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H1158 · Hebrew · Old Testament
בָּעָה
Baah
Verb
Seek / Inquire / Boil Up / Swell

Definition

Baah has a range of meanings: to boil up or swell (as water or trouble), and to seek or inquire urgently. The sense of boiling connects to earnest, insistent seeking — the kind of prayer that presses forward with passionate urgency. It is used of seeking God (Psalm 40:16), seeking truth, and of trouble that swells up.

Usage & Theological Significance

The image of boiling captures the spirit of fervent prayer that Scripture commends. Elijah 'prayed earnestly' (James 5:17, literally 'he prayed with prayer') — a boiling, insistent intercession. Baah challenges passive religion: genuine seeking of God involves intensity, persistence, and a refusal to give up. Jesus' parables of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) and the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-8) reflect the same urgency embedded in baah.

Key Bible Verses

Psalm 40:16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, 'The Lord is great!'
Isaiah 21:12 The watchman replies, 'Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.'
2 Kings 8:8 Go and inquire of the Lord through Elisha the prophet, 'Will I recover from this illness?'
Psalm 122:9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Ezekiel 26:18 Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall; the islands in the sea are terrified by your collapse.

Related Words

External Resources

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