Lexical Summary
ballahah: Terror, Dismay, Sudden Fear
Original Word:בַּלָּהָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:ballahah
Pronunciation:bal-lah-hah
Phonetic Spelling:(bal-law-haw')
KJV: terror, trouble
NASB:terrors, terrified, sudden terrors, terror
Word Origin:[fromH1089 (בָּלַה - frightened)]
1. alarm
2. (hence) destruction
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
terror, trouble
Frombalahh; alarm; hence, destruction -- terror, trouble.
see HEBREWbalahh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
balahDefinitionterror, dreadful event, calamity, destruction
NASB Translationsudden terrors (1), terrified (2), terror (1), terrors (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, destruction —
Isaiah 17:14; plural
Job 18:11 7t.; construct
Job 24:17; —
only pluralterrorsJob 18:11;Job 27:20;Job 30:15;Job 18:14 #NAME?Job 24:17.
calamityIsaiah 17:14, pluralPsalm 73:19;calamity, destructionEzekiel 26:21;Ezekiel 27:36;Ezekiel 28:19.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewStrong’s Hebrew 1091 בַּלָּהָה describes a sudden, overwhelming terror that breaks upon the wicked like an ambush. It never denotes wholesome fear or holy reverence; it always portrays devastating panic that accompanies divine judgment.
Semantic Nuances and Imagery
The word paints a picture of ruin arriving without warning—nightfall that swallows light, a storm that crashes in, or invading troops that leave desolation. Its associations include darkness, ruin, storm-surge, and military defeat. The emphasis lies on the psychological impact: hearts melt, strength flees, hope collapses. Such “terror” is not mere anxiety; it is the climactic dread that accompanies the realization that one stands opposed to God’s moral order.
Occurrences in Job: The Terror of Judgment
Six of the ten occurrences appear in Job, each underscoring retribution upon the ungodly:
•Job 18:11 – “Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his every step.”
•Job 18:14 – Death is called “the king of terrors,” presenting בַּלָּהָה as the climax of human helplessness.
•Job 24:17 – Darkness and terror become companions of those who embrace evil deeds.
•Job 27:20 – Wealth cannot shield against “terrors” that sweep the wicked away like a flood.
•Job 30:15 – Job, speaking of his own humiliation, says, “Terror overwhelms me,” revealing the vocabulary’s flexibility: the righteous sufferer experiences what the wicked deserve, raising the book’s central question of innocent suffering.
In Job, בַּלָּהָה demonstrates the principle of retributive justice while also exposing the limitations of retribution theology; the righteous may taste the terror that ultimately belongs to the wicked.
Psalm 73: The Crisis of the Wicked
Psalm 73:19 portrays the sudden collapse of arrogant worldlings: “How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!” The psalmist’s sanctuary experience resolves the tension between present prosperity and future ruin: the terrors are God’s sure answer to unrepentant pride.
Isaiah 17: Eschatological Overtones
Isaiah 17:14 likens Aram-Israelite confederacy to a marauding band destroyed overnight: “In the evening, sudden terror; before the morning, they are gone.” The verse pushes the term beyond personal judgment to geopolitical catastrophe, hinting at the Day of the Lord when human alliances crumble before divine sovereignty.
Ezekiel’s Oracles Against Tyre: Commercial Pride Crushed
•Ezekiel 26:21 – Tyre will become “a terror, and you will cease to exist.”
•Ezekiel 27:36 – International merchants gasp: “You have become a terror, and you will be no more.”
•Ezekiel 28:19 – The lament over the prince of Tyre concludes, “All who know you are appalled; you have become a terror and will be no more.”
Here בַּלָּהָה punctures economic hubris; empires fortified by trade cannot escape the horror of divine judgment.
Theological Themes
1. Divine Justice: Terror is an instrument in God’s moral government—measured, purposeful, never arbitrary.
2. Suddenness: Judgment falls without delay once God’s decree ripens (Isaiah 17:14;Psalm 73:19).
3. Universality: Whether patriarchal (Job), poetic (Psalms), prophetic (Isaiah, Ezekiel), the concept remains consistent, reinforcing the unity of Scripture’s witness.
4. Inevitability: Human defenses—wealth, power, alliances—prove futile when terror ordained by God arrives.
Biblical Theology Across the Canon
The New Testament echoes this theme: “while people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ destruction will come upon them suddenly” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The sudden terror motif converges on final judgment, where only those in Christ are preserved from eschatological dread (Revelation 6:15-17 versusHebrews 10:19-22).
Ministry and Pastoral Application
• Evangelism: בַּלָּהָה reminds preachers that eternal realities demand urgent proclamation.
• Counseling: Believers wracked by panic can be pointed to Job’s journey—from terror to restored confidence—showing that God does not abandon His own.
• Social Ethics: Ezekiel’s usage warns nations and corporations that economic prowess does not immunize against moral accountability.
Homiletic and Devotional Considerations
• Illustrate sudden terror with historical collapses (e.g., Babylon, Rome) to drive home the frailty of human security.
• Contrast the “king of terrors” (Job 18:14) with the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) to exalt Christ’s victory over death.
• Encourage repentance and holy living: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” (2 Peter 3:11).
Forms and Transliterations
בַּלְה֥וֹת בַּלָּ֫ה֥וֹת בַּלָּה֑וֹת בַּלָּה֣וֹת בַּלָּה֥וֹת בַּלָּהֽוֹת׃ בַלָּה֑וֹת בַלָּהָ֔ה בלהה בלהות בלהות׃ bal·hō·wṯ ḇal·lā·hāh bal·lā·hō·wṯ ḇal·lā·hō·wṯ balHot balhōwṯ ḇallāhāh ballaHot ballāhōwṯ ḇallāhōwṯ vallaHah vallaHot
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