---
title: בֵּל — Bel · The Tanakh dictionary
description: בֵּל (1078), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 3 times: Bel. BDB 1906: n.pr.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# בֵּל

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«בֵּל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **Bel** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 3 times · **Key:** 1078 · **BDB:** בֵּל²

### Glosses

Bel (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

Bel [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1078/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.pr.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1078/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.pr.m. a chief Babylonian deity (Bab. Bêlu = בַּעַל, lord; Bêl regarded as older form than בַּעַל by HptHbr i. 178; BAS i. 17) = Merodach (cf. מרדך), tutelary god of Babylon (to be distinguished from older Bêlu, one of ancient Babylonian triad) Je 50:2 (‖ מְרֹדַךְ) 51:44; Is 46:1 (‖ נְבֹו)—both writers of Babylonian period;—on Bel v. COT Gn 11:4 Ju 2:11; SayRel.Bab. 103, 110 JenKosmologie 24, 134, 307, 391.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (17 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 0 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (13 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «בֵּל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1078/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Isaiah 46:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.46.1/)

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כָּרַ֥ע בֵּל֙ קֹרֵ֣ס נְב֔וֹ הָיוּ֙ עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֔ם לַחַיָּ֖ה וְלַבְּהֵמָ֑ה נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם עֲמוּס֔וֹת מַשָּׂ֖א לַעֲיֵפָֽה׃

*Word for word:* he.has.bowed.down Bel \[is\].stooping.low Nebo they.belong idols their to the animal\[s\] and to the cattle burdens your \[are\].carried a.load for a.weary.\[animal\]

*JPS 1917:* Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle; the things that ye carried about are made a load, a burden to the weary beast.

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[Jeremiah 50:2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JER.50.2/)

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הַגִּ֨ידוּ בַגּוֹיִ֤ם וְהַשְׁמִ֙יעוּ֙ וּֽשְׂאוּ־נֵ֔ס הַשְׁמִ֖יעוּ אַל־תְּכַחֵ֑דוּ אִמְרוּ֩ נִלְכְּדָ֨ה בָבֶ֜ל הֹבִ֥ישׁ בֵּל֙ חַ֣ת מְרֹדָ֔ךְ הֹבִ֣ישׁוּ עֲצַבֶּ֔יהָ חַ֖תּוּ גִּלּוּלֶֽיהָ׃

*Word for word:* declare among the nations and make.a.proclamation and lift.up a.standard make.a.proclamation do.not hide.\[it\] say it.will.be.captured Babylon it.will.be.put.to.shame Bel it.will.be.shattered Marduk they.will.be.put.to.shame images its they.will.be.shattered idols its

*JPS 1917:* Declare ye among the nations and announce, and set up a standard; announce, and conceal not; say: 'Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.'

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- ← previous: [בַּל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1077.md)
- next →: [בַּלְאֲדָן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1081.md)
- ↑ back to [ב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1489-2.md)