Bala בָּלַע

Bala (Hebrew בָּלַע, Strong's H1104) is a Hebrew verb meaning “to swallow up”. It occurs 49 times in 48 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Verses

Every verse with Bala, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Genesis

• Genesis 41:7
  And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.
• Genesis 41:24
  And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”

Exodus

• Exodus 7:12
  For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.
• Exodus 15:12
  Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.

Numbers

• Numbers 4:20
  But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.But the Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die.”
• Numbers 16:30
  But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”
• Numbers 16:32
  And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions.
• Numbers 16:34
  And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!”
• Numbers 26:10
  And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign.And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.

Deuteronomy

• Deuteronomy 11:6
  And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel:and what He did in the midst of all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing that belonged to them.

2 Samuel

• 2 Samuel 17:16
  Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’”
• 2 Samuel 20:19
  I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel, but you are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”
• 2 Samuel 20:20
  And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.“Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy!

Job

• Job 2:3
  And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
• Job 7:19
  How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?
• Job 8:18
  If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.If he is uprooted from his place, it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
• Job 10:8
  Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.Your hands shaped me and altogether formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me?
• Job 20:15
  He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.
• Job 20:18
  That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.
• Job 37:20
  Shall it be told him that I speak? if a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up.Should He be told that I want to speak? Would a man ask to be swallowed up?

Psalms

• Psalm 21:9
  Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.You will place them in a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will engulf them, and the fire will consume them.
• Psalm 35:25
  Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”
• Psalm 55:9
  Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.O Lord, confuse and confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.
• Psalm 69:15
  Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.Do not let the floods engulf me or the depths swallow me up; let not the Pit close its mouth over me.
• Psalm 106:17
  The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
• Psalm 107:27
  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless.
• Psalm 124:3
  Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:when their anger flared against us, then they would have swallowed us alive,

Proverbs

• Proverbs 1:12
  Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit.
• Proverbs 19:28
  An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.
• Proverbs 21:20
  There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.Precious treasures and oil are in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man consumes them.

Ecclesiastes

• Ecclesiastes 10:12
  The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

Isaiah

• Isaiah 3:12
  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.Youths oppress My people, and women rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn you from your paths.
• Isaiah 9:16
  For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.For those who guide this people mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.
• Isaiah 19:3
  And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists.
• Isaiah 25:7
  And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;
• Isaiah 25:8
  He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.
• Isaiah 28:4
  And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.
• Isaiah 28:7
  But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
• Isaiah 49:19
  For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.For your ruined and desolate places and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 51:34
  Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his belly with my delicacies and vomited me out.

Lamentations

• Lamentations 2:2
  The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. In His wrath He has demolished the fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah. He brought to the ground and defiled her kingdom and its princes.
• Lamentations 2:5
  The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.The Lord is like an enemy; He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for the Daughter of Judah.
• Lamentations 2:8
  The Lord hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.
• Lamentations 2:16
  All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.All your enemies open their mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited. We have lived to see it!”

Hosea

• Hosea 8:7
  For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.
• Hosea 8:8
  Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.Israel is swallowed up! Now they are among the nations like a worthless vessel.

Jonah

• Jonah 1:17
  Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.

Habakkuk

• Habakkuk 1:13
  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).