בַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה
Baale-Jehudah, a place in Palestine
Definition
בַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה (Baʻălêy Yᵉhûwdâh) is a proper noun referring to a specific location in ancient Judah, also known as Kiriath-Jearim. It is identified as the place from which David and his men retrieved the Ark of the Covenant to bring it to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:2). The name literally means 'masters of Judah' or 'lords of Judah,' likely denoting a town under Judahite control or prominence. In the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 13:6, the location is called Baalah, which is synonymous with Kiriath-Jearim (Joshua 15:9, 60), indicating this site had multiple names.
Biblical Usage
This term is used only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Samuel 6:2, where it specifies the starting point for the Ark's journey to Jerusalem. The context is a major religious and political event: King David's effort to centralize worship by bringing the Ark, the symbol of God's presence, to his new capital. The usage pinpoints a geographically and theologically significant location in the narrative of Israel's monarchy.
Etymology
The name is a compound phrase built from the plural construct form of בַּעַל (baʻal, H1167), meaning 'lord,' 'master,' or 'owner,' and the proper noun יְהוּדָה (Yᵉhûwdâh, H3063), meaning 'Judah.' Thus, it translates directly to 'lords of Judah' or 'Baals of Judah.' The term בַּעַל could refer to human owners or civic masters, but in place names, it often simply denoted a populated settlement or town.
Semantic Range
This place name is theologically significant because of its direct connection to the Ark of the Covenant. The retrieval of the Ark from בַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה marks a pivotal moment in Israel's history, as David seeks to restore the Ark to a central place in national life, symbolizing God's rule and presence among His people. Understanding this location enriches the reading of 2 Samuel 6 by highlighting the Ark's journey from a peripheral town to the heart of the kingdom, foreshadowing Jerusalem's future religious centrality.
In the ancient Near East, place names often incorporated the element 'Baal,' which could refer to local civic authority or ownership, not necessarily the Canaanite deity. Here, it likely signifies a town that was a principal settlement or administrative center within the territory of Judah. The dual naming (Baale-Jehudah/Kiriath-Jearim) was common, reflecting different linguistic or historical layers in the region's identity.
בַּעֲלָה (Baʻălâh, H1173) — An alternate name for the same location, used in Joshua 15:9 and 1 Chronicles 13:6. קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (Qiryath Yᵉʻârîym, H7157) — The more common name for this town, meaning 'city of forests' (Joshua 9:17, 15:9).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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