Joshua 15:29 — Word Study
WLCבַּעֲלָ֥ה וְעִיִּ֖ים וָעָֽצֶם׃
BSABaalahBaʻălâh [mistress, or Kiriath-jearim] IimʻÎyîym [ruins, or a place of old destruction] EzemʻEtsem [a city in Judah, or a place of strength]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בַּעֲלָ֥ה | Baalah | Noun proper |
| וְעִיִּ֖ים | and Iim | Conjunction, noun proper |
| וָעָֽצֶם׃ | and Ezem | Conjunction, noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Baalah, Iim, Ezem, |
| KJV | Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, |
| ASV | Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem, |
| YLT | Baalah, and Iim, and Azem, |
| WEB | Baalah, Iim, Ezem, |
| BBE | Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem; |
The translations agree on the names of the cities listed in this verse.
The verse consists of a simple list of proper nouns, indicating the towns in Judah.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Joshua 15:29
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Cities of Judahgenerated
Joshua 15:29 lists cities allocated to the tribe of Judah, highlighting their geographical and historical significance. These towns played a role in the settlement of Israel in the Promised Land, as described in the broader context of Joshua's distribution of land among the tribes.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua 15:9–11 | From the hilltop the border curved to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, proceeded to the cities of Mount Ephron, and then bent around toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath-jearim). |
| 2 | Joshua 19:3 | Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, |
| 3 | 1 Chronicles 4:29 | Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — בַּעֲלָה, ba.'a.Lahgenerated
The word בַּעֲלָה (ba'al) is a proper noun referring to a specific location in Judah, meaning 'mistress'. It is also known as Kiriath-jearim, a town associated with the worship of the deity Baal.
This name reflects both a geographical and cultural significance, indicating a place of importance within the ancient Israelite community.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree on the names of the cities listed in this verse, maintaining consistency across versions such as the Berean Standard Bible, KJV, and ASV.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is straightforward, consisting of a series of noun phrases that list the cities: בַּעֲלָ֥ה, וְעִיִּ֖ים, and וָעָֽצֶם. Each name stands as a significant location within the territory of Judah.
The simplicity of the structure reflects the listing nature of the passage, typical of geographical descriptions in the biblical text.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates בַּעֲלָה as βαλα, indicating a direct correspondence in naming, which suggests continuity in the identification of this location.
The other names also have direct equivalents in the Septuagint, showing that the Greek translators maintained the original Hebrew place names.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Joshua 15:29 lists three towns: Baalah, Iim, and Ezem. Baalah means 'mistress', Iim refers to 'ruins', and Ezem is described as a city in Judah. These towns are part of the inheritance given to the tribe of Judah.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Baalah means 'mistress' and is associated with Kiriath-jearim, indicating its historical and cultural significance.
Iim is described as a place of old destruction, suggesting it was once a thriving town that faced devastation.
Ezem is noted as a city in Judah, later given to the tribe of Simeon, marking its significance in the territorial allocations.
These cities were part of the land allocated to the tribe of Judah, reflecting their heritage and settlement in the Promised Land.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What significance do the names of these towns hold in the context of Judah's history?
- How do the meanings of these names reflect the culture and beliefs of the ancient Israelites?
- What can we learn about the geography of ancient Judah from this list of cities?
- In what ways do these locations contribute to our understanding of biblical history?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Joshua 15:29 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBaalah,.... Baalah was given to the tribe of Simeon, Joshua 19:3; for Baalah is the same with Balah there, as it is with Bilba, 1 Chronicles 4:29; though according to the Jerusalem Talmud (i) it is
Read John Gill on Joshua 15 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBaalah, and Iim, and Azem, (20) And Iim. Wilton, founding on a comparison of this list with those in Joshua 19:1-51 and 1 Chronicles 4:1-43, considers Iim = Azem, as if the word, like its analogue
Read Robert Jamieson on Joshua 15 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(21) And the uttermost cities.—The cities of the tribe of Judah are given under four heads: (a) towards Edom; (b) in the Shephêlah, or plain of the coast (Joshua 15:33, &c.); (c) in the mountains (Joshua 15:48); (d) in the wilderness (Joshua 15:61). Of those in Joshua 15:21-32, the first twenty-nine, Conder identifies only four—viz., Adadah, Joshua 15:22 (Ad’adah); Kerioth Hezron (some see a trace of Kerioth in the sobriquet of Judas Is-cariot, the man of Kerioth), Joshua 15:25 (Hudîreh); Beer-sheba, Joshua 15:28 (Bîr es-seb’a); and Ain Rimmon, Joshua 15:32 ( Umm er-Rumânûn). It is not easy to say precisely how the twenty-nine are to be obtained from the thirty-three, but evidently some of…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Joshua 15 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges29. Baalah] A fourth group is added of thirteen places which lay to the west and south-west:—(1) Baalah, called Balah (ch. Joshua 19:3) and Bilhah (1 Chronicles 4:29); (2) Iim, unknown; (3) Azem = “firmness” or “strength” (ch. Joshua 19:3); (4) Eltolad = Tolad (1 Chronicles 4:29), unknown; (5) Chesil = Bethul (Joshua 19:4) = Bethuel (1 Chronicles 4:30); (6) Hormah, or Zephath (comp. Joshua 12:14); (7) Ziklag = “wilderness of destruction” (Gesenius), which afterwards came into the possession of Achish, king of Gath, who presented it to David (1 Samuel 27:6), and was burnt by the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1); (8) Madmannah = possibly to el-Minyây, south of Gaza, on the route of the pilgrims…
Read Cambridge on Joshua 15 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Tyndale line
Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,
Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem,
Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem;
Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,
Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,
Strictly literal
Baalah, and Ijim, and Ezem,
Baalah, and Iim, and Azem,
Ba‘alah, and Iim, and Azem,
Ba'alah, and 'Iyim, and 'Azem,
Baalah, Iyim, Ezem,
From the Latin
And Baala and Jim and Esem,
Simplified
Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Baalah, and Iim, and Ezem;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the names of the cities listed in this verse, with no variations noted between the two texts.
בַּעֲלָ֥ה וְעִיִּ֖ים וָעָֽצֶם׃
3 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Joshua 15:29
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
בַּעֲלָה (Ba`alah) refers to a location in Palestine, specifically a town in the southern region of Judah. The name is linked to the meaning 'mistress' and is associated with several names, including Balah and Kirjath-baal. The entries indicate it is derived from a term related to Baal, though they do not provide significant disagreement.
בַּעֲלָה n.pr.loc. (city of Baal, from a high place of Baal there) = בַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה
base
H1173 בַּעֲלָה, בַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה
1173 Ba`alah bah-al-aw'
the same as 1172; Baalah, the name of three places in
Palestine:--Baalah.
see HEBREW for 01172
בַּעֲלָה (ba.a.lah) — (Mount) Baalah.
§ Baalah = "mistress"
בַּעֲלָה (ba.a.lah) — Baalah.
§ Baalah = "mistress"
a town in the south of Judah, also called Balah and Bilhah
בַּעֲלָה (ba.a.lah) — Baalah.
Baalah = "mistress"
or Kirjath-baal; modern Kuriet el Enab
Another name of qir.yat ye.a.rim (קִרְיַת יְעָרִים "Kiriath-jearim" H7157)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
ba'-a-la ba`alah; ("possessor," "mistress "): Three occurrences of this name:
(1) = KIRIATH-JEARIM (which see) (Jos 15:9,10; 1Ch 13:6).
(2) A city in the Negeb of Judah (Jos 15:29). In Jos 19:3 Balah and in 1Ch 4:29 Bilhah; perhaps also Boaloth of Jos 15:24. The site is unknown; but see PEF, III, 26.
(3) Mount Baalah (Jos 15:11), a mountain ridge between Shikkeron (Ekron) and Jabnoel unless, as seems probable, the suggestion of M. Clermont-Ganneau (Rev. Crit, 1897, 902) is correct that for har ( = "mount"), we…
Baalah
Mistress; city. (1.) A city in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:29), elsewhere called Balah (Josh. 19:3) and Bilhah (1 Chr. 4:29). Now Khurbet Zebalah.
(2.) A city on the northern border of the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:10), called also Kirjath-jearim, q.v. (15:9; 1 Chr. 13:6), now Kuriet-el-Enab, or as some think, ‘Erma.
(3.) A mountain on the north-western boundary of Judah and Dan (Josh. 15:11).
[BAAL, NO. 2]
עִיִּים (iy.yim) is a plural form meaning 'ruins' and refers to a location named Ijim, which is a station of Israel in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab. It is also identified as a city in Judah. The entries consistently highlight its geographical significance.
עִיִּים n.pr.loc.
station of Isr. on E. border of Moab = עִיֵּי הָעֲבָרִים
city in Judah
base
H5864 עִיִּים, עִיֵּי הָעֲבָרִים
5864 `Iyiym ee-yeem'
plural of 5856; ruins; Ijim, a place in the Desert.:--Iim.
see HEBREW for 05856
עִיִּים (iy.yim) — Iyim.
§ Iim = "ruins"
a station of Israel in the wilderness on the southeast side of Moab
עִיִּים (iy.yim) — Iim.
§ Iim = "ruins"
a town in Judah
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
i'-im (`iyim): Same as IYIM (which see).
Iim
Ruins. (1.) A city in the south of Judah (Josh. 15:29).
(2.) One of the stations of the Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 33:45).
(ruins). The partial or contracted form of the name IJE-ABARIM. (Numbers 33:45) A town in the extreme south of Judah. (Joshua 16:29)
heaps of Hebrews, or of angry men
עֶ֫צֶם (Etsem) refers to 'bone' and is also the name of a location in Palestine, specifically a city in the Negev of Judah that was allotted to Simeon. The entries indicate that it is closely related to another word, H6106, but do not provide further details on its usage or significance.
עֶ֫צֶם n.pr.loc. in Negeb of Judah, Simeon
base
H6107 עֶ֫צֶם
6107 `Etsem eh'-tsem
the same as 6106; bone; Etsem, a place in Palestine:--Azem,
Ezem.
see HEBREW for 06106
עֶ֫צֶם (e.tsem) — Ezem.
§ Azem or Ezem = "bone"
a city in the Nekeb of Judah afterwards allotted to Simeon
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun properHC/Npl
(bone), one of the towns of Simeon. (1 Chronicles 4:29)
a bone