Lexical Summary
behalah: Terror, Dread, Sudden Alarm
Original Word:בֶּהָלָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:behalah
Pronunciation:beh-haw-LAH
Phonetic Spelling:(beh-haw-law')
KJV: terror, trouble
NASB:sudden terror, calamity, dismay
Word Origin:[fromH926 (בָּהַל - dismayed)]
1. panic, destruction
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
terror, trouble
Frombahal; panic, destruction -- terror, trouble.
see HEBREWbahal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
bahalDefinitiondismay, sudden terror or ruin
NASB Translationcalamity (1), dismay (1), sudden terror (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(compare Assyrian
bêltu,
terror, Dl
Pr 32) — absolute
Leviticus 26:16 2t.; plural
Jeremiah 15:8; —
sudden terrorLeviticus 26:16 (appositives follow); compare
Jeremiah 15:8;
Isaiah 65:23 ,
Psalm 78:33and he ended their days in a breath, and their years in sudden terror. (Arabic
, IV.shut, x.impeded in speech, tongue-tied; Ethiopic
be dumb).
Topical Lexicon
Scope of Occurrenceבֶּהָלָה appears four times in the Old Testament (Leviticus 26:16;Psalm 78:33;Isaiah 65:23;Jeremiah 15:8). Each usage speaks to a sudden, overwhelming dread that either falls upon covenant-breakers or is promised to be absent from the restored people of God.
Covenant Context:Leviticus 26:16
Within the curses section of the Mosaic covenant, the Lord warns, “I will bring upon you sudden terror” (Leviticus 26:16). The word punctuates the gravity of disobedience: terror is not random but divinely appointed. It inaugurates a sequence of escalating judgments, underscoring that the fear of God’s displeasure is as real as His promises of blessing.
Historical Reflection:Psalm 78:33
Psalm 78 rehearses Israel’s wilderness unbelief, concluding, “So He ended their days in futility and their years in sudden terror” (Psalm 78:33). Here the term interprets Israel’s historical experience: their dread-filled deaths were not merely natural but judicial, demonstrating that God’s dealings in history remain morally and spiritually purposeful.
Prophetic Reversal:Isaiah 65:23
In the vision of new heavens and new earth, the Lord pledges, “They will not labor in vain or bear children doomed to disaster” (Isaiah 65:23). בֶּהָלָה, which once described covenant curses, is now negated. The promised age eradicates the dread of fruitless toil and catastrophic loss, affirming the comprehensive restoration accomplished by God’s redemptive plan.
Impending Judgment:Jeremiah 15:8
Confronting Judah’s stubborn rebellion, God declares, “I will suddenly bring upon them anguish and terror” (Jeremiah 15:8). The word functions as the climactic blow in a prophecy of national chastisement. The suddenness mirrors the unexpected siege tactics Babylon would deploy, reminding hearers that divine patience has limits.
Theological Themes
1. Divine Sovereignty in Judgment: בֶּהָלָה never arises by chance; it is appointed or removed by the Lord.
2. Moral Accountability: Terror falls on persistent covenant violators, not innocent victims.
3. Eschatological Hope:Isaiah 65 reveals that the dread tied to sin and curse will be absent in the consummated kingdom.
4. Continuity of God’s Character: From Torah through Prophets and Writings, the same God who warns also promises comfort, reinforcing scriptural consistency.
Ministry and Pastoral Implications
• Warning and Invitation: Preaching should retain the biblical tension—faithful proclamation exposes the reality of divine terror while simultaneously extending the offer of grace.
• Assurance for Believers: Isaiah’s negation of בֶּהָלָה encourages believers that ultimate safety rests in God’s covenant faithfulness, not in changing circumstances.
• Intercessory Burden: Jeremiah’s usage calls the church to lament and plead for communities drifting toward judgment, recognizing that sudden calamity can still serve as God’s wake-up call.
Christological and Redemptive Perspective
The cross absorbs the fullest dimension of covenant terror: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). In Christ, the dread reserved for rebels falls on the sinless Substitute, securing the Isaiah promise for all who trust Him. The resurrection then guarantees a future where no vestige of בֶּהָלָה remains.
Practical Application for the Church
• Cultivate Holy Fear: Reverence guides obedience more effectively than sentimentalism.
• Anchor Hope in the New Creation: Present anxieties are relativized by the certainty that disaster has an expiration date.
• Engage in Holistic Discipleship: Address emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of fear, grounding counsel in God’s sovereignty and promises.
Summary
בֶּהָלָה highlights both the severity of divine judgment and the splendor of divine restoration. Its trajectory—from the covenant curses, through historical narrative and prophetic indictment, to eschatological comfort—invites the believer to sobriety, repentance, and enduring hope.
Forms and Transliterations
בֶּֽהָלָה֙ בַּבֶּהָלָֽה׃ בבהלה׃ בהלה וּבֶהָלֽוֹת׃ ובהלות׃ לַבֶּהָלָ֑ה לבהלה bab·be·hā·lāh babbehaLah babbehālāh be·hā·lāh behaLah behālāh lab·be·hā·lāh labbehaLah labbehālāh ū·ḇe·hā·lō·wṯ ūḇehālōwṯ uvehaLot
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