1087. baleh
Lexical Summary
baleh: To wear out, to decay, to waste away

Original Word: בָּלֶה
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: baleh
Pronunciation: bah-leh
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-leh')
KJV: old
NASB: worn-out, worn
Word Origin: [from H1086 (בָּלָה - wear)]

1. worn out

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
old

From balah; worn out -- old.

see HEBREW balah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from balah
Definition
worn-out
NASB Translation
worn (1), worn-out (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[בָּלֶה] adjective worn out; feminine בָּלָה Ezekiel 23:43 (of a woman, compare Genesis 18:12 above); plural בָּלִים Joshua 9:4 (sacks), Joshua 9:4 (wine-skins), בָּלוֺת Joshua 9:5 (sandals), Joshua 9:5 (garments).

Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Immediate Context

Joshua 9:4-5 (twice in each verse) presents בָּלֶה describing the “worn-out” luggage, wineskins, sandals, and clothing the Gibeonites chose to stage their ruse. Ezekiel 23:43 applies the same term figuratively to a woman “worn out by adultery,” portraying Jerusalem’s moral decay. The word therefore spans both literal decay of objects and the spiritual exhaustion produced by sin.

Narrative Significance in Joshua

The Gibeonite deception (Joshua 9) stands as a cautionary episode in Israel’s early conquest. By exhibiting items “worn-out” (בָּלֶה), the envoys convinced Israel that they had traveled from a distant land, securing a treaty that Israel had been expressly warned against making with local inhabitants (Deuteronomy 7:1-3). The term intensifies the contrast between appearance and reality:

• Visual Persuasion. The “worn-out sacks” and “old wineskins, cracked and mended” (Joshua 9:4) projected hardship and distance.
• Spiritual Oversight. Israel “did not inquire of the LORD” (Joshua 9:14), demonstrating how trust in visible evidence apart from divine counsel can mislead a community of faith.
• Covenant Implications. Once sworn, the oath could not be revoked (Joshua 9:19-20). The persistence of that covenant highlights God’s expectation of integrity even when agreements are formed under false pretenses (cf. Psalm 15:4).

Prophetic Imagery in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 23:43 exposes Jerusalem’s spiritual adultery: “Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them carry on their prostitution with her, for that is all she is!’”. Here בָּלֶה depicts:

• Moral Exhaustion. Sin is shown to erode vitality; the city is pictured as spent, having squandered covenant blessings.
• Inevitable Consequence. The metaphor underscores that rebellion against God eventually leaves a people empty and unprotected, ripe for judgement (Ezekiel 23:46-49).
• Divine Perspective. What may appear merely tired or dated from a human angle is, in prophetic vision, evidence of long-term unfaithfulness.

Theological Themes

1. Frailty of External Appearances

Objects fade, and deceptive facades crumble. Disciples must therefore “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

2. Erosion Caused by Sin

Like fabric that frays over time, habitual disobedience progressively weakens spiritual resolve (Hebrews 3:13).

3. Need for Renewal

God offers garments that do not wear out: “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). The antithesis of בָּלֶה is the “new self, created to be like God” (Ephesians 4:24).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Discernment. Leaders must evaluate circumstances prayerfully rather than relying solely on what looks credible.
• Integrity in Covenant-Making. Even ill-advised agreements should be honored; repentance and wiser future practice replace rash annulment.
• Pastoral Care for Burnout. Ezekiel’s imagery reminds shepherds to address spiritual fatigue compassionately, calling the weary to renewal through the gospel.

Christological Connections

Jesus taught that “no one pours new wine into old wineskins” (Matthew 9:17), echoing the imagery of worn containers in Joshua 9. New life in Christ cannot be contained by the deteriorating forms of self-righteousness. In Him, the believer receives “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade” (1 Peter 1:4).

Summary

בָּלֶה signals more than physical deterioration; it mirrors the deceptive potential of appearances and the corrosive effect of sin. Whether highlighting Gibeonite trickery or Jerusalem’s prostitution, Scripture employs the term to urge God’s people toward discernment, covenant fidelity, and the renewing grace found in the Lord.

Forms and Transliterations
בָּל֖וֹת בָּל֤וֹת בָּלִ֔ים בָּלִים֙ בלות בלים לַבָּלָ֖ה לבלה bā·lîm bā·lō·wṯ baLim bālîm baLot bālōwṯ lab·bā·lāh labbaLah labbālāh
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Joshua 9:4
HEB: וַיִּקְח֞וּ שַׂקִּ֤ים בָּלִים֙ לַחֲמ֣וֹרֵיהֶ֔ם וְנֹאד֥וֹת
NAS: and took worn-out sacks
KJV: and took old sacks
INT: and took sacks worn-out their donkeys and wineskins

Joshua 9:4
HEB: וְנֹאד֥וֹת יַ֙יִן֙ בָּלִ֔ים וּמְבֻקָּעִ֖ים וּמְצֹרָרִֽים׃
NAS: and wineskins worn-out and torn
KJV: bottles, old, and rent,
INT: and wineskins and wine worn-out and torn and mended

Joshua 9:5
HEB: וּנְעָל֨וֹת בָּל֤וֹת וּמְטֻלָּאוֹת֙ בְּרַגְלֵיהֶ֔ם
NAS: and worn-out and patched sandals
KJV: And old shoes and clouted
INT: sandals and worn-out and patched their feet

Joshua 9:5
HEB: בְּרַגְלֵיהֶ֔ם וּשְׂלָמ֥וֹת בָּל֖וֹת עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם וְכֹל֙
NAS: on their feet, and worn-out clothes
KJV: upon their feet, and old garments
INT: their feet clothes and worn-out on and all

Ezekiel 23:43
HEB: וָאֹמַ֕ר לַבָּלָ֖ה נִֽאוּפִ֑ים [עַתָּ
NAS: Then I said concerning her who was worn out by adulteries,
KJV: Then said I unto [her that was] old in adulteries,
INT: said was worn adulteries commit fornication

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1087
5 Occurrences


bā·lîm — 2 Occ.
bā·lō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
lab·bā·lāh — 1 Occ.

1086
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