בעל

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
ב־ע־ל (b-ʿ-l)

From Proto-Semitic *baʿl-.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -al

Noun

בַּעַל • (bá`al) m (plural indefinite בְּעָלִים, singular construct בַּעַל־, plural construct בַּעֲלֵי־, feminine counterpart בַּעֲלָה) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. master, owner
2. husband, male spouse

Declension

Declension of בַּעַל

Number	Isolated forms		With possessive pronouns
	State	Form	Person	singular		plural
				m.	f.	m.	f.
singular	indefinite	בַּעַל	first	בַּעֲלִי		בַּעֲלֵנוּ
	definite	הַבַּעַל	second	בַּעַלְךָ	בַּעֲלֵךְ	בַּעַלְכֶם	בַּעַלְכֶן
	construct	בַּעַל־	third	בַּעֲלוֹ	בַּעֲלָהּ	בַּעֲלָם	בַּעֲלָן
plural	indefinite	בְּעָלִים	first	בעליי / בְּעָלַי		בְּעָלֵינוּ
	definite	הַבְּעָלִים	second	בְּעָלֶיךָ	בעלייך / בְּעָלַיִךְ	בַּעֲלֵיכֶם	בַּעֲלֵיכֶן
	construct	בַּעֲלֵי־	third	בְּעָלָיו	בְּעָלֶיהָ	בַּעֲלֵיהֶם	בַּעֲלֵיהֶן

Usage notes

• To avoid any ambiguity or hint of sexism, most modern speakers keep the two senses of בעל strictly distinct as follows:
  • When בעל has the sense of husband, it is always inflected to indicate a possessor. In the case that its possessor is not a personal pronoun, this produces some redundancy; for example, "Miriam's husband" is translated as בעלה של מרים (ba`aláh shel Miryam), which literally means "her-husband of Miriam". (This sort of construction can occur with other nouns as well, but usually only in more formal contexts.)
  • When בעל has the sense of owner, it is seldom so inflected.
• However, some speakers do consider it sexist to use בעל with the sense of husband after all, instead preferring the word איש ('ish, “man”), as it is more directly analogous to the word אישה ('isháh, “woman, wife”).

Descendants

• Yiddish: בעל־הבית (balebos)
• Ladino: balabay

See also

• אָדוֹן

Etymology 2

Root
ב־ע־ל (b-ʿ-l)

Verbal form related to the above noun.

Verb

בָּעַל • (ba'ál) third-singular masculine past (pa'al construction)

1. (dated) to have sexual intercourse
   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Chagigah 15a:

     יכול אני לבעול כמה בעילות בלא דם

     I can have intercourse multiple times [with a woman with an intact hymen] without [causing] bleeding.

Conjugation

Conjugation of בָּעַל (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לבעול / לִבְעֹל action noun: בְּעִילָה passive participle: בָּעוּל
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	בָּעַלְתִּי		בָּעַלְנוּ
	second	בָּעַלְתָּ	בָּעַלְתְּ	בְּעַלְתֶּם1	בְּעַלְתֶּן1
	third	בָּעַל	בָּעֲלָה	בָּעֲלוּ
present		בּוֹעֵל	בּוֹעֶלֶת	בּוֹעֲלִים	בּוֹעֲלוֹת
future	first	אֶבְעַל		נִבְעַל
	second	תִּבְעַל	תִּבְעֲלִי	תִּבְעֲלוּ	תִּבְעַלְנָה2
	third	יִבְעַל	תִּבְעַל	יִבְעֲלוּ	תִּבְעַלְנָה2
imperative		בְּעַל	בַּעֲלִי	בַּעֲלוּ	בְּעַלְנָה2
notes		Pronounced בָּעַלְתֶּם and בָּעַלְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “borrowing? but identical/cognate to the above noun in origin”)

Proper noun

בַּעַל • (bá'al) m [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. Baal (Canaanite deity)

Descendants

• English: Baal

References

• H1168 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Anagrams

• בלע