linking to agricultural produce, but this is less widely attested. The exact semantic connection is debated; etymology uncertain, but association with the season of rains or abundance likely influenced the month’s name.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, בּוּל (Bûwl) appears as the proper name of the eighth month only in 1 Kings 6:38, placing it in the autumn, during or just after the primary rainy season began (the 'former rains' of the land’s agricultural calendar). Following the Babylonian exile, Israelite and later Judean calendrical terminology increasingly adopted Babylonian month names, with בּוּל replaced by Marcheshvan (מַרְחֶשְׁוָן). The biblical text offers no explicit explanation of the name’s meaning, but its chronological placement coincides with a period of rain and the completion of harvest. Standard English translations frequently treat 'Bul' merely as a proper noun, lacking contextual notes about its seasonal significance. In epigraphic and extrabiblical evidence, this specific month name is otherwise unattested, reflecting early Israelite calendrical practice preceding the influence of later Near Eastern systems. 'Bul' should not be confused with later festival months, nor with the later development of religious associations with Marcheshvan. The gloss 'rainy' reflects an ancient Israelite agricultural perception rather than a technical meteorological term.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as בּוּל (in the sense of rain); Bul, the eighth Hebrew month; Bul.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בלל (b-l-l) — to mix, to moisten, to confuse

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1098 בְּלִיל mixed grain-fodder
H1101 בָּלַל he mixed
H8397 תֶּבֶל illicit mixture
H8400 תְּבַּלֻּל eye-clouding mixture
H894 בָּבֶל Babel

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H945-01 בּ֗וּל bul HNp Bul Moistening Month 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H945-01 1 Kings 6:38 בּ֗וּל bul HNp Bul Moistening Month
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