בֶּטֶן

1. a. belly, abdomen, of man Dom 3,21; Dom 3,22 of woman 4 Mos 5,21; 4 Mos 5,22; 4 Mos 5,27 as beautiful in form Hoj 7,3 as seat of hunger Ord 13,25 as eating Ezk 3,3 (|| מֵעִים); compare Ord 18,20 (figurative); as seat of passion, avarice, etc. Job 20,20; Job 20,23 in figure of God's casting riches out of extortioner's belly Job 20,15 (|| וַיְקִאֶנּוּ), compare also Sl 17,14 figurative of innermost part of man = inmost soul Ord 18,8 = Ord 26,22; Ord 20,27; Ord 20,30 (all ׳חַדְרֵי ב); as seat of intell. faculties (= English breast or bosom) Ord 22,18 (compare מֵעִים Sl 40,9) Job 15,2; Job 15,35; Job 32,18, רוּחַ בִּטְנִי vJob 15,19 as trembling at theophany Hab 3,16.
\ \ b. belly of hippopotamus Job 40,16.
\ \ c. בֶּטֶן שְׁאוֺל Jon 2,3 (Jonah's prayer: || מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַכ יַמִּים).

2. body, opposed to soul Sl 31,10 (opposed to נֶפֶשׁ), also Sl 44,26 (opposed to id.; — on this compare Zim^{Bp 71}).

3. womb 1 Mos 25,23; 1 Mos 25,24; 1 Mos 38,27 (all J) Hos 12,4; Job 10,19 (|| רֶחֶם vJob 10,18) Praed 11,5; Job 31,15 הֲלֹא בַבֶּטֶן עשֵֹׁנִי עָשָׂ֑הוּ did not he that made me in the womb make him (|| וַיְכֻנֶנּוּ בָּרֶחֶם אֶחָד); compare Sl 139,13 תְּסֻכֵּנִי בְּבֶטֶן, & Jer 1,5 especially ׳פְּרִי ב i.e. offspring 1 Mos 30,2 (E) Sl 127,3; Es 13,18; Ord 31,2 בַּר בִּטְנִי = my son (|| בְּרִי) compare בֶּןבִּֿטְנָהּ Es 49,15 of birth יָצָא מִבֶּטֶן Job 1,21; Job 3,11; Praed 5,14 בֶּטֶן alone = birth Hos 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) Sl 22,10 פְּרִי בֶטֶןused also of father Mik 6,7, compare Sl 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) 5 Mos 7,13; 5 Mos 28,4; 5 Mos 28,11; 5 Mos 28,18; 5 Mos 28,53; 5 Mos 30,9, compare מַחֲמַדֵּי בִטְנָם Hos 9,16 beloved ones of their womb; (מִבֶּטֶן) מִןהַֿבֶּטֶן = from birth Dom 13,5; Dom 13,7; Sl 58,4; Sl 71,6, compare also Es 44,2; Es 44,24; Es 46,3 (|| רָחַ֑ם) Es 48,8; Es 49,1; Es 49,5 מִבֶּטֶן נִמִּי id. Dom 16,17; Job 31,18; Sl 22,11 (|| רֶחֶם).

4. architectural word of some rounded projection connected with the two pillars Jachin & Boaz 1 Kong 7,20 (Klo reads הבית).