bayit · house, household

What it means

bayit (בַּיִת) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “house, household”.

House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. A building to live in, or an enclosed place to keep something or someone.
2. The family, everyone living under one roof.
3. Someone's descendants: "the house of David".
4. The temple: "the house of YHWH".
5. Literally "the house": the inner part of something.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

House. BDB: in the greatest variety of applications, above all the family. It appears in place names such as Bethel and Bethlehem. The same word in Aramaic, בַּיִת, has its own note (H1005).

• House, building Genesis 12:1Genesis 39:20
• The family, those of the household Genesis 7:1Joshua 24:15
• A king's dynasty 2 Samuel 7:112 Samuel 7:16
• The temple: “the house” built for YHWH 1 Kings 6:1

How we translate it

“House” 1757 times, “houses” 158, “household” 50. The translation keeps “house” also when it means family or dynasty, and so the play of 2 Samuel 7 can be seen: David wants to build a house for YHWH, and YHWH announces that he “will make a house” for David (7:11). “Prison” (14 times) renders “house of confinement”; “inside” (17), expressions of place.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• house ×1757
• houses ×158
• household ×50
• home ×17
• inside ×17
• prison ×14
• households ×8
• inward ×5
• as holders ×4
• holders ×3
• others ×19

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×109
• Exodus×59
• Leviticus×53
• Numbers×58
• Deuteronomy×45
• Joshua×25
• Judges×71
• Ruth×7
• 1 Samuel×61
• 2 Samuel×114
• 1 Kings×194
• 2 Kings×152
• 1 Chronicles×112
• 2 Chronicles×218
• Ezra×30
• Nehemiah×53
• Esther×28
• Job×26
• Psalms×53
• Proverbs×38
• Ecclesiastes×11
• Song of Songs×5
• Isaiah×74
• Jeremiah×146
• Lamentations×3
• Ezekiel×181
• Daniel×3
• Hosea×15
• Joel×6
• Amos×28
• Obadiah×5
• Micah×16
• Nahum×1
• Habakkuk×3
• Zephaniah×5
• Haggai×11
• Zechariah×31
• Malachi×2

• Genesis 6:14

  Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; with compartments you shall make the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.

• Genesis 7:1

  And YHWH said to Noah, “Come, you and all your household, into the ark, for you I have seen to be righteous before me in this generation.

• Genesis 12:1

  YHWH said to Abram, “Go from your land, from your kindred, and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you.

• Genesis 12:15

  Pharaoh’s princes saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into the house of Pharaoh.

• Genesis 12:17

  But YHWH struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

• Genesis 14:14

  When Abram heard that his brother had been taken captive, he called out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.

• Genesis 15:2

  But Abram said, “Adonai YHWH, what will you give me, while I go on childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

• Genesis 15:3

  And Abram said, “Look, to me you have not given offspring; and look, one born in my house will be my heir.”

• Genesis 17:12

  At the age of eight days every male among you shall be circumcised throughout your generations, the one born in the house and the one bought with silver from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.

• Genesis 17:13

  He must surely be circumcised, the one born in your house and the one bought with your silver; and my covenant will be in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

• Genesis 17:23

  Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house and all those bought with his silver, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, as Elohim had told him.

• Genesis 17:27

  and all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with silver from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

• Genesis 18:19

  For I have known him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of YHWH by doing righteousness and justice, so that YHWH may bring upon Abraham what he has spoken about him.”

• Genesis 19:2

  He said, “Look now, my lords, please turn aside to the house of your servant, spend the night, and wash your feet; then you can rise early and go on your way.” They said, “No, we will spend the night in the square.”

• Genesis 19:3

  But he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.

• Genesis 19:4

  Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from young to old, all the people from every quarter.

• Genesis 19:10

  But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.

• Genesis 19:11

  And the men who were at the entrance of the house they struck with blindness, from small to great, so that they wore themselves out trying to find the entrance.

• Genesis 20:13

  And when Elohim caused me to wander from the house of my father, I said to her, ‘This is the loyal love that you shall show me: in every place that we come to, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

• Genesis 20:18

  For YHWH had completely closed every womb in the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

• Genesis 24:2

  Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who ruled over all that he had, “Put, please, your hand under my thigh,

• Genesis 24:7

  YHWH, the Elohim of the heavens, who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

• Genesis 24:23

  and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

• Genesis 24:27

  and said, “Blessed be YHWH, the Elohim of my lord Abraham, who has not abandoned his loyal love and his faithfulness toward my lord. As for me, YHWH has led me on the way to the house of my lord’s brothers.”

• Genesis 24:28

  The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

• Genesis 24:31

  He said, “Come in, blessed of YHWH! Why do you stand outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

• Genesis 24:32

  The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.

• Genesis 24:38

  but to the house of my father you will go, and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’

• Genesis 24:40

  He said to me, ‘YHWH, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and make successful your journey, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from the house of my father.

• Genesis 27:15

  Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son.

• Genesis 28:2

  Get up, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take for yourself from there a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother.

• Genesis 28:17

  He was afraid and said, “How fearsome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of the heavens.”

• Genesis 28:21

  and I return in peace to the house of my father, then YHWH will be my Elohim,

• Genesis 28:22

  and this stone, which I have set up as a standing stone, will be the house of Elohim; and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.”

• Genesis 29:13

  When Laban heard the news of Jacob his sister’s son, he ran to meet him, embraced him, kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

• Genesis 30:30

  For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly, and YHWH has blessed you at my coming. But now, when will I too do something for my own house?”

• Genesis 31:14

  Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still for us a portion or an inheritance in the house of our father?

• Genesis 31:30

  Now you have indeed gone because you longed greatly for the house of your father; why did you steal my gods?”

• Genesis 31:37

  Now that you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all the goods of your house? Put it here before my brothers and your brothers, and let them decide between the two of us.

• Genesis 31:41

  These twenty years I have had in your house: I served you fourteen years for the two of your daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.

And 2012 more times.