Aramaic word · H927
בְּהַל
yevahalunani
to dismay
In biblical Aramaic the intensive form means 'to alarm, terrify, dismay'. The passive and reflexive forms mean 'to be terrified' or, in one case, 'to hurry' (2:25; 3:24; 6:20). It is a strong word for panic and fright.
A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?
Appears 11 times in 10 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) (Pual) to frighten, alarm, dismay
2) (Ithpa'al) to hurry, hasten
3) (Ithpa'al) alarmed (part.)
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
- Range of meaning
In biblical Aramaic the intensive form means 'to alarm, terrify, dismay'. The passive and reflexive forms mean 'to be terrified' or, in one case, 'to hurry' (2:25; 3:24; 6:20). It is a strong word for panic and fright.
- Against the English
KJV and WEB have 'troubled', BSB and ESV 'alarmed', NIV 'disturbed', NASB 'kept alarming' and NLT 'terrified'. Modern 'troubled' is too mild.
- How it drifted
'Troubled' in early modern English carried more force (agitated, thrown into disorder). Today it can suggest mild concern.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In the Aramaic chapters it describes Nebuchadnezzar's terror at his dream (4:5), Daniel's dismay at that dream (4:19), Belshazzar going pale and his knees knocking (5:6, 9–10), and Daniel's thoughts at the end of this vision (7:28).
- Range of meaning
In the Pael/Hithpael forms: to alarm, terrify, throw into a panic. In some forms: to hurry, act in haste (Dan 2:25; 3:24; 6:19). The root joins inner panic and frantic haste. Hebrew bāhal has the same range: to be terrified, dismayed, to hasten.
- Against the English
KJV/WEB/YLT 'troubled', ESV/NASB 'alarmed', BSB 'so alarmed him', NIV 'so frightened'. 'Alarmed' and 'frightened' are close. 'Troubled' now sounds much too mild.
- How it drifted
In older English, 'troubled' could mean deeply shaken. Today it usually suggests mild worry or a vague unease ('a troubled conscience'). The Aramaic word means terror strong enough to show in the body.
- Used elsewhere in the period
In Daniel it is used for Nebuchadnezzar's frightening dreams (4:5, 4:19 Eng.), the queen mother's 'let not your thoughts alarm you' (5:10), and Daniel's reaction to his visions (7:15, 7:28). It is common in later Jewish Aramaic (the Targums) for panic.
- Range of meaning
In biblical Aramaic, 'to terrify, alarm, throw into panic'. In a related form it means 'to hurry' (Dan 2:25; 3:24; 6:19). Hebrew bāhal similarly covers 'be terrified' and 'hasten', the idea being the agitation of panic.
- Against the English
KJV and WEB 'trouble' is milder than the Aramaic. ESV 'alarmed', BSB 'alarmed' and NIV 'terrified' are closer.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Dan 4:5 (Nebuchadnezzar's thoughts terrify him); 5:6, 9, 10 (Belshazzar at the writing on the wall); 7:15, 28 (Daniel's own visions terrify him). In Daniel it is a recurring word for the human response to revelation.
Where it appears
Daniel · 11
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Daniel 2:25 בְּהִתְבְּהָלָ֔ה in haste
Arioch hastily brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who will tell the king the interpretation.”
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Daniel 3:24 בְּהִתְבְּהָלָ֑ה in haste
Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied.
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Daniel 4:5 יְבַהֲלֻנַּֽנִי׃ they alarmed me
I had a dream, and it frightened me; while I was in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
Here: "They kept alarming me." The verb means to terrify, to throw into panic or confusion. Its form can describe something repeated or ongoing in the past, so the images kept unsettling him.
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Daniel 4:19 יְבַהֲלֻנֵּ֑הּ יְבַהֲלָ֔ךְ they alarmed him, it alarm you
For a time, Daniel, who was also known as Belteshazzar, was perplexed, and his thoughts alarmed him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” “My lord,” replied Belteshazzar, “may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
Here: 'Were terrifying him'. This is the same verb the king used of himself in 4:5: 'my thoughts terrified me'. Now the interpreter feels the dreamer's terror.
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Daniel 5:6 יְבַהֲלוּנֵּ֑הּ they alarmed him
his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.
Here: 'Kept terrifying him.' This is a strong word for panic, not mild worry. The verb form describes ongoing action, so we watch his thoughts going on attacking him. The thoughts are the subject: his own mind turns on him.
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Daniel 5:9 מִתְבָּהַ֔ל [was] alarmed
Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were bewildered.
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Daniel 5:10 יְבַהֲלוּךְ֙ they alarm you
Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.
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Daniel 6:19 וּבְהִ֨תְבְּהָלָ֔ה and in haste
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.
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Daniel 7:15 יְבַהֲלֻנַּֽנִי׃ they alarmed me
I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit, and the visions in my mind alarmed me.
Here: 'They alarmed me' is an intensive verb in the imperfect form, which here probably pictures the alarm as ongoing: the visions kept terrifying him (NASB: 'kept alarming me'). It is a strong word for fright, the same one used when kings panic at revelations (4:5; 5:6, 9).
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Daniel 7:28 יְבַהֲלֻנַּ֗נִי they alarmed me
Thus ends the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face turned pale. But I kept the matter to myself.”
Here: 'Kept alarming me.' The intensive verb form means to frighten or throw into dismay. The tense often describes ongoing action, so this suggests a disturbance that persisted, not a single jolt.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.