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H1166 H1166
V-Qal-QalPassPrtcpl-fs  |  16× in 2 senses
To marry, take as wife; also to be master or lord over, exercising authority or ownership — the two senses sharing the root idea of possession.
Few Hebrew roots reveal cultural assumptions as starkly as בָּעַל. Its primary meaning is 'to marry' or 'to be husband to,' but it simultaneously carries 'to be master of, to rule over,' because in the ancient Near Eastern conceptual world, the husband was the 'owner' (בַּעַל) of the household. Isaiah plays on both senses brilliantly: 'your Maker is your husband' (Isa 54:5), where God is simultaneously spouse and sovereign. Jeremiah's God says, 'I was a husband to them' (Jer 31:32) — or perhaps 'I was master over them' — and the ambiguity is likely deliberate. The multilingual evidence is revealing: Spanish splits between 'desposada' (betrothed) and 'señor' (lord), while French sometimes merges both into 'épouser.'

Senses
1. marry, be husband to To marry or be husband to — entering into or maintaining a marital relationship. The Qal active describes the act of taking a wife (Gen 20:3; Deut 21:13; 22:22; 24:1), while the Qal passive participle בְּעוּלָה means 'married woman' (Isa 54:1; 62:4). Isaiah 62:5 uses the verb twice in parallel: 'as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you.' Spanish 'casada' and 'desposada' distinguish the state from the act, while German 'heiraten' and 'ist verheiratet' make the same distinction. The Proverbs passage (30:23) lists a maidservant who 'displaces her mistress' when she is married — using this root to mark the social transformation. 11×
GROUPS_COMMUNITY Association Marriage and Mastery
AR["تُتَزَوَّجُ", "ذَاتِ-الزَّوْجِ", "مَمْلُوكَةِ-", "مُتَزَوِّجَةٌ", "مُتَزَوِّجَةُ", "وَتَتَزَوَّجُهَا", "وَتَزَوَّجَ", "وَيَتَزَوَّجُهَا", "يَتَزَوَّجُ", "يَتَزَوَّجُكِ"]·ben["এবং-তুমি-স্বামী-হবে-তার", "এবং-বিয়ে-করে-তাকে", "এবং-বিয়ে-করেছে", "বিবাহ-করবে-তোমাকে", "বিবাহ-করে", "বিবাহিতা", "বিবাহিতা-", "বিবাহিতা-হবে", "বিবাহিতার", "সে-বিয়ে-হয়", "স্বামীর-"]·DE["[תבעל]", "heiraten", "ist-verheiratet", "married-zu-", "und-Baal", "und-du-soll-marry-ihr", "und-marries-ihr"]·EN["Married", "and-has-married", "and-marries-her", "and-you-shall-marry-her", "married-of", "married-one", "married-to-", "shall-be-married", "shall-marry", "shall-marry-you", "she-is-married"]·FR["et-dans-sur", "et-marries-sa", "et-tu-devra-marry-sa", "married-de", "married-à-", "épouser", "תבעל"]·heb["בעולה", "בעולת-", "בעלת", "ו-בעל", "ו-בעלה", "ו-בעלתה", "יבעל", "יבעלוך", "תיבעל"]·HI["और-विवाह-किया", "और-स्वामी-होगा-उसका", "पतनिवत", "ब्याही-जाती", "विवाह-करता-है", "विवाह-करेंगे-तुझसे", "विवाहित", "विवाहित-", "विवाहित-होगी", "विवाहिताके"]·ID["Bersuami", "akan-dinikahi", "akan-menikahimu", "dan-mengawini", "dan-menikahi-nya", "dan-menjadi-suaminya", "dimiliki-oleh", "ia-menikah", "menikahi", "perempuan-yang-bersuami", "yang-dimiliki-oleh-"]·IT["e-in-su", "e-marries-lei", "e-tu-dovra-marry-lei", "ella-è-married", "married-a-", "married-di", "sposare"]·jav["Dipunlaki", "badhe-dipunlaki", "badhe-nlaki-panjenengan", "dipunkrèni", "ingkang-dipunbojo-", "kagungan", "lan-dados-garwanipun", "lan-kawin-kaliyan-piyambakipun", "lan-krama", "nlaki", "tiyang-ingkang-gadhah-garwa"]·KO["결혼한-", "결혼한-자라고", "결혼할-것이다", "그녀가-결혼할", "그리고-소유하리라-그녀를", "그리고-소유하면-그녀를", "그리고-장가들었다", "시집간-여인의", "아내-인", "취하듯", "취할-것이다-너를"]·PT["casada", "casada-de-", "desposada", "desposará", "e-a-possuir", "e-a-possuirás", "e-desposou", "possuída-de", "se-casa", "será-desposada", "te-desposarão"]·RU["будет-замужем", "выходит-замуж", "женится", "женятся-на-тебе", "замужней", "замужней-за-", "замужняя", "и-женился", "и-овладеет-ею", "и-станешь-мужем-её"]·ES["Desposada", "casada-con-", "la-casada", "poseída-de", "se-casa", "se-desposa", "se-desposarán-contigo", "será-desposada", "y-desposó", "y-la-posea", "y-la-poseerás"]·SW["Aliyeolewa", "aliye-na-mume", "aliyeolewa-na", "ameolewa", "ataoa", "itaolewa", "mume", "na-akamwoa", "na-ameoa", "na-utakuwa-bwana-wake", "watakuoa"]·TR["evlenecek", "evlenecekler-seni", "evlenir", "evlenmiş-", "evli", "evli-olanin", "evlisi", "ve-aldı", "ve-koca-olacaksın-ona", "ve-koca-olursa-ona"]·urd["اور-اُس-کو-بیوی-بنائے", "اور-بیاہ-کیا", "اور-وہ-اُس-کا-شوہر-ہو", "بیاہ-ہو", "بیاہتا-ہے", "بیاہی-جائے-گی", "بیاہی-ہوئی", "بیاہیں-گے-تجھے", "شادی-شدہ", "شادی-شدہ-", "شوہر-والی-کے"]
2. be master of, rule over To be master of, lord over, or rule — exercising authority, dominion, or ownership. This sense appears in contexts where the marital metaphor fades and raw authority remains: 'other lords besides you have ruled over us' (Isa 26:13), and the disputed passages in Jeremiah where God says 'I was master over them' (Jer 3:14; 31:32). First Chronicles 4:22 records men who 'ruled over' Moab. The cognate noun בַּעַל (owner, lord, Baal) shows how deeply the concept of mastery pervades this root. Spanish 'señor' and the French rendering 'dans sur toi' (over you) both emphasize the power dynamic.
GROUPS_COMMUNITY Association Marriage and Mastery
AR["بَعْلَكِ", "تَسَلَّطوا", "سَادَنَا", "سَيِّدُكُمْ", "كُنْتُ-رَبًّا"]·ben["কর্তৃত্ব-করল", "কর্তৃত্ব-করেছে-আমাদের-উপরে", "তোমার-স্বামী", "মালিক-হয়েছি", "স্বামী-ছিলাম-আমি"]·DE["[בעלו]", "heiraten", "in-ueber-dich"]·EN["am-your-master", "have-ruled-over-us", "ruled", "was-husband", "your-Husband"]·FR["[בעלו]", "dans-sur-toi", "épouser"]·heb["בועליך", "בעלו", "בעלונו", "בעלתי"]·HI["तेरा-पति", "शासन-किया", "शासन-किया-हमपर", "स्वामी-था", "स्वामी-हूं"]·ID["Suamimu", "adalah-tuanmu", "menguasai-", "menguasai-kami", "menjadi-tuan"]·IT["[בעלו]", "in-su-di-te", "sposare"]·jav["dados-Gusti", "dados-gusti-nipun", "garwanipun", "nguwasani", "sampun-nguwasani-kita"]·KO["너희를-남편으로-취했다", "네-남편이", "다스렸다", "다스렸으니", "주인이었다"]·PT["dominaram", "dominaram-nos", "fui-senhor", "sou-senhor-de", "teu-marido"]·RU["был-владыкой", "владели", "владели-нами", "стал-господином", "супруг-твой"]·ES["fui-señor", "gobernaron", "me-desposé", "nos-han-dominado", "tu-esposo"]·SW["Mwenzi-wako", "ni-bwana-wenu", "nilikuwa-bwana-wao", "walitawala", "wametutawala"]·TR["efendilik-ettiler-bize", "efendin", "efendiydim", "hükmettiler", "koca-idim"]·urd["تیرا-خاوند", "حاکم-رہے-ہم-پر", "حکومت-کی", "مالک-تھا", "مالک-ہوں"]

Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)

BDB / Lexicon Reference
בָּעַל vb. marry, rule over (cf. Arabic بَعَلَ = own, possess, especially a wife or concubine; Ethiopic ብዕለ to be rich, Assyrian bâlu, rule COTGloss., Aramaic בְּעַל take possession of wife or concubine)— Qal Pf. Mal 2:11 + 6 times Impf. יִבְעַל Is 62:5(×2); Pt. sf. בֹּעֲלַיִךְ Is 54:5; pass. f. בְּעוּלָה Is 54:1 + 3 times;— 1. marry Gn 20:3 (E) Dt 21:13; 22:22; 24:1 Is 54:1, 5; 62:4, 5(×2) Mal