---
title: בָּלָה — become old and worn out · The Tanakh dictionary
description: בָּלָה (1086), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 15 times: become old and worn out. BDB 1906: vb. become old and worn out. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# בָּלָה

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«בָּלָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **become old and worn out** — 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:** 15 times · **Key:** 1086 · **BDB:** בָּלָה²

### Glosses

it.wore.out (2); they.will.wear.out (2); they.wore.out (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

become old and worn out [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1086/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. become old and worn out [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1086/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. become old and worn out (Arabic بَلِىَ, Aramaic בְּלֵי, ܒܠܴܐ, Ethiopic በልየ id.)— Pf. בָּלְֽתָה Dt 8:4, בָּלוּ 29:4 +; Impf. יִבְלֶה Jb 13:28 etc.; Inf. c. sf. בְּלֹתִי Gn 18:12;—wear out (intr.), especially of garments Dt 8:4; 29:4(×2), all c. מֵעַל pregn. wear out (and fall) from upon … (hence Ne 9:21), Jos 9:13; fig. of the heavens (with sim. of garment) Is 50:9 ψ 102:27 כַּבֶּגֶד יִבְלוּ, the earth Is 51:6 כַּבֶּגֶד תִּבְלֶה; the bones (through suffering) ψ 32:3; afflicted man Jb 13:28 וְהוּא כְּרָקָב יִבְלֶה (‖ כְּבֶגֶד אֲכָלוֹ עָשׁ); of an aged and decrepit woman Gn 18:12 (J) אַחֲרֵי בְלֹתִי after I am worn out. caus. of Qal. wear out (trans.), fig. La 3:4 בִּלָּה בְשָׂרִי וְעוֹרִי, ψ 49:15 and their form לְבַלּוֹת שְׁאוֹל is for She’ôl to consume away (others read לִבְלוֹת is for wasting away \[Dr§ 204\], connecting שׁ׳ with foll.), 1 Ch 17:9 לְבַלֹּתוֹ to wear it (Isr.) out (altered from לְעַנּוֹתוֹ 2 S 7:10), cf. Dn 7:25 Aramaic wear out by use, use to the full, Is 65:22 and the work of their hands יְבַלּוּ they shall use to the full, enjoy, Jb 21:13 they wear out their days in prosperity (Qr here יְכַלּוּ complete, which perhaps is the true reading in both passages; cf. Ex 5:13 Jb 36:11).—On בַּ֜לּוֹתִ֗י ψ 92:11, v. sub בָּלַל.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 14 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 4 words shared with the BDB entry, 2 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «בָּלָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/1086/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Lamentations 3:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/LAM.3.4/)

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בִּלָּ֤ה בְשָׂרִי֙ וְעוֹרִ֔י שִׁבַּ֖ר עַצְמוֹתָֽי׃

*Word for word:* he.has.made.to.waste.away flesh my and skin my he.has.broken bones my

*JPS 1917:* My flesh and my skin hath He worn out; He hath broken my bones.

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[Job 13:28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.13.28/)

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וְ֭הוּא כְּרָקָ֣ב יִבְלֶ֑ה כְּ֝בֶ֗גֶד אֲכָ֣לוֹ עָֽשׁ׃

*Word for word:* and he like rottenness he.wears.out like a.garment \[which\].it eats.it a.moth

*JPS 1917:* Though I am like a wine-skin that consumeth, like a garment that is moth-eaten.

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