Baalah
“Mistress, possessor”
Summary
A name meaning 'mistress' applied to several places in ancient Israel, most notably Kirjath-jearim where the Ark of the Covenant rested for twenty years.
☩Baalah as Kirjath-jearim
The most significant Baalah was a city on the northern border of Judah, better known as Kirjath-jearim or Kirjath-baal. This was apparently the older Canaanite name for the place. The ark of God rested here for twenty years after being returned by the Philistines until David brought it up to Jerusalem. In 2 Samuel 6:2, this location is called 'Baale of Judah.'
☩Southern Baalah
A second Baalah was a city in the southern territory of Judah, mentioned with Beersheba and Iim. This city was later assigned to the tribe of Simeon and appears under various names: Balah in Joshua 19:3 and Bilhah in 1 Chronicles 4:29.
☩Mount Baalah
A mountain ridge on the northwestern boundary of Judah, located between Shikkeron (Ekron) and Jabneel. Some scholars suggest it may be the same as Mount Jearim from the nearby Kirjath-baal, though this identification is disputed. One scholar proposed that the Hebrew word for 'mountain' (har) may be a scribal error for 'river' (nahar), which would identify this with the Nahr Rubin where an annual feast—possibly a survival of Baal worship—was held.
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Baalah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Baalah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Baalah," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Baalah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).