Hebrew word · H1268

בֵּר֫וֹתָה

berotah

Berothah

A place name that probably comes from bəʾērôt, 'wells'.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Berothah or Berothai = "cypress grove"

a place near Hamath

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 47:16

Range of meaning

A place name that probably comes from bəʾērôt, 'wells'.

Against the English

All the versions transliterate it as 'Berothah'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Very likely the same as Berothai (2 Sam 8:8; spelled differently in the parallel 1 Chr 18:8), a city of Hadadezer king of Zobah, from which David took 'a great quantity of bronze'. It is often placed at Bereitan in the Beqaa valley south of Baalbek, though not with certainty.

From the study of 2 Samuel 8:8

Range of meaning

A place name, probably related to bəʾērôt, 'wells', and to the Berothah of Ezekiel 47:16.

Against the English

English versions transliterate it as 'Berothai'. 1 Chronicles 18:8 has 'Cun' at this point.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel 47:16 puts Berothah on the ideal northern border of the land, 'between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath'. It is often identified with modern Bereitan, south of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley. 'Cun' in Chronicles is often linked with Roman-period Conna, perhaps near Ras Baalbek, and may be a nearby town or a substitute name.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 8:8 וּמִבֵּֽרֹתַ֖י and from Berothai

    And from Betah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

    Here: A second town of Hadadezer. It is likely the same place as the 'Berothah' on Ezekiel's northern border between Damascus and Hamath (Ezek 47:16), somewhere in or near the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon. The name sounds like the Hebrew word for 'wells'.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 47:16 בֵּר֙וֹתָה֙ Berothah

    Berothah, and Sibraim (which is on the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.

    Here: A border town, probably the same as Berothai, the city of Hadadezer of Zobah from which David took bronze (2 Sam 8:8). It is often placed in the Beqaa valley of Lebanon. The name probably comes from be'er, 'well'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.