בִּלְעָם (H1109) — Hebrew Lexicon

בִּלְעָם

𐤁𐤋𐤏𐤌

Bileam

H1109 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בעלם uncertain, possibly 'not of the people' if derived from בַּל + עַם; more likely a personal name with uncertain etymology

Definition

Bilʻâm is used as a personal name, most notably referring to a diviner or seer from beyond the Euphrates engaged by Moabite and Midianite leaders in opposition to the Israelites (Numbers 22–24). In another instance, it appears as a place name in northern Israel (Joshua 13:17). The primary lexical meaning is simply the proper noun—either a personal or place designation. Semantic range: as a personal name designating a foreign figure of divination, as a toponym for a settlement in the Transjordanian region.

Semantic Range

personal name for a non-Israelite diviner or seer, place name in northern Transjordan; proper noun designating a specific foreign figure, rarely a geographic site

Root / Etymology

The name is often analyzed as a compound of בַּל (bal, possibly meaning 'not' or 'without') and עַם (ʻam, 'people' or 'kin group'), yielding a suggested meaning such as 'not of the people' or 'foreign to the people.' This etymology is debated and not universally accepted; the name's true meaning is uncertain. It is not a transparent compound in biblical Hebrew, and comparative Semitic onomastics suggests that it may be a non-Israelite or West Semitic hypocoristic (shortened theophoric) name. Etymology uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Bilʻâm is primarily known in biblical narrative as a Mesopotamian (specifically, from Pethor by the Euphrates) seer or diviner employed by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites during their approach to Canaan (Numbers 22–24; only called 'son of Beor'). Later biblical and postbiblical tradition treated him as a paradigmatic outsider and opponent of Israelite interests. The Deir Alla inscription (from Transjordan, ca. 8th c. BCE) mentions a prophet named 'Balaam son of Beor,' similarly depicted as a visionary figure, which suggests an enduring cross-cultural reputation. The place name (Joshua 13:17) refers to a town in the territory historically given to the tribe of Gad; sometimes rendered as 'Bileam' in later English translations, but this transliteration may obscure the connection to the personal name. The English 'Balaam' is a Hellenized form; it does not reflect the nuances or possible etymological meaning in Hebrew. The figure is never described as Israelite, Judahite, or Judean; contextual evidence always presents him as an outsider interacting with Israelites. Later usage in postbiblical literature develops pejorative connotations, but in the biblical context the emphasis lies on his outsider status, divinatory power, and ambiguous relationship to deity and Israel.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably from בַּל and עַם; not (of the) people, i.e. foreigner; Bilam, a Mesopotamian prophet; also a place in Palestine; Balaam, Bileam.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בעלם (b-ʿ-l-m) — uncertain; possibly "not of the people"; personal name of debated meaning

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H1109-01`	בִּלְעָ֣ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam	52
`H1109-02`	לְ/בִלְעָם֙	levileam	`HR/Np`	to Balaam	to Bilam	4
`H1109-04`	בִלְעָם֒	vileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam	4
`H1109-03`	וּ/בִלְעָ֛ם	uvileam	`HC/Np`	and Balaam	and Bilʿam	1

Occurrences in Scripture

61 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:5	בִּלְעָ֣ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:7	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:8	בִּלְעָֽם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:9	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:10	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:12	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:13	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:14	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:16	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:18	בִּלְעָ֗ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:20	בִּלְעָם֮	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:21	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:23	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:25	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam	`HNp`	of Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:27	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:27	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam-2	`HNp`	Balaam's	Bilam
`H1109-02`	Numbers 22:28	לְ/בִלְעָם֙	levileam	`HR/Np`	to Balaam	to Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:29	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:30	בִּלְעָ֗ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-04`	Numbers 22:31	בִלְעָם֒	vileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:34	בִּלְעָ֜ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:35	בִּלְעָ֗ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:35	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam-2	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-04`	Numbers 22:36	בִלְעָ֑ם	vileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:37	בִּלְעָ֗ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:38	בִּלְעָ֜ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:39	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-02`	Numbers 22:40	לְ/בִלְעָ֔ם	levileam	`HR/Np`	to Balaam	to Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 22:41	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:1	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:2	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-03`	Numbers 23:2	וּ/בִלְעָ֛ם	uvileam	`HC/Np`	and Balaam	and Bilʿam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:3	בִּלְעָ֜ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:4	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-04`	Numbers 23:5	בִלְעָ֑ם	vileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:11	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:16	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:25	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:26	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:27	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:28	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:29	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 23:30	בִּלְעָ֑ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:1	בִּלְעָ֗ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-04`	Numbers 24:2	בִלְעָ֜ם	vileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:3	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	of Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:10	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:10	בִּלְעָ֗ם	bileam-2	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:12	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:15	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	of Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 24:25	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 31:8	בִּלְעָ֣ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Numbers 31:16	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Deuteronomy 23:5	בִּלְעָ֣ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Deuteronomy 23:6	בִּלְעָ֔ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Joshua 13:22	בִּלְעָ֥ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-02`	Joshua 24:9	לְ/בִלְעָ֥ם	levileam	`HR/Np`	Balaam	to Bilam
`H1109-02`	Joshua 24:10	לְ/בִלְעָ֑ם	levileam	`HR/Np`	to-Balaam	to Bilam
`H1109-01`	Micah 6:5	בִּלְעָ֣ם	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	Nehemiah 13:2	בִּלְעָם֙	bileam	`HNp`	Balaam	Bilam
`H1109-01`	1 Chronicles 6:55	בִּלְעָ֖ם	bileam	`HNp`	Bileam	Bilam

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