990. beten
Lexical Summary
beten: Belly, womb, body, innermost part

Original Word: בֶּטֶן
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: beten
Pronunciation: BEH-ten
Phonetic Spelling: (beh'-ten)
KJV: belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb
NASB: womb, body, belly, birth, abdomen, stomach, within
Word Origin: [from an unused root probably meaning to be hollow]

1. the belly, especially the womb
2. also the bosom or body of anything

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
belly, body, as they be born, within, womb

From an unused root probably meaning to be hollow; the belly, especially the womb; also the bosom or body of anything -- belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
belly, body, womb
NASB Translation
abdomen (3), being (1), belly (8), birth (4), body (11), brothers* (1), depth (1), himself (1), infancy* (1), inward parts (1), mind (1), parts (1), pregnancy (1), rounded projection (1), stomach (3), within (3), womb (32).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. בֶ֫טֶן noun feminineNumbers 5:25 belly, body, womb (Arabic ) — ׳בּ absolute Judges 13:7 +; בָּ֑טֶן Judges 13:5 +; construct בֶּטֶן Psalm 139:13 +; suffix בִּטְנִי Job 3:10 +; בִּטְנְךָ Deuteronomy 7:13 +; בִּטְנֵךְ Genesis 25:23; בִּטְנוֺ Job 15:2 +, etc.; —

1. a. belly, abdomen, of man Judges 3:21,22 of woman Numbers 5:21,22,27; as beautiful in form Cant 7:3; as seat of hunger Proverbs 13:25; as eating Ezekiel 3:3 ("" מֵעִים); compare Proverbs 18:20 (figurative); as seat of passion, avarice, etc. Job 20:20,23; in figure of God's casting riches out of extortioner's belly Job 20:15 ("" וַיְקִאֶנּוּ), compare also Psalm 17:14; figurative of innermost part of man = inmost soul Proverbs 18:8 = Proverbs 26:22; Proverbs 20:27,30 (all ׳חַדְרֵי ב); as seat of intell. faculties (= English breast or bosom) Proverbs 22:18 (compare מֵעִים Psalm 40:9) Job 15:2; Job 15:35; Job 32:18, רוּחַ בִּטְנִי Job 15:19; as trembling at theophany Habakkuk 3:16.

b. belly of hippopotamus Job 40:16.

c. בֶּטֶן שְׁאוֺל Jonah 2:3 (Jonah's prayer: "" מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַכ יַמִּים).

2 body, opposed to soul Psalm 31:10 (opposed to נֶפֶשׁ), also Psalm 44:26 (opposed to id.; — on this compare ZimBp 71).

3 womb Genesis 25:23,24; Genesis 38:27 (all J) Hosea 12:4; Job 10:19 ("" רֶחֶם Job 10:18) Ecclesiastes 11:5; Job 31:15 הֲלֹא בַבֶּטֶן עשֵֹׁנִי עָשָׂ֑הוּ did not he that made me in the womb make him ("" וַיְכֻנֶנּוּ בָּרֶחֶם אֶחָד); compare Psalm 139:13 תְּסֻכֵּנִי בְּבֶטֶן, & Jeremiah 1:5; especially ׳מְּרִי ב i.e. offspring Genesis 30:2 (E) Psalm 127:3; Isaiah 13:18; Proverbs 31:2 בַּר בִּטְנִי = my son ("" בְּרִי) compare בֶּןבִּֿטְנָהּ Isaiah 49:15; of birth יָצָא מִבֶּטֶן Job 1:21; Job 3:11; Ecclesiastes 5:14; בֶּטֶן alone = birth Hosea 9:11 ("" לֵדָה, הֵרָיוֺן), compare Figurative מִבֶּטֶן מִי יָצָא הַקָּ֑רַח Job 38:29 out of whose womb came the ice ? compare לֹא סָגַר דַּלְתֵי בִּטְנִי Job 3:10 i.e. of my (mother's) womb; גָּחָה מִבֶּטֶן take, draw out of the womb, subject ׳י (i.e. cause to be born) Psalm 22:10; מְּרִי בֶטֶןused also of father Micah 6:7, compare Psalm 132:11 (David as ancestor of Messianic King); Job 19:17 בְּנֵי בִטְנִי sons of my body, of doubtful interpretation, perhaps = sons of my (mother's) womb, compare Job 3:10 (Ges De), i.e. my brother or men of my clan RSK 33 f., others my sons (Ew), my grandsons (Di); also in addressing Israel As a whole (masculine suffix) Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 28:4,11,18,53; Deuteronomy 30:9, compare מַחֲמַדֵּי בִטְנָם Hosea 9:16 beloved ones of their womb; (מִבֶּטֶן) מִןהַֿבֶּטֶן = from birth Judges 13:5,7; Psalm 58:4; Psalm 71:6, compare also Isaiah 44:2,24; Isaiah 46:3 ("" רָחַ֑ם) Isaiah 48:8; Isaiah 49:1,5; מִבֶּטֶן נִמִּי id. Judges 16:17; Job 31:18; Psalm 22:11 ("" רֶחֶם).

4 architectural word of some rounded projection connected with the two pillars Jachin & Boaz 1 Kings 7:20 (Klo reads הבית).

Topical Lexicon
בֶּטֶן (beten)

General Usage in Scripture

The noun appears about seventy-two times in the Tanakh and swings on a spectrum that reaches from the literal stomach to the unseen depths of a person’s spirit. Context determines whether it is rendered “belly,” “womb,” “body,” or “innermost being.” Even when concrete, it frequently carries theological freight, reminding the reader that physical processes are never isolated from the Creator’s sovereign involvement.

The Physical Belly and Appetite

In many narrative and legal passages בֶּטֶן describes the torso or stomach (for example, Judges 3:21; 2 Samuel 2:23). It can be the target of violence, the place where a sword is thrust, or simply the part of the body that receives food. In Deuteronomy 28:53 the belly becomes the site of cursed hunger when covenant obedience is abandoned. The word therefore often underscores human vulnerability and dependence on the LORD for provision.

The Maternal Womb and the Mystery of Life

Nearly half the occurrences denote the womb, celebrating God as the One who “opens” and “closes” it (Genesis 30:22) and who alone crafts life within it. In every age of Israel’s history בֶּטֶן is the locus of divine creativity:
• “The LORD shut up her womb” (Genesis 20:18).
• “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).
• “From my mother’s womb You have been my God” (Psalm 22:10).

Such texts undergird the biblical sanctity of life ethic, grounding human dignity not in utility but in God’s intimate involvement from conception onward.

The Innermost Being as Spiritual Core

Poets and prophets often move from physiology to spirituality, allowing בֶּטֶן to denote the hidden center of one’s life. Job cries, “Do you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews; You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit” (Job 10:10-12). Here the womb imagery becomes a confession of covenant care. In Proverbs 20:27 the “spirit of man” searches all the “inward parts of the belly,” pointing to conscience and moral self-awareness.

Poetic and Prophetic Imagery

When Habakkuk hears the report of impending judgment he laments, “My inward parts trembled; my lips quivered” (Habakkuk 3:16). The shaking בֶּטֶן signals visceral dread under divine holiness. Conversely, in Proverbs 18:8 gossip “goes down into the inmost parts of the belly,” showing how words penetrate and shape the hidden man. This dual usage—either fear of judgment or savoring of sin—reveals the heart’s susceptibility.

Theology of Creation and Sanctity of Life

Because בֶּטֶן spans conception, gestation, and birth, Scripture consistently links God’s covenant promises to the state of the womb. Multiplication in Genesis, fertility blessings in Deuteronomy 7:13, and messianic lines preserved through barren women (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah) all underline divine initiative. Life in the womb is never portrayed as impersonal tissue; it is known, called, and woven by YHWH.

Wisdom Literature and Moral Instruction

Proverbs employs בֶּטֶן to teach restraint regarding appetite (Proverbs 13:25) and to expose the destructive reach of folly. Ecclesiastes 11:5 reminds the reader of divine mystery: “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” The word thus becomes a literary device for humility before the inscrutable Creator.

Worship, Prayer, and Intimacy with God

Psalms is replete with womb language. David rejoices, “For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). The womb is not only a biological vessel but also a sanctuary where covenant relationship begins. Psalm 71:6: “From birth I have relied on You; You brought me forth from my mother’s womb; my praise is continually of You.” Worship arises from recognition that life itself starts in grace.

Christological and Eschatological Connections

Though בֶּטֶן appears only in the Hebrew Scriptures, its theology spills into the New Testament concept of being “born again” (John 3:3-6) and “rivers of living water” flowing “from within” the believer (John 7:38), where the Greek koilia functions much like בֶּטֶן. The incarnation also resonates: the virgin womb of Mary (Luke 1:31) reprises Old Testament themes of miraculous conception and divine initiative.

Practical Ministry Reflections

• Pro-Life Advocacy: Passages such as Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5 encourage protection of the unborn.
• Pastoral Care: The metaphor of God’s nurture from the womb offers comfort to those facing infertility, miscarriage, or grief.
• Spiritual Formation: Believers are called to cultivate their “inner man” (Ephesians 3:16) so that the hidden בֶּטֶן aligns with the Spirit’s life-giving power.
• Stewardship of Appetite: Warnings against gluttony and unbridled desire remind Christians to submit bodily appetites to Christ’s lordship.

Representative List of Key References

Genesis 25:23; 30:22

Exodus 13:12

Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:4

1 Samuel 1:5

2 Samuel 2:23

Job 1:21; 10:11-12; 15:2

Psalm 22:10; 71:6; 139:13

Proverbs 18:8; 20:27

Ecclesiastes 11:5

Isaiah 44:2; 49:1

Jeremiah 1:5

Habakkuk 3:16

From literal stomach to the unfathomable depths of the soul, בֶּטֶן gathers a theology of dependence, intimacy, and life ordained by God from the very beginning.

Forms and Transliterations
בְּבִטְנ֑וֹ בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ בְּבִטְנֶ֑ךָ בְּבִטְנָֽהּ׃ בְּבִטְנֽוֹ׃ בְּבֶ֣טֶן בִ֫טְנָ֥ם בִּטְנ֑וֹ בִּטְנְךָ֤ בִּטְנִ֑י בִּטְנִ֗י בִּטְנִֽי׃ בִּטְנֵ֖ךְ בִּטְנֵֽנוּ׃ בִּטְנֵךְ֙ בִּטְנָ֑הּ בִּטְנֽוֹ׃ בִטְנ֗וֹ בִטְנְךָ֑ בִטְנְךָ֖ בִטְנְךָ֗ בִטְנְךָ֛ בִטְנְךָ֜ בִטְנְךָ֣ בִטְנִ֑י בִטְנִ֖י בִטְנִ֗י בִטְנִֽי׃ בִטְנָ֔הּ בִטְנָֽם׃ בִטְנֽוֹ׃ בֶ֔טֶן בֶ֙טֶן֙ בֶּ֖טֶן בַ֭בֶּטֶן בַּבֶּ֖טֶן בַבֶּ֙טֶן֙ בָֽטֶן׃ בבטן בבטנה׃ בבטנו בבטנו׃ בבטנך בטן בטן׃ בטנה בטנו בטנו׃ בטני בטני׃ בטנך בטנם בטנם׃ בטננו׃ הַבֶּ֔טֶן הַבֶּ֖טֶן הַבָּ֑טֶן הַבָּֽטֶן׃ הבטן הבטן׃ וּ֝בִטְנָ֗ם וּבִטְנִֽי׃ וּבֶ֖טֶן וּמִבֶּ֖טֶן ובטן ובטני׃ ובטנם ומבטן מִ֝בִּטְנ֗וֹ מִ֝בֶּ֗טֶן מִבִּטְנ֑וֹ מִבֶּ֖טֶן מִבֶּ֗טֶן מִבֶּ֙טֶן֙ מִבֶּ֣טֶן מִבֶּ֥טֶן מִבֶּ֧טֶן מִבָּ֑טֶן מבטן מבטנו ḇā·ṭen bab·be·ṭen ḇab·be·ṭen babBeten babbeṭen ḇabbeṭen ḇāṭen bə·ḇe·ṭen bə·ḇiṭ·nāh bə·ḇiṭ·ne·ḵā bə·ḇiṭ·nêḵ bə·ḇiṭ·nōw be·ṭen ḇe·ṭen bəḇeṭen bəḇiṭnāh bəḇiṭnêḵ bəḇiṭneḵā bəḇiṭnōw Beten beṭen ḇeṭen beVeten bevitNah bevitNech bevitNecha bevitNo biṭ·nāh ḇiṭ·nāh ḇiṭ·nām biṭ·nə·ḵā ḇiṭ·nə·ḵā biṭ·nê·nū biṭ·nêḵ biṭ·nî ḇiṭ·nî biṭ·nōw ḇiṭ·nōw bitNah biṭnāh ḇiṭnāh ḇiṭnām bitNech bitneCha biṭnêḵ biṭnəḵā ḇiṭnəḵā bitNenu biṭnênū bitNi biṭnî ḇiṭnî bitNo biṭnōw ḇiṭnōw hab·bā·ṭen hab·be·ṭen habBaten habbāṭen habBeten habbeṭen mib·bā·ṭen mib·be·ṭen mib·biṭ·nōw mibBaten mibbāṭen mibBeten mibbeṭen mibbitNo mibbiṭnōw ū·ḇe·ṭen ū·ḇiṭ·nām ū·ḇiṭ·nî ū·mib·be·ṭen ūḇeṭen ūḇiṭnām ūḇiṭnî umibBeten ūmibbeṭen uVeten uvitNam uvitNi Vabbeten Vaten veten vitNah vitNam vitneCha vitNi vitNo
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 25:23
HEB: (גֹויִם֙ ק) בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים
NAS: nations are in your womb; And two
KJV: nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner
INT: to her Two Gentile your womb and two peoples

Genesis 25:24
HEB: וְהִנֵּ֥ה תוֹמִ֖ם בְּבִטְנָֽהּ׃
NAS: behold, there were twins in her womb.
KJV: behold, [there were] twins in her womb.
INT: behold twins her womb

Genesis 30:2
HEB: מִמֵּ֖ךְ פְּרִי־ בָֽטֶן׃
NAS: from you the fruit of the womb?
KJV: from thee the fruit of the womb?
INT: at the fruit belly

Genesis 38:27
HEB: וְהִנֵּ֥ה תְאוֹמִ֖ים בְּבִטְנָֽהּ׃
NAS: there were twins in her womb.
KJV: that, behold, twins [were] in her womb.
INT: behold twins her womb

Numbers 5:21
HEB: נֹפֶ֔לֶת וְאֶת־ בִּטְנֵ֖ךְ צָבָֽה׃
NAS: waste away and your abdomen swell;
KJV: to rot, and thy belly to swell;
INT: your thigh waste and your abdomen fight swell

Numbers 5:22
HEB: בְּֽמֵעַ֔יִךְ לַצְבּ֥וֹת בֶּ֖טֶן וְלַנְפִּ֣ל יָרֵ֑ךְ
NAS: into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell
KJV: into thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to swell,
INT: your stomach swell your abdomen waste and your thigh

Numbers 5:27
HEB: לְמָרִ֔ים וְצָבְתָ֣ה בִטְנָ֔הּ וְנָפְלָ֖ה יְרֵכָ֑הּ
NAS: into her and [cause] bitterness, and her abdomen will swell
KJV: into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly shall swell,
INT: her and bitterness will swell abdomen will waste thigh

Deuteronomy 7:13
HEB: וּבֵרַ֣ךְ פְּרִֽי־ בִטְנְךָ֣ וּפְרִֽי־ אַ֠דְמָתֶךָ
NAS: the fruit of your womb and the fruit
KJV: the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit
INT: bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground

Deuteronomy 28:4
HEB: בָּר֧וּךְ פְּרִֽי־ בִטְנְךָ֛ וּפְרִ֥י אַדְמָתְךָ֖
NAS: [shall be] the offspring of your body and the produce
KJV: [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit
INT: Blessed the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground

Deuteronomy 28:11
HEB: לְטוֹבָ֔ה בִּפְרִ֧י בִטְנְךָ֛ וּבִפְרִ֥י בְהַמְתְּךָ֖
NAS: in the offspring of your body and in the offspring
KJV: in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit
INT: goods the offspring of your body the offspring of your beast

Deuteronomy 28:18
HEB: אָר֥וּר פְּרִֽי־ בִטְנְךָ֖ וּפְרִ֣י אַדְמָתֶ֑ךָ
NAS: [shall be] the offspring of your body and the produce
KJV: [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit
INT: Cursed the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground

Deuteronomy 28:53
HEB: וְאָכַלְתָּ֣ פְרִֽי־ בִטְנְךָ֗ בְּשַׂ֤ר בָּנֶ֙יךָ֙
NAS: the offspring of your own body, the flesh
KJV: the fruit of thine own body, the flesh
INT: shall eat the offspring body the flesh of your sons

Deuteronomy 30:9
HEB: יָדֶ֗ךָ בִּפְרִ֨י בִטְנְךָ֜ וּבִפְרִ֧י בְהֶמְתְּךָ֛
NAS: in the offspring of your body and in the offspring
KJV: in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit
INT: of your hand the offspring of your body the offspring of your cattle

Judges 3:21
HEB: יְמִינ֑וֹ וַיִּתְקָעֶ֖הָ בְּבִטְנֽוֹ׃
NAS: thigh and thrust it into his belly.
KJV: thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
INT: his right and thrust his belly

Judges 3:22
HEB: שָׁלַ֛ף הַחֶ֖רֶב מִבִּטְנ֑וֹ וַיֵּצֵ֖א הַֽפַּרְשְׁדֹֽנָה׃
NAS: the sword out of his belly; and the refuse
KJV: the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt
INT: draw the sword of his belly came and the refuse

Judges 13:5
HEB: הַנַּ֖עַר מִן־ הַבָּ֑טֶן וְה֗וּא יָחֵ֛ל
NAS: to God from the womb; and he shall begin
KJV: unto God from the womb: and he shall begin
INT: the boy from the womb and he shall begin

Judges 13:7
HEB: הַנַּ֔עַר מִן־ הַבֶּ֖טֶן עַד־ י֥וֹם
NAS: to God from the womb to the day
KJV: to God from the womb to the day
INT: the boy from the womb against to the day

Judges 16:17
HEB: אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֲנִ֖י מִבֶּ֣טֶן אִמִּ֑י אִם־
NAS: from my mother's womb. If
KJV: from my mother's womb: if I be shaven,
INT: to God I womb my mother's If

1 Kings 7:20
HEB: מִמַּ֙עַל֙ מִלְּעֻמַּ֣ת הַבֶּ֔טֶן אֲשֶׁ֖ר לְעֵ֣בֶר
NAS: [and] close to the rounded projection which
KJV: over against the belly which [was] by
INT: above against to the rounded which was beside

Job 1:21
HEB: (יָצָ֜אתִי ק) מִבֶּ֣טֶן אִמִּ֗י וְעָרֹם֙
NAS: from my mother's womb, And naked
KJV: of my mother's womb, and naked
INT: Naked after womb my mother's and naked

Job 3:10
HEB: סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל
NAS: the opening of my [mother's] womb, Or hide
KJV: the doors of my [mother's] womb, nor hid
INT: shut the opening of my womb hide trouble

Job 3:11
HEB: מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃
NAS: Come forth from the womb and expire?
KJV: when I came out of the belly?
INT: birth die the womb Come die

Job 10:19
HEB: הָיִ֣יתִי אֶהְיֶ֑ה מִ֝בֶּ֗טֶן לַקֶּ֥בֶר אוּבָֽל׃
NAS: Carried from womb to tomb.'
KJV: I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
INT: have been been womb to the grave Carried

Job 15:2
HEB: וִֽימַלֵּ֖א קָדִ֣ים בִּטְנֽוֹ׃
NAS: And fill himself with the east wind?
KJV: and fill his belly with the east wind?
INT: and fill the east himself

Job 15:35
HEB: וְיָ֣לֹד אָ֑וֶן וּ֝בִטְנָ֗ם תָּכִ֥ין מִרְמָֽה׃
NAS: iniquity, And their mind prepares
KJV: vanity, and their belly prepareth
INT: and bring iniquity and their mind prepares deception

72 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 990
72 Occurrences


bab·be·ṭen — 1 Occ.
be·ṭen — 1 Occ.
bə·ḇe·ṭen — 2 Occ.
bə·ḇiṭ·nāh — 2 Occ.
bə·ḇiṭ·nêḵ — 1 Occ.
bə·ḇiṭ·ne·ḵā — 1 Occ.
bə·ḇiṭ·nōw — 2 Occ.
biṭ·nāh — 1 Occ.
biṭ·nêḵ — 2 Occ.
biṭ·nə·ḵā — 1 Occ.
biṭ·nê·nū — 1 Occ.
biṭ·nî — 3 Occ.
biṭ·nōw — 2 Occ.
hab·bā·ṭen — 2 Occ.
hab·be·ṭen — 2 Occ.
mib·bā·ṭen — 2 Occ.
mib·be·ṭen — 14 Occ.
mib·biṭ·nōw — 2 Occ.
ū·mib·be·ṭen — 2 Occ.
ū·ḇe·ṭen — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇiṭ·nām — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇiṭ·nî — 1 Occ.
ḇab·be·ṭen — 2 Occ.
ḇā·ṭen — 5 Occ.
ḇe·ṭen — 2 Occ.
ḇiṭ·nāh — 1 Occ.
ḇiṭ·nām — 2 Occ.
ḇiṭ·nə·ḵā — 7 Occ.
ḇiṭ·nî — 4 Occ.
ḇiṭ·nōw — 2 Occ.

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