בֵּרוֹתָה
𐤁𐤓𐤅𐤕𐤄
Berotah
H1268 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A toponym referring to a city or locality situated north of the traditional boundaries of ancient Israel, known as Berothah (בֵּרוֹתָה) or Berothai (בֵּרֹתַי). The specific lexical meaning of the place name is uncertain, but it may be associated with cypress trees or signify a 'place of wells'—though this remains debated. The term functions exclusively as a geographic proper noun in biblical texts, designating a location, not a plant or object.
Semantic Range
place name, city north of Israel, possible 'place of wells,' potential but unlikely 'cypress locality'; proper noun only
Root / Etymology
Root uncertain; possibly from בָּרָה (to bore, hollow out a well, or spring) suggesting 'place of wells,' or from an unattested root relating to 'cypress.' The connection with בְּרוֹת (beroth, 'cypress') is hypothesized based on phonetic similarity, but is not firmly established; thus, the etymology is uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֵּרוֹתָה occurs in Ezekiel 47:16 as a boundary reference in the vision of the idealized land's northern extent and as בֵּרֹתַי in 2 Samuel 8:8 and 1 Chronicles 18:8, where it is mentioned as a locality from which David took bronze after defeating Hadadezer of Zobah. The identification of this location has varied: some associate it with a site in northern Syria (possibly modern Bereitân/Brital near Baalbek), others with Tell el-Bireh closer to Aleppo, though certainty is lacking. The possible connection with 'cypress' trees is rooted in phonetic resemblance but lacks archaeological or literary support. Septuagint and Vulgate renderings typically preserve the place name in translation, while English versions transliterate or occasionally, in the past, have rendered it according to conjectural plant-meanings due to confusion with בְּרוֹת ('cypress'). No evidence supports the equating of Berothah/Berothai with later Judean or Israelite population centers. Use of the English 'Berothah' or 'Berothai' derives directly from the Hebrew, with no established alternate translation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or בֵּרֹתַי; probably from בְּרוֹתlemma בֻּרוֹת first vowel, corrected to בְּרוֹת; cypress or cypresslike; Berothah or Berothai, a place north of Palestine; Berothah, Berothai.
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בר (b-r) — to bore, hollow out, well up; possibly cypress
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1268-01 |
בֵּר֨וֹתָה֙ | berotah | HNp |
Berothah | Berothah | 1 |
H1268-02 |
וּ/מִ/בֵּֽרֹתַ֖י | umiberotay | HC/R/Np |
and from Berothai | and from Berothai | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1268-02 |
2 Samuel 8:8 | וּ/מִ/בֵּֽרֹתַ֖י | umiberotay | HC/R/Np |
and from Berothai | and from Berothai |
H1268-01 |
Ezekiel 47:16 | בֵּר֨וֹתָה֙ | berotah | HNp |
Berothah | Berothah |