Lexical Summary beten: Belly, womb, body, innermost part Original Word: בֶּטֶן 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 Originfrom 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 ![]() 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: 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. Representative List of Key References Genesis 25:23; 30:22 Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:4 Job 1:21; 10:11-12; 15:2 Psalm 22:10; 71:6; 139:13 Proverbs 18:8; 20:27 Isaiah 44:2; 49:1 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 vitNoLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 Genesis 30:2 Genesis 38:27 Numbers 5:21 Numbers 5:22 Numbers 5:27 Deuteronomy 7:13 Deuteronomy 28:4 Deuteronomy 28:11 Deuteronomy 28:18 Deuteronomy 28:53 Deuteronomy 30:9 Judges 3:21 Judges 3:22 Judges 13:5 Judges 13:7 Judges 16:17 1 Kings 7:20 Job 1:21 Job 3:10 Job 3:11 Job 10:19 Job 15:2 Job 15:35 72 Occurrences |