בְּעָלוֹת
Bealoth, a place in Palestine
Definition
בְּעָלוֹת (Bealoth) is a proper noun referring to a town or region in ancient Palestine. It appears in two distinct contexts: as a town in the southern territory of Judah (Joshua 15:24) and as a district in the administrative division of King Solomon's kingdom (1 Kings 4:16). The name itself is the plural form of 'mistress' or 'lady,' suggesting a possible connection to a place associated with female deities or ownership. Some scholars propose the KJV's alternate reading 'in Aloth' in 1 Kings 4:16 may reflect a different geographical understanding, but the standard interpretation identifies it as a place name.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively as a proper noun for a geographical location. It occurs only twice in the Old Testament. In Joshua 15:24, it is listed among the towns in the extreme south of Judah's inheritance. In 1 Kings 4:16, it designates a district governed by Baana, one of Solomon's twelve officers, indicating it was a region of some administrative importance in the united monarchy.
Etymology
The word בְּעָלוֹת (Bealoth) is the feminine plural construct form of בַּעֲלָה (Baʿalah, H1172), meaning 'mistress,' 'lady,' or 'owner.' It derives from the root בָּעַל (Baʿal, H1167), meaning 'to own' or 'to marry.' As a place name, it likely means 'Mistresses' or could be related to the Canaanite god Baal, though the feminine plural form makes a direct theophoric (god-containing) name less certain. The KJV note suggests a possible scribal confusion with a word from the root עָלָה (ʿalah, H5927, 'to go up').
Semantic Range
As a place name, Bealoth reflects common ancient Near Eastern naming conventions, where locations were often named after deities, natural features, or owners. The feminine plural form may hint at a site associated with a cult of female divinities or perhaps an area owned or managed by women. Its listing in both a tribal boundary list (Joshua) and a royal administrative list (1 Kings) shows how places retained significance across different eras of Israel's history, from conquest to monarchy.
No direct synonyms as a proper noun. For other southern Judean towns, see: שְׁמָע (Shemah, H8090) — another town listed in Joshua 15:26.
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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