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בַּלָּהָה

𐤁𐤋𐤄𐤄

ballâhâh

H1091 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בלה to wear out, consume, waste, destroy

Definition

Distress or terror, often with a focus on sudden, overwhelming panic or fright; may also describe devastating calamity or destruction that causes profound alarm. Used of psychological states of fear and anguish resulting from impending or present danger.

Semantic Range

terror, panic, sudden fear, overwhelming distress, calamity, destruction, state of psychological alarm

Root / Etymology

From the root בלה (b-l-h), generally meaning 'to wear out' or 'consume'. In the noun form בַּלָּהָה, the meaning shifts towards a state or condition resulting from destruction or consuming fright, thus 'terror' or 'panic'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בַּלָּהָה appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Job 21:9; Psalm 73:19; Proverbs 3:25) and is often used in poetic and wisdom contexts to express intense fear or mental distress caused by perceived or actual disaster. While typically rendered 'terror' or 'sudden calamity', the word is not limited to military or physical catastrophe and can indicate psychological alarm. In later Hebrew, the sense largely remains, but with shades ranging from anxiety to ruin. The term does not reflect religious or ethnic identity, and its scope is broader than the English 'terror,' which may be more limited to external attack. Compared with related terms like פחד (pachaḏ, 'fear') or מגור (magor, 'dread'), בַּלָּהָה emphasizes the overwhelming, consuming quality of the fright or distress.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בָּלַהּ; alarm; hence, destruction; terror, trouble.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בלה (b-l-h) — to wear out, consume, waste, destroy

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1077 בַּל not at all
H1079 בָּל not at all
H1080 בְּלָא he will wear down
H1086 בָּלָה they wore out
H1087 בָּלֶה worn-out ones

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1091-01 בַּלָּה֥וֹת balahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors 7
H1091-02 בַּלְה֥וֹת balehot HNcfpc terrors consuming terrors of 1
H1091-04 בַלָּה֑וֹת valahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors 1
H1091-03 בַלָּהָ֔ה valahah HNcfsa terror consuming terror 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1091-03 Isaiah 17:14 בַלָּהָ֔ה valahah HNcfsa terror consuming terror
H1091-01 Ezekiel 26:21 בַּלָּה֥וֹת balahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors
H1091-01 Ezekiel 27:36 בַּלָּה֣וֹת balahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors
H1091-01 Ezekiel 28:19 בַּלָּה֣וֹת balahot HNcfpa a terror consuming terrors
H1091-01 Psalms 73:19 בַּלָּהֽוֹת balahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors
H1091-04 Job 18:11 בַלָּה֑וֹת valahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors
H1091-01 Job 18:14 בַּלָּהֽוֹת balahot HNcfpa of terrors consuming terrors
H1091-02 Job 24:17 בַּלְה֥וֹת balehot HNcfpc terrors consuming terrors of
H1091-01 Job 27:20 בַּלָּה֑וֹת balahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors
H1091-01 Job 30:15 בַּלָּ֫ה֥וֹת balahot HNcfpa terrors consuming terrors
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