בעל

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ב־ע־ל (b-ʿ-l)

From Proto-Semitic *baʕl-.

Pronunciation

• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbaː.ʕal/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈba.(ʔ)al/
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /baʕl/

• Rhymes: -al

Noun

בַּעַל • (bá'al) m (plural indefinite בְּעָלִים, singular construct בַּעַל־, plural construct בַּעֲלֵי־, feminine counterpart בַּעֲלָה) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. master, owner
2. husband, male spouse

Noun

בְּעָל • (bə'al) m

1. lord, idol

Usage notes

• To avoid any ambiguity or hint of sexism, many modern speakers keep the two senses of בעל strictly distinct as follows:
  • When בעל has the sense of husband, it is inflected to indicate a possessor. In the case that its possessor is not a personal pronoun, this produces some redundancy; for example, "Miriam's husband" is translated as בעלה של מרים (ba'aláh shel Miryam), which literally means "her-husband of Miriam". (This sort of construction can occur with other nouns as well, but usually only in more formal contexts.)
  • When בעל has the sense of owner, it is seldom so inflected.
• However, some speakers do consider it sexist to use בעל with the sense of husband at all, instead preferring the word איש ('ish, “man”), as it is more directly analogous to the word אישה ('isháh, “woman, wife”).

Declension

Declension of בַּעַל

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	בַּעַל	first	בַּעֲלִי		בַּעֲלֵנוּ
	definite	הַבַּעַל	second	בַּעַלְךָ	בַּעֲלֵךְ	בַּעַלְכֶם	בַּעַלְכֶן
	construct	בַּעַל־	third	בַּעֲלוֹ	בַּעֲלָהּ	בַּעֲלָם	בַּעֲלָן
plural	indefinite	בְּעָלִים	first	בעליי / בְּעָלַי		בְּעָלֵינוּ
	definite	הַבְּעָלִים	second	בְּעָלֶיךָ	בעלייך / בְּעָלַיִךְ	בַּעֲלֵיכֶם	בַּעֲלֵיכֶן
	construct	בַּעֲלֵי־	third	בְּעָלָיו	בְּעָלֶיהָ	בַּעֲלֵיהֶם	בַּעֲלֵיהֶן

Derived terms

• בַּעַל דִּין (ba'al dín)
• בַּעַל זְבוּב (bá’al zvuv)
• בַּעַל זָנָב (bá'al zanáv)
• בעל חיים (bá'al ḥayím)
• בַּעַל מִקְצוֹעַ (bá'al miktsóa)
• בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה (ba'al-t'shuvá)

Descendants

• Yiddish: בעל־הבית (balebos)
• Ladino: balabay

See also

• אָדוֹן

Proper noun

בַּעַל • (bá'al) m [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. Baal (Canaanite deity)

Descendants

• English: Baal

Adjective

בַּעַל • (bá'al) m (plural indefinite בַּעַלִים, plural construct בַּעַלֵי־, feminine counterpart בַּעַלָה)

1. (only in construct form) having, possessing, (endowed) with (plus a nomen rectum, or סומך (somékh) in Hebrew)

   שני האנשים בעלי תואר מצאו עבודה.

   shnei ha'anashím ba'aléi toár mats'ú avodá.

   The two men with degrees found work.

Usage notes

• This word can only be used as an adjective in the construct state—סמיכות (smikhút) in Hebrew—where בעל (bá'al) is the inflected נסמך (nismákh) and is followed by another noun, the סומך (somékh) (also known to linguistics in general as the nomen rectum). Together, and following another noun, this construct can thus function as an adjective with the meaning of "having/possessing/(endowed) with noun", where noun is the second part of the construction, the סומך (somékh) or nomen rectum. For an example of how this works, see the usage example provided above.
• Unlike standard Hebrew adjectives, בעל (bá'al) in such constructs is not declined in the same simple way, according to only the grammatical gender and number of the noun it modifies, nor does it carry its definiteness. Rather, בעל (bá'al) in such usage never receives a definite article, even when modifying a definite noun, and it is always inflected in the construct form unique to Hebrew nouns, with the grammatical gender and number of the noun it modifies. The usage example provided above shows use with a masculine plural definite noun, to elucidate these important differences. In this example, the word בעל (bá'al) carries the grammatical gender and number of the noun it modifies, אנשים (anashím), but it is inflected in the construct form and has not inherited the definite article of האנשים.

Etymology 2

Root
ב־ע־ל (b-ʿ-l)

Verbal form related to the above noun.

Pronunciation

• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /bɔːˈʕal/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /baˈ(ʔ)al/

Verb

בָּעַל • (ba'ál) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

1. (dated) to have sexual intercourse
   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Chagigah 15a:

     יכול אני לבעול כמה בעילות בלא דם

     I can have intercourse multiple times [with a woman with an intact hymen] without [causing] bleeding.

Conjugation

Conjugation of בָּעַל (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לבעול / לִבְעֹל action noun: בְּעִילָה passive participle: בָּעוּל
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	בָּעַלְתִּי		בָּעַלְנוּ
	second	בָּעַלְתָּ	בָּעַלְתְּ	בְּעַלְתֶּם1	בְּעַלְתֶּן1
	third	בָּעַל	בָּעֲלָה	בָּעֲלוּ
present		בּוֹעֵל	בּוֹעֶלֶת	בּוֹעֲלִים	בּוֹעֲלוֹת
future	first	אֶבְעַל		נִבְעַל
	second	תִּבְעַל	תִּבְעֲלִי	תִּבְעֲלוּ	תִּבְעַלְנָה2
	third	יִבְעַל	תִּבְעַל	יִבְעֲלוּ	תִּבְעַלְנָה2
imperative		בְּעַל	בַּעֲלִי	בַּעֲלוּ	בְּעַלְנָה2
notes		Pronounced בָּעַלְתֶּם and בָּעַלְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

References

• H1168 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Anagrams

• בלע