בַּ֫יִת2034 H1004b
House, dwelling, building; by extension: household, family, dynasty; spatially: inside, interior, inward; also: temple.
Bayit is one of the most frequent and versatile nouns in the Hebrew Bible, anchoring an entire web of meaning around the concept of an enclosed dwelling space. At its most concrete, it denotes any physical structure — a home, a palace, a prison, a storehouse — and appears in construct chains so often ('house of God,' 'house of the king,' 'house of Israel') that it practically functions as a relational particle. Yet the word's semantic reach extends well beyond bricks and beams: 'house of David' means the Davidic dynasty, 'house of Israel' can mean the nation as a family, and with directional suffixes bayit becomes 'inward' or 'inside,' losing all architectural reference. The cognate forms across Semitic — Arabic bayt, Aramaic bayta, Ethiopic bet — confirm this same polysemy at the deepest stratum of the language family.
1. house, dwelling, building — The overwhelmingly dominant sense: a physical structure used as a residence, shelter, storehouse, prison, or meeting place — accounting for over 2,000 of approximately 2,050 occurrences. This covers houses (Gen 19:2-4), palaces (2 Sam 5:11), the temple as 'house of Yahweh' (1 Kgs 6:1), and all prepositional and pronominal inflections. The construct form bet- in 'house of X' is so productive it borders on grammaticalization. Arabic bayt, Korean 집 (jip), Swahili nyumba, and Spanish casa all render this consistently, while German Haus and French maison confirm the cross-linguistic stability of this core architectural meaning. 2015×
AR["بَيتُ","بَيتِ","بَيْت","بَيْتَ","بَيْتَ-","بَيْتُ","بَيْتِ","بَيْتِ-"]·ben["-গৃহের","কুল-","কেন","গৃহ","গৃহ-","গৃহের","বংশ","বংশ-","বংশের","বাড়ির"]·DE["Haus"]·EN["a-house-of","house-of","the-house-of"]·FR["maison"]·heb["בית"]·HI["घर","घर-की","घराने-","घरानेके-","घरानेने-","प्रवेशद्वार-के","भवन","भवन-"]·ID["kaum","keluarga","rumah","rumah-","semuanya-"]·IT["casa"]·jav["dalem","dalemi-pun","griya","griya-","griyaipun-","padaleman"]·KO["집","집-","집-의","집-의-","집의","집의-"]·PT["casa-de"]·RU["дом","дом-","дома","дома-","домом"]·ES["casa-de","casa-de-","la-casa-de","una-casa-de"]·SW["nyumba","nyumba-ya","wa-nyumba-ya"]·TR["Ev","Ev-","ev","evi","evi-","evin","evinden-","evini","evinin"]·urd["-گھر","بیت-","گھر","گھر-","گھرانے","گھرانے-نے","گھرانے-کے"]
1 Chr 6:48, 1 Chr 7:9, 1 Chr 9:11, 1 Chr 12:30, 1 Chr 13:14, 1 Chr 17:6, 1 Chr 22:2, 1 Chr 23:24, 1 Chr 26:22, 1 Chr 28:4, 1 Chr 28:12, 1 Chr 28:21 (+38 more)
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
2. inside, interior, inward — A spatial-directional sense meaning 'inside, interior, inward' — roughly 21 occurrences where bayit has lost its architectural reference and functions as a locative or directional adverb. In Gen 6:14 Noah is told to coat the ark 'from inside' (mib-bayit); in Exod 25:11 the ark of the covenant is overlaid with gold 'within' (mib-bayit). Arabic shifts to dakhil ('interior') for this sense, and Spanish uses adentro or desde dentro rather than casa, confirming that the spatial extension has become semantically autonomous. The construction typically involves the preposition min ('from') + bayit. 21×
AR["إِلَى-الدَّاخِلِ","داخِلاً","مِن-داخِلٍ","مِن-داخِلِ","مِنَ-الدَّاخِلِ","مِنَ-الـ-دَّاخِلِ","مِنَ-الْ-بَيْتِ","مِنَ-الْدَاخِلِ","مِنْ-تَحْتُ","مِنْ-دَاخِلِ"]·ben["-ঘর-থেকে","-ঘরের-থেকে","-ভিতরের-দিকে","থেকে-ভিতরে","ভিতর-থেকে","ভিতরে","ভেতর-থেকে","ভেতরে"]·DE["aus-dem-Haus","innerhalb","inward","sein-Haus","von-das-Haus","von-innen","von-innerhalb","von-inside","von-inside-von"]·EN["from-inside","from-inside-of","from-the-house","from-the-inside","inside","inward"]·FR["de-dedans","de-la-maison","de-à-l'intérieur","de-à-l'intérieur-de","intérieur","maison","à-l'intérieur"]·heb["בית-ה","ביתה","מ-בית","מ-בית-ה","מ-ה-בית"]·HI["अंदर-की-ओर","अंदर-से","अन्दर-से","भवन-से","भीतर","भीतर से","भीतर-की-ओर","भीतर-से","मिब्बयित","से-अंदर","से-भवन-की-ओर"]·ID["dari-bait-itu","dari-dalam","dari-rumah","di-dalam","ke-dalam"]·IT["casa","da-casa","da-dentro","da-dentro-di","dentro","inward"]·jav["ing-lebet","nglebet","nglebet.","saking-griya","saking-lebet","saking-lebeting","saking-njero","wonten-ing-njero"]·KO["그-안에서","그-집-에서","안-에서","안에서","안에서-집의","안에서부터","안쪽으로","에-그-집으로부터","에서-안","에서-안부터","에서-안쪽"]·PT["da-casa","de-a-casa","de-dentro","de-dentro-de","dentro","para-dentro","por-dentro"]·RU["внутренней","внутрь","из-дома","изнутри","от-дома"]·ES["adentro","de-adentro","desde-dentro","desde-la-casa","hacia-adentro","por-dentro"]·SW["chini","kutoka-nyumbani","kutoka-ukumbi","kwa-mbao","na-akafunika","na-nje","ndani","ndani-ya","upande-wa-nyumba"]·TR["den-icinde","evden","içe","içe-doğru","içerde","içinden","içten"]·urd["اندر سے","اندر-سے","اندر-کی-جانب","اندر-کی-طرف","سے-اندر","سے-گھر","پیچھے سے"]
Gen 6:14, Exod 25:11, Exod 26:33, Exod 28:26, Exod 37:2, Exod 39:19, Lev 14:41, 1 Kgs 6:15, 1 Kgs 6:15, 1 Kgs 6:16, 1 Kgs 7:8, 1 Kgs 7:9 (+9 more)
3. household, family, dynasty — The metonymic extension from building to its inhabitants: household, family, lineage, or royal dynasty — approximately 15 occurrences with this clearly foregrounded meaning. 'House of David' as a dynastic designation (Ps 115:10, 12; Ps 135:19), 'house of Aaron' as the priestly lineage, and 'house of Jacob/Israel' as the national family all illustrate this. Hindi distinctively renders this sense with gharana ('clan, lineage, dynasty') rather than ghar ('building'), and Arabic uses aal or bayt in the dynastic sense (as in modern Arabic political families). The metonymy is natural — those who share a roof share a bloodline — but it has become a fully lexicalized sense in biblical usage. 15×
amh["ቤት-","እና-ቤት"]·AR["بيت-","بَيت","بَيتَ","بَيْتَ","بَيْتُ","و-بيت","يا-بَيتَ","يَا-بَيتَ","يَا-بَيْتَ"]·ben["এবং-বংশ","গৃহ","গৃহের","তিনি-আশীর্বাদ-করবেন","বংশ-","বাড়ি","হারোণের-বংশ","হে-গৃহ"]·ces["a-dům","dům"]·dan["huset-","og-huset"]·DE["Haus","Haus-von","das-Haus","der-Haus-von","house-of","und-das-Haus"]·ell["και-οίκος","οίκος-"]·EN["House-of","The-house-of","and-house-of","house-of","house-of-","the-house-of"]·FR["et-maison","maison","maison-de-"]·guj["અને-ઘર","ઘર-"]·hat["e-kay","kay"]·hau["gidan"]·heb["בית","בית-","ובית"]·HI["और-घराना","घर","घराना","घराना-","घराने","हे-घर"]·hun["háza","és-háza"]·ID["Hai-kaum","Rumah","dan-kaum","kaum","kaum-","keluarga"]·IT["casa","e-la-casa","la-casa"]·jav["Dalem","Griya","Kulawarga","griya","griya-","griya-saking","kulawarga","lan-griya"]·JA["そして家-が","家-が"]·KO["그리고-집이","의-집이여","집-아","집-에는","집-은","집-을","집-이","집-이여","집아","집을","집이"]·mar["आणि-घराने-","घराने-"]·mya["-အိမ်-","နှင့်-အိမ်"]·nld["en-huis-van","huis-van"]·nor["hus-","og-hus"]·pnb["تے-گھرانا","گھرانا-"]·pol["a-dom","dom-","i-dom"]·PT["Casa","Casa-de","Casa-de-","a-casa","a-casa-de","casa","e-a-casa-de"]·ron["casa-","și-casa"]·RU["Дом","Дом-","дом","дом-","и-дом"]·ES["Casa-de","La-casa-de","casa-de-","la-casa-de","y-casa-de"]·SW["Nyumba-ya","na-nyumba-ya","nyumba","nyumba-ya"]·swe["hus","och-hus"]·tam["-மற்றும்-வீடு","வீடு-"]·tel["ఇల్లు-","మరియు-ఇల్లు"]·tgl["at-bahay-ni","bahay-ni"]·TH["วงศ์วาน-ของ","และ-วงศ์วาน-ของ"]·TR["Evi","Evi-","evi","evi-","evini","ve-evi"]·ukr["-а-дім","-і-дім","дім"]·urd["اور-گھرانہ","گھر","گھرانا","گھرانو","گھرانہ","گھرانے"]·VI["nhà-","và-nhà"]·yor["ilé-","àti-ilé"]·yue["同埋屋","屋"]·ZH["-家","家-"]
4. sense 4 — A single occurrence at Neh 2:8 where bayit refers specifically to the temple or a royal/administrative building in a context of official construction permits. Nehemiah requests timber for 'the gate of the citadel which is by the house' — the word is rendered as 'temple' in English and del templo in Spanish, while French preserves the generic maison. This may represent a specialized institutional use of bayit for sacred or state buildings, though it remains within the orbit of sense 1 and the small attestation count suggests it is a contextual specialization rather than a fully independent sense. 1×
AR["لِـ-الْبَيْتِ"]·ben["-গৃহের"]·DE["zum-Haus"]·EN["to-the-temple"]·FR["à-la-maison"]·heb["ל-ה-בית"]·HI["मंदिर-का"]·ID["untuk-Bait"]·IT["alla-casa"]·jav["kangge-Padaleman"]·KO["에게-그-집"]·PT["para-a-casa"]·RU["при-доме"]·ES["del-templo"]·SW["ya-nyumba"]·TR["eve"]·urd["کے-لیے-گھر"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
בַּ֫יִת2034 n.m. Dt 8:12 house (Ph. בת, MI. בת, sf. ביתה, Arabic بَيْتٌ, Aramaic בַּיְתָא, ܒܰܝܬܳܐ, Assyrian bîtu, COTGloss., Sab. בית, בת, fortress DHMZMG 1883, 387; temple Hal257 DHMZMG 1876, 697, Ethiopic ቤት: Palm. in בת עלמא, בת מקברתא sepulchre Vog32, 64 al.; etym. dub.; Thes √ בות, Aramaic בּוּת, ܒܳܬ spend the night, Arabic بَاتَ, Ethiopic ቤተ: but this perhaps denom., & בית from √ ל״י c. ת…