Original Word: בָּעָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ba`ah
Pronunciation: bah-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-aw')
KJV: cause, inquire, seek up, swell out
NASB: inquire, boil, bulge, searched
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to gush over
2. to swell
3. (figuratively) to desire earnestly
4. (by implication) to ask

cause, inquire, seek up, swell out

A primitive root; to gush over, i.e. To swell; (figuratively) to desire earnestly; by implication to ask -- cause, inquire, seek up, swell out.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to inquire, cause to swell or boil up
NASB Translation
boil (1), bulge (1), inquire (2), searched (1).

[בָּעָה] verb inquire, cause to swell or boil up (Late Hebrew id; Arabic seek, suppurate, swell; Aramaic בְּעָא, seek) —

Qal Imperfect3feminine singular תִּבְעֶה Isaiah 64:1; 2masculine plural תִּבְעָיוּן Isaiah 21:12; Imperative בְּעָיוּ Isaiah 21:12; — a. of rising desire, seek, inquire, absolute, of inquiring of prophet Isaiah 21:12 (twice in verse). 2 cause to boil up, אֵֿשׁ׳מַיִם תִּב Isaiah 64:1 (but gloss Che).

Niph`al Perfect נִבְעוּ Obadiah 6 searched out ("" נֶחְמְּשׂוּ); Participle נִבְעֶה Isaiah 30:13 swelling, swelling out (of decaying wall; Di swelling, enlarging, of crack in wall).

בעז (quick ? compare Arabic swiftness (of horse)).

Range of Meaning

The verb expresses two interconnected ideas: (1) the intentional act of searching, inquiring, or probing beneath the surface, and (2) the physical picture of something swelling, boiling, or bulging until what is concealed is forced into view. In prophetic usage both senses merge—what lies hidden in human hearts or behind national façades will inevitably be exposed by the Lord.

Occurrences in Scripture

• Isaiah 21:12 (twice)
• Isaiah 30:13
• Isaiah 64:2
• Obadiah 1:6

Imagery of Inquiry and Search (Isaiah 21:12; Obadiah 1:6)

In Isaiah 21:12 the watchman of Dumah answers anxious travelers: “Morning has come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire; come back yet again.” The word urges persistent seeking of a divine answer, acknowledging that partial light has dawned but final clarity still waits. Obadiah 1:6 intensifies the motif: “How Esau will be pillaged, his hidden treasures sought out!” The verb pictures enemy scavengers turning over every hiding place. Spiritually, Edom’s pride had buried sin beneath layers of security; God’s judgment would excavate every secret. Together these texts reveal that honest inquiry after God brings hope, whereas forced inquiry under judgment brings devastation.

Imagery of Swelling, Boiling, and Sudden Collapse (Isaiah 30:13; Isaiah 64:2)

Isaiah 30:13 likens Judah’s rebellion to “a breach about to fall, a bulge in a high wall whose collapse will come in an instant.” The wall swells outward until gravity finishes what sin began. Isaiah 64:2 turns the same root into a prayer: “As fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—make Your name known to Your enemies.” Here water seethes until it erupts in vapor, a vivid picture of the divine presence breaking forth in judgment that at the same time purifies and reveals. Both verses show that concealed pressure cannot remain hidden; whether in masonry or in nations, the Lord allows internal forces to build until a decisive moment unmasks reality.

Prophetic and Historical Setting

1. Isaiah 21:12 belongs to an oracle against Edom (Dumah) during Assyrian expansion. The watchman’s call to “inquire” invites Edom to heed Yahweh’s word rather than trust political alliances.
2. Isaiah 30:13 addresses Judah’s reliance on Egypt. The swelling wall symbolizes foreign policy built on human strength.
3. Isaiah 64:2 rises from post-exilic longing; Israel pleads for a fresh theophany like Sinai’s, asking God to “boil” the nations.
4. Obadiah 1:6 forecasts Edom’s destruction by Babylonian-led forces. The search of Esau’s “hidden treasures” fulfills the divine promise that those who curse Jacob will be cursed.

Theological Significance

• Divine Omniscience: What humans bury, God uncovers. The same verb spans voluntary seeking and involuntary exposure, underscoring that inquiry will happen—either we bring ourselves into the light or His judgment drags us there.
• Moral Causality: Sin’s pressure accumulates until collapse. Isaiah 30:13 shows that judgment is not arbitrary but the natural outcome of inward rot.
• Covenant Faithfulness: Isaiah 64:2 appeals to God’s historical pattern of revealing Himself with consuming fire, reassuring the faithful remnant that the Lord remains consistent with His earlier redemptive acts.

Practical Ministry Implications

1. Encourage earnest inquiry. Like the travelers in Isaiah 21:12, believers must repeatedly return to Scripture and prayer for fuller light.
2. Warn of hidden compromise. Ministries that ignore accumulating cracks risk the sudden disaster Isaiah depicts. Regular self-examination prevents catastrophic exposure.
3. Preach God’s refining fire. Isaiah 64:2 reminds congregations that the Lord’s manifest presence both comforts the righteous and terrifies the unrepentant, calling for reverent worship and holy living.
4. Engage in compassionate confrontation. Obadiah’s picture of treasures being searched out cautions pastors to address concealed sin before it is laid bare publicly.

Echoes in the New Testament

While the specific Hebrew verb does not reappear, its concepts surface repeatedly:
• Luke 12:2—“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed.”
• 1 Corinthians 4:5—The Lord “will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.”
• Revelation 2:23—Christ “searches minds and hearts,” rewarding each according to deeds.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 1158 portrays the inevitability of revelation—either by humble inquiry or by eruptive judgment. It invites believers to proactive seeking, warns against latent sin, and assures that God’s holy scrutiny is ultimately redemptive for those who trust in Him.

בְּעָ֖יוּ בעיו נִבְע֖וּ נִבְעֶ֖ה נבעה נבעו תִּבְעֶה־ תִּבְעָי֥וּן תבעה־ תבעיון bə‘āyū bə·‘ā·yū beAyu niḇ‘eh niḇ‘ū niḇ·‘eh niḇ·‘ū nivEh nivU tiḇ‘āyūn tiḇ‘eh- tiḇ·‘ā·yūn tiḇ·‘eh- tivaYun tivehInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts