Lexical Summary
bala: To swallow, engulf, consume
Original Word:בָּלַע
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:bala`
Pronunciation:bah-lah
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-lah')
KJV: cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up)
NASB:swallowed, swallow, swallows, confuse, brought to confusion, confound, confused
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to make away with
2. (specifically) to take by swallowing, to devour
3. (generally) to destroy
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down up
A primitive root; to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy -- cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow down (up).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto swallow down, swallow up, engulf
NASB Translationbrought to confusion (1), confound (1), confuse (2), confused (1), consume (1), destroy (1), destroyed (1), destroying (1), end (1), moment (1), removed (1), ruin (1), spreads (1), swallow (13), swallowed (18), swallows (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(idea of quickness, suddenness) (Late Hebrew
id., Arabic
swallow, Ethiopic
eat, Aramaic ,
; Assyrian
bêlû, Pi`el
destroy Zim
BP 27) —
PerfectJob 20:15, suffixJeremiah 51:34 (Qr, compare Kt -); 3 feminine singularNumbers 16:30; 3plural suffixPsalm 124:3;ImperfectJob 20:18,Exodus 7:12, suffixIsaiah 28:4; 3feminine singularNumbers 16:32 2t.; suffixPsalm 69:16,Numbers 16:34,Deuteronomy 11:6,Exodus 15:12; 3masculine plural suffixHosea 8:7; 3feminine pluralGenesis 41:7,Genesis 41:24; 1plural suffixProverbs 1:12;InfinitiveJonah 2:1; suffixJob 7:19; —
swallow down, with accusativeJob 7:19;Isaiah 28:4, subjectJonah 2:1; subjectGenesis 41:7,24;Exodus 7:12.
swallow up, engulf, subjectExodus 15:12;Numbers 16:30,32,34;Numbers 26:10;Deuteronomy 11:6;Psalm 106:17; figurative of greedJob 20:15 (object ; opposed tovomit); of violence, extortionProverbs 1:12 (); of devastation by enemyHosea 8:7;Jeremiah 51:34;Psalm 124:3; over-whelming by calamityPsalm 69:16 (subject ); of full enjoyment, profitJob 20:18 (no object)
PerfectHosea 8:8,Isaiah 28:7; —swallowed up, i.e. devastatedHosea 8:8; engulfed by wine (yet compare
Isaiah 3:12)Isaiah 28:7 ( , "" ).
PerfectIsaiah 25:8 3t.; consecutiveIsaiah 25:7; 3pluralIsaiah 3:12; 1pluralLamentations 2:16, suffixPsalm 35:25;ImperfectProverbs 19:28, suffix 3masculine singularJob 8:18;Proverbs 21:20;Psalm 21:10; 3feminine singular suffix 3 masculine singularEcclesiastes 10:12; 2masculine singular2 Samuel 20:19, suffixJob 10:8; 1singular2 Samuel 20:20,Isaiah 19:3;ImperativePsalm 55:10;InfinitiveNumbers 4:20;Habakkuk 1:13,Lamentations 2:8, suffixJob 2:3;Participle suffixIsaiah 49:19; —
swallowNumbers 4:20 (as a swallowing = for an instant); elsewhere
swallow up, engulf, usually with accusative,
figurative of destruction, ruin,Isaiah 3:12 (object ); (Ba from a √ II.confound, compare Di; see alsoIsaiah 9:15;Isaiah 19:3;Isaiah 28:7;Psalm 55:10;Psalm 107:27); subjectLamentations 2:2,5 (twice in verse);Lamentations 2:8;Job 2:3;Job 10:8;Psalm 21:10 ("" ),Isaiah 19:3 (object ), i.e.confuse, confound; soPsalm 55:10confuse, Lord, divide their speech (compareGenesis 11:7,9 & see De Che); subject wicked men, enemiesPsalm 35:25;Isaiah 49:19 compareLamentations 2:16 (absolute)Habakkuk 1:13; object reflexive in senseEcclesiastes 10:12; = annihilateIsaiah 25:7,8;
literally =destroy2 Samuel 20:19,20 ("" ); indefinite subjectJob 8:18 ;
figurative for greedily (seize, adopt) practiseProverbs 19:28, for extravagance, squanderingProverbs 21:20.
Imperfect2 Samuel 17:16,Job 37:20;ParticipleIsaiah 9:15; —be swallowed up, i.e. destroyedJob 37:20; compare2 Samuel 17:16 (impersonal); ruinedIsaiah 9:15 (yet compare below )
Imperfect3feminine singularPsalm 107:27 (subject ) their wisdom is all gone, 'they are at their wit's end' (compare below )
Topical Lexicon
Root Meaning and Imageryבָּלַע paints the vivid picture of something being gulped down so completely that it disappears from sight. Scripture employs the verb for animate and inanimate agents—soil, sea, beast, enemy, wine, even God Himself—each capable of engulfing a person, object, or abstract reality. The act is usually sudden, irreversible, and total, conveying both peril and, in a redemptive turn, ultimate victory.
Representative Old Testament Occurrences
•Exodus 7:12 – “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.” A sign that the God of Israel devours false power.
•Numbers 16:32 – The earth “swallowed” Korah, underscoring the seriousness of rebellion.
•Psalm 124:3 – Had the LORD not intervened, Israel’s foes “would have swallowed us alive.”
•Proverbs 1:12 – Violent men entice, “Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,” exposing the predatory heart of sin.
•Isaiah 25:8 – “He will swallow up death forever.” The hope of resurrection rises from the same verb that once described judgment.
•Jeremiah 51:34 – Babylon “has swallowed me like a monster,” illustrating imperial tyranny.
•Jonah 1:17 – A “great fish” prepared by the LORD swallows the prophet, turning discipline into deliverance.
•Hosea 8:8 – “Israel is swallowed up,” a lament that covenant infidelity leads to national absorption.
•Habakkuk 1:13 – The prophet protests when the wicked “swallow those more righteous,” highlighting the tension between divine patience and justice.
Literary Distribution
Occurrences span Torah, Former Prophets, Writings, and latter prophets—about forty-nine times—underscoring a pan-biblical motif. The Psalms and Prophets use the verb metaphorically for hostile forces; Narrative books employ it literally (earth, fish, staff), while Wisdom literature uses it for moral exhortation.
Divine Judgment and Protection
בָּלַע frequently marks decisive divine judgment: earth engulfing rebels (Numbers 16), enemy nations gulping Jerusalem (Jeremiah 51), or death devouring mortal life (Isaiah 25). Yet the same action portrays God’s protective counter-measure; He lets the sea swallow Pharaoh (Exodus 15:12) but keeps the waves from engulfing His people (Psalm 124:3-6). The antithesis highlights the covenant principle: obedience invites rescue, rebellion invites ruin.
Redemptive Trajectory
Isaiah 25:8 becomes the seed for1 Corinthians 15:54, where Paul exults, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” The once-terrifying verb is turned against death itself, demonstrating God’s capacity to reverse the curse. This eschatological reversal turns the fearful image into a promise of final triumph.
Historical and Cultural Resonances
Ancient Near Eastern literature speaks of gods or monsters devouring victims; Scripture subverts the myth by showing Yahweh sovereign over every swallowing agent. Natural catastrophes (earthquakes), political conquests, and personal calamities all fall under His governance. The lexeme therefore served Israel as a theological lens through which to interpret disaster and deliverance.
Pastoral and Homiletical Applications
1. Warning against Sin’s Consumption –Proverbs 1:12 andJob 20:15 equip preachers to expose how greed and violence eventually devour the perpetrator.
2. Comfort in Overwhelming Trials – Believers, like Jonah, may feel swallowed, yet the fish that disciplines also transports to new obedience.
3. Hope in Bereavement –Isaiah 25:8 undergirds funeral ministry: death’s swallowing is not the final word.
4. Prayer for Justice – Habakkuk’s lament legitimatizes petitions when the wicked seem to consume the righteous.
Related Hebrew Concepts
בָּלַע dovetails with terms for “devour” (אָכַל), “consume” (כָּלָה), and “destroy” (שָׁחַת), expanding the biblical theology of annihilation versus preservation. Each root fills out the spectrum of divine dealings—from immediate physical destruction to gradual moral erosion.
Ministerial Significance
For discipleship, בָּלַע reinforces vigilance against forces that would absorb faith and holiness. For mission, it supplies imagery of cultures swallowed by idolatry yet recoverable through Christ, who has already swallowed death. For worship, it elicits awe before the God whose judgment is as total as His salvation.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲבַלֵּ֑עַ אֲבַלַּ֖ע אבלע בְּבַלַּ֥ע בְּלָע֑וּנוּ בִּֽלַּעֲנֽוּהוּ׃ בִּלְעִ֥י בִּלֵּֽעוּ׃ בִּלַּ֣ע בִּלַּ֤ע בִּלַּ֨ע בִּלַּע֙ בִּלָּ֑עְנוּ בַּלַּ֣ע בָּ֭לַע בְּלָעַ֙נִי֙ בבלע בלע בלעו׃ בלעונו בלעי בלענו בלענוהו׃ בלעני וַֽתְּבַלְּעֵֽנִי׃ וַיִּבְלַ֥ע וַתִּבְלַ֙עְןָ֙ וַתִּבְלַ֙עְנָה֙ וַתִּבְלַ֣ע וַתִּבְלַ֥ע וַתִּבְלָעֵ֥ם וּבִלַּע֙ וּבָלְעָ֤ה ובלע ובלעה ויבלע ותבלע ותבלעם ותבלען ותבלענה ותבלעני׃ יְבַלְּעֵ֑ם יְבַלְּעֶ֥נּוּ יְבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ׃ יְבַלַּע־ יְבֻלַּ֣ע יְבֻלָּֽע׃ יִבְלָ֑ע יִבְלָעֶֽנָּה׃ יִבְלָעֻֽהוּ׃ יבלע יבלע־ יבלע׃ יבלעהו׃ יבלעם יבלענה׃ יבלענו יבלענו׃ כְּבַלַּ֥ע כבלע לְבַלְּע֥וֹ לִבְלֹ֖עַ לבלע לבלעו מְבַלְּעָֽיִךְ׃ מְבֻלָּעִֽים׃ מִבַּלֵּ֑עַ מבלע מבלעיך׃ מבלעים׃ נִ֭בְלָעֵם נִבְלְע֣וּ נִבְלַ֖ע נבלע נבלעו נבלעם תְּבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ׃ תְבַלַּ֖ע תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ תִּבְלָעֵ֖נוּ תִּבְלָעֵ֣נִי תִּתְבַּלָּֽע׃ תבלע תבלעמו תבלענו תבלענו׃ תבלעני תתבלע׃ ’ă·ḇal·la‘ ’ă·ḇal·lê·a‘ ’ăḇalla‘ ’ăḇallêa‘ avalLa avalLea bā·la‘ bal·la‘ Bala bāla‘ balLa balla‘ bə·ḇal·la‘ bə·lā·‘a·nî bə·lā·‘ū·nū bəḇalla‘ bəlā‘anî bəlā‘ūnū belaAni belaUnu bevalLa bil‘î bil·‘î bil·la‘ bil·la·‘ă·nū·hū bil·lā·‘ə·nū bil·lê·‘ū bilI bilLa billa‘ billa‘ănūhū billā‘ənū BillaaNuhu bilLaenu billê‘ū bilLeu kə·ḇal·la‘ kəḇalla‘ kevalLa lə·ḇal·lə·‘ōw ləḇallə‘ōw levalleO liḇ·lō·a‘ liḇlōa‘ livLoa mə·ḇal·lə·‘ā·yiḵ mə·ḇul·lā·‘îm məḇallə‘āyiḵ məḇullā‘îm mevalleAyich mevullaIm mib·bal·lê·a‘ mibbalLea mibballêa‘ niḇ·la‘ niḇ·lā·‘êm niḇ·lə·‘ū niḇla‘ niḇlā‘êm niḇlə‘ū nivLa Nivlaem nivleU ṯə·ḇal·la‘ tə·ḇal·lə·‘en·nū ṯəḇalla‘ təḇallə‘ennū tevalLa tevalleEnnu tiḇ·lā·‘ê·mōw tiḇ·lā·‘ê·nî tiḇ·lā·‘ê·nū tiḇlā‘êmōw tiḇlā‘ênî tiḇlā‘ênū tiṯ·bal·lā‘ titbalLa tiṯballā‘ tivlaEmov tivlaEni tivlaEnu ū·ḇā·lə·‘āh ū·ḇil·la‘ ūḇālə‘āh ūḇilla‘ uvalAh uvilLa vaiyivLa VattevalleEni vattivLa vattivlaEm vattivLana vattivLanah wat·tə·ḇal·lə·‘ê·nî wat·tiḇ·la‘ wat·tiḇ·la‘·nā wat·tiḇ·la‘·nāh wat·tiḇ·lā·‘êm wattəḇallə‘ênî wattiḇla‘ wattiḇlā‘êm wattiḇla‘nā wattiḇla‘nāh way·yiḇ·la‘ wayyiḇla‘ yə·ḇal·la‘- yə·ḇal·lə·‘êm yə·ḇal·lə·‘en·nū yə·ḇul·la‘ yə·ḇul·lā‘ yəḇalla‘- yəḇallə‘êm yəḇallə‘ennū yəḇulla‘ yəḇullā‘ yevalla yevalleEm yevalleEnnu yevulLa yiḇ·lā‘ yiḇ·lā·‘en·nāh yiḇ·lā·‘u·hū yiḇlā‘ yiḇlā‘ennāh yiḇlā‘uhū yivLa yivlaEnnah yivlaUhu
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