Word Study for H1217 (בָּצֵק)

bâtsêq /baw-tsake'/ Ask about this word

Meaningdough (as swelling by fermentation)

KJV usagedough, flour.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of bâtsêq — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word bâtsêq, represented by H1217, is a term for dough or flour. It appears 5 times across 5 unique verses in the Bible. The definition specifies it as dough that is "swelling by fermentation," highlighting the process of leavening as central to its meaning.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H1217 is most prominently featured in the account of the Exodus. The Israelites took their dough before it was leavened Exodus 12:34 and later baked unleavened cakes from this dough because their hasty departure from Egypt meant it was not leavened Exodus 12:39. The word is also translated as flour, as seen when Tamar took flour to knead and make cakes for her brother Amnon 2 Samuel 13:8. In a prophetic context, the women of Jerusalem are described as kneading dough for idolatrous worship Jeremiah 7:18, and Hosea uses the term metaphorically, comparing adulterers to a baker who waits for the dough to be leavened Hosea 7:4.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words describe the process of preparing bread from bâtsêq:

H3888 lûwsh (to knead): This action is directly associated with preparing dough. Women are described as they knead their dough for idolatry Jeremiah 7:18, and Tamar is shown to knead flour to make cakes 2 Samuel 13:8.
H2556 châmêts (leavened): This word describes the state of the dough, meaning fermented or soured. The Israelites' dough was "not leavened" during the Exodus Exodus 12:39, and they carried it "before it was leavened" Exodus 12:34.
H644 ʼâphâh (to bake): This is the final step in processing the dough. The Israelites baked unleavened cakes from their dough Exodus 12:39, and Hosea refers to a baker who lets the dough become leavened Hosea 7:4.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H1217 is tied to its state of being leavened or unleavened.

Symbol of Urgency and Deliverance: In the Exodus, the unleavened state of the dough is a direct result of the haste with which Israel left Egypt. It symbolizes God's sudden deliverance, which did not allow time for natural processes like fermentation Exodus 12:39.
Metaphor for Moral State: The process of dough becoming leavened is used metaphorically. Hosea compares the persistent sin of adulterers to a baker waiting for the dough to become leavened, suggesting a state of unaddressed corruption Hosea 7:4.
Instrument of Idolatry: The act of preparing dough is also depicted in a profane context. The women of Judah used it to make cakes for "the queen of heaven," turning a common domestic task into an act of provocation against God Jeremiah 7:18.

Summary

In summary, H1217 is more than just a culinary ingredient. While it literally refers to dough or flour, its biblical usage gives it significant symbolic weight. It represents the urgency of God's deliverance in the Exodus narrative Exodus 12:34, serves as a metaphor for unchecked sin Hosea 7:4, and is used as an element in both domestic life and idolatrous rituals Jeremiah 7:18. The state of the bâtsêq—whether leavened or unleavened—often reflects the spiritual condition or circumstances of the people involved.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 5 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

בָּצֵק
בְּצֵק

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 5 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Exodus (2 verses); never once in the other 35.

Exodus

2 Samuel

Jeremiah

Hosea

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.