--- title: בָּלַע — swallow down · The Tanakh dictionary description: בָּלַע (lemma:בָּלַע), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 7 times: swallow down. BDB 1906: vb. swallow down, swallow up, engulf Pi. Pi.). With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d1_5b8_5bc_5dc_5b7_5e2.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1489-2.md)‎ / בָּלַע‎ # בָּלַע «בָּלַע» in the Tanakh dictionary: **swallow down** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 7 times · **Key:** lemma:בָּלַע · **BDB:** בָּלַע ### Glosses I.will.confuse (1); \[were\].confused (1); confuse (1) ### Meaning (OSHB) swallow down [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/lemma_3a_5d1_5b8_5bc_5dc_5b7_5e2/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. swallow down, swallow up, engulf Pi. Pi.) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/lemma_3a_5d1_5b8_5bc_5dc_5b7_5e2/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. swallow down, swallow up, engulf (idea of quickness, suddenness) (NH id., Arabic بَلِعَ swallow, Ethiopic በልዐ eat, Aramaic בְּלַע ܒܠܰܥ; Assyrian belû, Pi. destroy ZimBP 27)— Pf. בָּלַע Jb 20:15, sf. בְּלָעַנִי Je 51:34 (Qr, cf. 𝔊 Kt -נוּ); 3 fs. בָּֽלְעָה Nu 16:30; 3 pl. sf. בְּלָעוּנוּ ψ 124:3; Impf. יִבְלָ֑ע Jb 20:18, וַיִּבְלַע Ex 7:12, sf. יִבְלָעֶנָּה Is 28:4; 3 fs. וַתִּבְלַע Nu 16:32 + 2 times; sf. תִּבְלָעֵנִי ψ 69:16, תִּבְלָעֵנוּ Nu 16:34, וַתִּבְלָעֵם Dt 11:6, תִּבְלָעֵמוֹ Ex 15:12; 3 mpl. sf. יִבְלָעֻהוּ Ho 8:7; 3 fpl. וַתִּבְלַעְנָה Gn 41:7, וַתִּבְלַעְןָ Gn 41:24, 1 pl. sf. נִבְלָעֵם Pr 1:12; Inf. לִבְלֹעַ Jon 2:1; sf. בִּלְעִי Jb 7:19;— swallow down, c. acc. Jb 7:19; Is 28:4, subj. דָּג Jon 2:1; subj. שִׁבֳּלִים Gn 41:7, 24; מַטֶּה Ex 7:12. swallow up, engulf, subj. אֶרֶץ Ex 15:12; Nu 16:30, 32, 34; 26:10; Dt 11:6 ψ 106:17; fig. of greed Jb 20:15 (obj. חַיִל; opp. קיא vomit); of violence, extortion Pr 1:12 (כִּשְׁאוֹל); of devastation by enemy Ho 8:7; Je 51:34 ψ 124:3; overwhelming by calamity ψ 69:19 (subj. מצולה); of full enjoyment, profit Jb 20:18 (no obj.) Pf. נִבְלַע Ho 8:8, נִבְלְעוּ Is 28:7;—swallowed up, i.e. devastated Ho 8:8; engulfed by wine (yet cf. Pi. Is 3:12) Is 28:7 (נ׳ מן־היין, ‖ שָׁגוּ בַשֵּׁכָר). Pf. בִּלַּע Is 25:8 + 3 times; וּבִלַּע consec. Is 25:7; 3 pl. בִּלֵּ֑עוּ Is 3:12; 1 pl. בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ La 2:16, sf. בִּלַּעֲנוּהוּ ψ 35:25; Impf. יְבַלַּע־ Pr 19:28, sf. 3 ms. יְבַלְּעֶנּוּ Jb 8:18; Pr 21:20; יְבַלְּעֵם ψ 21:10; 3 fs. sf. 3 ms. תְּבַלְּעֶנּוּ Ec 10:12; 2 ms. תְּבַלַּע 2 S 20:19, sf. וַתְּבַלְּעֵנִי Jb 10:8; 1 s. אֲבַלַּע 2 S 20:20, אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ Is 19:3; Imv. בַּלַּע ψ 55:10; Inf. בַּלַּע Nu 4:20; Hb 1:13, בַּלֵּ֑עַ La 2:8, sf. בַּלְּעוֹ Jb 2:3; Pt. sf. מְבַלְּעָ֑יִךְ Is 49:19;— swallow Nu 4:20 (כְּבַלַּע as a swallowing = for an instant); elsewhere swallow up, engulf, usually c. acc., fig. of destruction, ruin, Is 3:12 (obj. דֶּרֶךְ); (Ba from a √ II. בלע confound, cf. Di; v. also 9:15; 19:3; 28:7 ψ 55:10; 107:27); subj. י׳ La 2:2, 5(×2), 8; Jb 2:3; 10:8 ψ 21:10 (‖ אכל), Is 19:3 (obj. עֵצָה), i.e. confuse, confound; so ψ 55:10 בַּלַּע אֲדֹנָי פַּלַּג לְשׁוֹנָם confuse, Lord, divide their speech (cf. בלל Gn 11:7, 9 \& v. De Che); subj. wicked men, enemies ψ 35:25; Is 49:19 cf. La 2:16 (abs.) Hb 1:13; obj. reflex. in sense Ec 10:12; = annihilate Is 25:7, 8; lit. = destroy 2 S 20:19, 20 (‖ הִשְׁחִית); indef. subj. Jb 8:18 יב׳ ממקמו; fig. for greedily (seize, adopt) practice Pr 19:28, for extravagance, squandering Pr 21:20. Impf. יְבֻלַּע 2 S 17:16, יְבֻלָּ֑ע Jb 37:20; Pt. מְבֻלָּעִים Is 9:15;—be swallowed up, i.e. destroyed Jb 37:20; cf. פֶּן־יְבֻלַּע לַמֶּלֶךְ 2 S 17:16 (impers.) ruined Is 9:15 (yet cf. sub Pi.) Impf. 3 fs. תִּתְבַּלָּ֑עψ 107:27 (subj. חכמה) their wisdom is all gone, ‘they are at their wit’s end’ (cf. sub Pi.) Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 7 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (5 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «בָּלַע» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/lemma_3a_5d1_5b8_5bc_5dc_5b7_5e2/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Job 37:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.37.20/) הַֽיְסֻפַּר־ל֭וֹכִּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר אִֽם־אָ֥מַר אִ֝֗ישׁ כִּ֣י יְבֻלָּֽע׃ *Word for word:* will it.be.recounted? to him (dm).that I.will.speak or? did.he.say anyone (dm).that he.will.be.swallowed.up *JPS 1917:* Shall it be told Him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up? [Psalms 107:27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.107.27/) יָח֣וֹגּוּ וְ֭יָנוּעוּ כַּשִּׁכּ֑וֹר וְכָל־חָ֝כְמָתָ֗ם תִּתְבַּלָּֽע׃ *Word for word:* they.staggered and they.trembled like (the) drunkard and all skill their it.was.confused *JPS 1917:* They reeled to and fro, and staggered like a drunken man, and all their wisdom was swallowed up — - ← previous: [בֶלַע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d1_5b6_5dc_5b7_5e2.md) - next →: [בִּלְעֲדֵי](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1107.md) - ↑ back to [ב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1489-2.md)