Hebrew word · H991

בֶּ֫טֶן

vaveten

Beten

As a common noun: 'belly, womb, inner part'. As a place name it may describe the land's shape, such as a hollow or a valley basin, much as English uses 'bottom' or 'basin' in place names.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Beten = "womb"

a city in Asher

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 Joshua 19:25

Range of meaning

As a common noun: 'belly, womb, inner part'. As a place name it may describe the land's shape, such as a hollow or a valley basin, much as English uses 'bottom' or 'basin' in place names.

Against the English

Transliterated 'Beten' in all versions.

Used elsewhere in the period

It appears only here in the Bible. Eusebius's Onomasticon (4th century AD), a Greek gazetteer of biblical places, mentions a village called Bebeten (Bethbeten) about eight Roman miles east of Ptolemais (Acco). This has led to an identification with Khirbet Ibtin, east of modern Haifa. That fits the Acco-plain setting but is not certain.

Where it appears

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 19:25 וָבֶ֥טֶן and Beten

    Their territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

    Here: A town whose name is the ordinary word for 'belly, womb, inner part', perhaps describing a hollow or basin in the land. It appears only here in the Bible.

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