H1057 H1057
Balsam tree; a tree (possibly weeping or dripping with resin) in whose groves God directed Israel's military strategy.
Refers to a specific species of tree, likely a balsam or mulberry, identified by its resinous dripping sap. The name may derive from a root meaning 'to weep' or 'to drip,' connecting it to the Arabic for a low-yield camel. In 2 Samuel 5:23-24 and 1 Chronicles 14:14-15, God instructs David to circle behind the Philistines through the balsam grove and wait for the sound of marching in the treetops as a divine signal to attack. Psalm 84:7 speaks of passing through the 'Valley of Baca,' a poetic image of turning a dry, weeping place into a spring of blessing.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A balsam or mulberry tree, known for dripping resin, appearing only in the plural (בְּכָאִים). In 2 Samuel 5:23-24 and 1 Chronicles 14:14-15, God tells David to use a grove of these trees as tactical cover, with the rustling of their tops serving as the signal to advance. Spanish 'los-bálsamos' and English 'balsam-trees' both preserve the botanical identification. The singular form appears in Psalm 84:7's evocative 'Valley of Baca,' likely a parched place named for these weeping trees. 4×
AR["الْبَكَاءِيمَ", "الْبُكَاءِ"]·ben["বাকাগাছের", "মাথা-এর", "সম্মুখ-থেকে"]·DE["[הבכאים]", "der-balsam-Baeume"]·EN["the-balsam-trees"]·FR["[הבכאים]", "le-balsam-arbres"]·heb["בכאים", "ה-בכאים"]·HI["बकाओं", "बकाओं-की", "बालसाम-पेड़ों-के"]·ID["pohon-pohon-baka"]·IT["[הבכאים]", "il-balsam-alberi"]·jav["wit-baka"]·KO["그-뛄번나무들의", "그-뮤뱳나무들", "뛄번나무들"]·PT["balsemeiros", "os-balsemeiros"]·RU["тутовых-деревьев"]·ES["los-bálsamos"]·SW["miti-ya-balsamu", "miti-ya-mibalsamini"]·TR["bekaim-ağaçlarının", "dut-ağaçları", "dut-ağaçlarının"]·urd["بلسان-کے", "بلسان-کے۔", "توت-کے-درختوں-کے"]
Related Senses
H3754 1. vineyard, cultivated grape plot (92×)H0730 1. cedar tree or wood (73×)H1612 1. vine, grapevine (55×)H3293a 1. forest, wood, thicket (55×)H5560 1. fine flour (53×)H5193 1. plant vegetation (48×)H2232 1. sow seed, plant crops (41×)H1715 1. grain, cereal crop (40×)H7114b 1. reap, harvest grain (36×)H2132 1. olive tree (34×)H8184 1. barley (34×)H2406 1. wheat (grain crop) (30×)H7070 1. reed, cane (plant) (30×)H7848 1. acacia (28×)H8328 1. root of a plant (28×)H8384 1. fig tree (25×)H5488 1. reeds, rushes (in 'Sea of Reeds') (24×)G0290 1. a vineyard (23×)G2325 1. reap, harvest a crop (21×)G4687 1. sow seed, plant (21×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בָּכָא n.[m.] balsam-tree (v. Arabic بَكْأٌ DozyZMG 1869, 188 but LöwNo. 47; according to TA like جرجير, an eruca, cf. Lane s.v.; perhaps cf. بَكَأَ give little milk, of camel, i.e. drop, drip); pl. בְּכָאִים 2 S 5:23, 24 = 1 Ch 14:14, 15; sg. in עֵמֶק הַבָּכָא ψ 84:7 balsam-vale, cf. De Che.