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 Zim^{Bp 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 RS^{K 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).