Bible Word Study
בֶּטַח
Beṭach · Betach, a place in Syria
בֶּטַח
Betach, a place in Syria
Definition
Betach is a proper noun referring to a city or location in Syria, mentioned only once in the Old Testament. In 2 Samuel 8:8, it is listed among the cities from which King David took a great quantity of bronze after his victory over Hadadezer, king of Zobah. The name itself is identical to the common Hebrew noun meaning 'security' or 'safety' (H983), which may suggest the place was perceived as a stronghold or secure location. No other biblical passages provide additional details about this specific place, leaving its exact location and significance largely historical and tied to David's military campaigns.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in 2 Samuel 8:8 within a military and geopolitical context. It appears in a list of cities plundered by David, highlighting the extent of his conquests in Syria (Aram). The usage is purely as a geographical proper noun, with no symbolic or metaphorical application elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible.
Etymology
The word בֶּטַח (Betach) is derived from the identical common noun בֶּטַח (betach, H983), which means 'security,' 'safety,' or 'confidence.' This root conveys a sense of trust and lack of fear. As a place name, it likely originated from this concept, possibly describing a fortified or secure settlement. Cognates appear in other Semitic languages with similar meanings of safety and trust.
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near Eastern context, place names often reflected characteristics of the location, such as its security, resources, or deity. Betach, meaning 'security,' may have been a fortified city or a place considered safe, which would have been strategically and economically valuable. David's capture of such a city, noted for its bronze, demonstrates the material wealth and military prowess of his expanding kingdom, aligning with common practices of recording spoils from conquered territories. בֶּטַח (betach, H983) — the common noun meaning 'security' or 'safety,' from which the place name is derived.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]