בָּהַל
bâhal · H926 · Hebrew · 38 occurrences
Meanings
-
to be quick, to be hasty, to be rash, sudden
Action by which humans or divine beings act quickly
ExamplesEsther 6:14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.
2 Chronicles 35:21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.”
Proverbs 28:22 A person with an evil eye hurries after wealth And does not know that poverty will come upon him.
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to speed up
Action by which humans cause something to happen without delay
ExamplesEsther 2:9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice female attendants from the king’s palace, and transferred her and her attendants to the best place in the harem.
-
Action by which humans cause someone else to move quickly from a certain location (to hurry (someone) out)
Examples2 Chronicles 26:20 Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they quickly removed him from there, and he himself also hurried to get out because the LORD had stricken him.
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to be in anguish, to be dismayed
State in which humans experience a great fear combined with severe distress, often accompanied by physical symptoms, such trembling and pain
ExamplesGenesis 45:3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified in his presence.
Exodus 15:15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were terrified; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.
Judges 20:41 Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that disaster was close to them.
-
to terrify, to dismay
Action by which humans, divine beings, or certain events cause (other) humans to experience a state of great fear combined with severe distress, often accompanied by physical symptoms, such as trembling and pain
Examples2 Chronicles 32:18 They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city.
Job 22:10 “Therefore traps surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you,
Job 23:16 “It is God who has made my heart faint, And the Almighty who has terrified me,
How it’s used In 6 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
36 occurrences in 19 groups
- Not stated: they 7
- Not stated: you (one person) 5
- אִישׁman, person, each 3
- Not stated: I 3
- Not stated: he, she or it 3
- Other words · 14 groups that occur once or twice (15) 15
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
7 occurrences in 4 groups
- הֶםthem 3
- וֹhim 2
- נִיme 1
- ךָּyou 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
15 occurrences in 15 groups
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (16) 16
With adverbsAdverbs
7 occurrences in 3 groups
- מְאֹדvery 3
- אַלnot, do not 3
- אָזat that time 1
What is done to itIt is the object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 1
- רָאָהto see 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- לto/for 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 4 words
- מָהַר mâhar · H4116 · to act quickly, to hasten, to be fearful
- Both words are Hebrew verbs denoting hurried or hasty action, overlapping in the area of urgency and speed ("haste", "hasty", "quickly", "speedy"). Both also appear with senses of fear and of movement.
- דָּחַף dâchaph · H1765 · to be in haste, to hurry, to rush
- Both words share the sense of haste or urging and are near-synonyms in that sense, though בָּהַל (bâhal, H926) additionally carries senses of fear or dismay that דָּחַף (dâchaph, H1765) lacks.
- מַהֵר mahêr · H4118 · to act quickly, to hasten, to be fearful
- Both words denote hastening or acting quickly. בָּהַל (bâhal, H926) has a broader range (fear, dismay and trouble alongside haste), while מַהֵר (mahêr, H4118) is focused more narrowly on speed and quickness; they overlap in their shared sense of haste.
- חוּשׁ chûwsh · H2363 · to come swiftly, to happen swiftly, to hurry
- Both lexemes denote hastening or hurrying actions, with genuinely overlapping glosses in the sense of haste, making them near-synonyms; בָּהַל (bâhal, H926) additionally carries senses of fear or dismay that חוּשׁ (chûwsh, H2363) lacks.
In the other Testament 1 word
- ταράσσω tarássō · G5015 · to cause to move, to stir up, to cause great mental distress
- ταράσσω emphasizes physical agitation or emotional disturbance (stirring, troubling), while בָּהַל focuses on the psychological state of alarm or haste resulting from fear or dismay.
Semantic domains 3 entries
- Urge002003003023
- בָּהַל carries a sense of urgent haste, as at Esther 6:14 — "the king's eunuchs arrived and quickly brought Haman" — and Esther 8:14 — "the couriers, hurrying and speeded by the king's command, left."
- Move002002001012
- The word also carries a sense of being physically or emotionally disturbed, made to move in fear or agitation, as at Judges 20:41 — "the men of Benjamin were terrified" — and Job 23:15 — "I would be terrified at His presence."
- Afraid002001002001
- The verb most often describes being terrified or dismayed, as Joseph's brothers 'were terrified' in his presence in Genesis 45:3 and the chiefs of Edom are terrified in Exodus 15:15, placing it centrally in this domain of fear.
Word family 6 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H926. bahal [בָּהַל] verb (Late Hebrew id. Passive participle בהול disquieted; Pi`el…
[בָּהַל] verb (Late Hebrew id. Passive participle בהול disquieted; Pi`el disquiet; ᵑ7 Pa`el בַּהֵיל hasten, be precipitate, also dismay: but is be quiet) —
Niph`al Perfect נִבְהַל 1Sa 28:21; נִבְהֲלָה Psa 6:4; נִבְהַלְתִּי Isa 21:3; וְנִבְהָ֑לְתִּי consecutive Job 21:6; נִבְהֲלוּ Gen 45:3 +, etc.; Imperfect וַיִּבָּהֵל Jdg 20:41; Jdg 20:2masculine singular תִּבָּהֵל Ecc 8:3; יִבָּהֵלוּ֑ן Psa 104:29, etc.; Participle נִבְהָל Psa 30:8; נִָֽבֳהָל Pro 28:22; feminine נִבְהָלָה Zep 1:18; —
1 be disturbed, dismayed, terrified, Gen 45:3 (E) Jdg 20:41; 1Sa 28:21; 2Sa 4:1 (|| יָדָיו וַיִּרְמּוּ, compare Eze 7:27 above); of bones of sufferer Psa 6:3 (|| compare below Psa 6:4); of hands of dismayed people Eze 7:27; especially at chastisements & judgments of ׳י Exo 15:15 (song, in E) Psa 6:4 (subject נֶפֶשׁ, || compare above Psa 6:3) Psalm 6:11 (|| בושׁ) Psa 30:8; compare Psa 104:29; Psa 83:18 (|| בושׁ) Psa 90:7; Isa 13:8; Isa 21:3 (followed by מִן of occasion of fear) Job 23:15 (id.) Jer 51:32; Eze 26:18 (strike out ᵐ5 Co); Job 4:5 (|| לאה), compare also Job 21:6 as adjective terrible Zep 1:18 אַךְנִֿבְהָלָה כָּלָה.
2 be in haste, hasty (late, compare Aramaic above): Ecc 8:3 ׳אַלתִּֿבּ תֵּלֵךְ מִמָּנָיו be not hasty (to) go from him; Pro 28:22 לַהוֺן נִבֳהָל hastening after riches.
Pi`el Imperfect וַיְבַהֵל Est 2:9; suffix יְבַהֲלֻהוּ Dan 11:44; וִיבַהֶלְךָ Job 22:10; יְבַהֲלֵמוֺ Psa 2:5; Psa 2:2masculine singular תְּבַהֲלֵם Psa 83:16; אַלתְּֿבַהֵל Exo 5:1; Exo 7:9; Infinitive suffix לְבַהֲלֵנִי2Ch 35:21; םָ֯2Ch 32:18; Particle מבלהים Kt, מְבַהֲלִים Qr Ezr 4:4 (BeRy prefix Kt, see בלהּ); —
1 dismay, terrify, followed by suffix 2Ch 32:18 (|| ירא), Dan 11:44; Job 22:10 (subject מַּחַד), Psa 2:5 (subject ׳י) Psa 83:16 (|| רדף; subject ׳י); compare also Ezr 4:4 (see below בלהּ).
2 hasten, make haste, act hastily (late), 2Ch 35:21 לְבַהֲלֵנִי אָמַר וֵאלֹהִים God hath given command to speed me (RVm); followed by infinitive make haste Est 2:9; of hasty speech Ecc 5:1 עַלמִּֿיךָ ׳אַלתְּֿב (|| דָבָר לְהוֺצִיא אַליְֿמַהֵר וְלִבְּךָ); of anger Ecc 7:9 ׳אַלתְּֿב לִכְעוֺס בְּרוּחֲךָ.
Pu`al Participle plural מְבֹהָלִים Est 8:14, compare מְבֹהֶלֶת Qr Pro 20:21 (so read with Vrss Now Str; AV RV); Kt מבחלת see בחל; — hastened Est 8:14 of royal posts (|| דְּחוּפִים); hastily gained מְב ׳נַחֲלָה Pro 20:21.
Hiph`il Perfect suffix הִבְהִילָ֑נִי Job 23:16; Imperfect suffix וַיַּבְהִלוּהוּ2Ch 26:20; 2Ch 26:3 masculine plural וַיַּבְהִלוּ Est 6:14; —
1 dismay, terrify, followed by suffix Job 23:16 (subject שַׁדַּי; || לִבִּי הֵרַךְ).
2 (late) hasten, hurry (transitive), 2Ch 26:20 מִשָּׁם וַיַּבְהִלוּהוּ and they hurried him thence (|| נִדְחַף); make haste, followed by infinitive Est 6:14 ׳וַיַּב לְהָבִיא and they make haste to bring Haman.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 3 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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