בֹּכִים (bo.khim)
bo.khim
Bochim
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The name Bochim, meaning "weepers," designates a specific location in the book of Judges, situated near Bethel or Gilgal. It serves as a poignant geographical marker for a moment of national sorrow and spiritual reckoning among the Israelites.
This place is named because it was there that the angel of the Lord confronted the people with their failure to drive out the Canaanites, leading them to weep and offer sacrifices (Judges 2:1-5). The name itself functions as a permanent memorial to that day of grief and repentance.
While Bethel means "House of God," Bochim highlights the emotional response to divine judgment. The sources note it is another name for Bethel, emphasizing that the presence of God was accompanied by sorrow over covenant failure. This single detail captures a turning point where worship met conviction.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Bochim, meaning "weepers," marks a moment when Israel’s joy turned to sorrow over their failure to trust God fully. It reminds us that sincere grief over sin is not weakness but a doorway to restoration. When we acknowledge our shortcomings before the Lord, He meets us with grace rather than rejection.
This place near Bethel became a memorial of repentance, showing that worship and conviction can coexist. The Israelites wept because they recognized their broken covenant, yet they also offered sacrifices, signaling hope in God’s mercy. Your own tears over sin or struggle are seen by the One who cares deeply for your heart.
Bochim invites you to bring your honest emotions to God. He does not dismiss pain but uses it to draw you closer. In times of spiritual dryness or failure, remember that repentance opens the way to renewal and peace with Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Bokim1×
- <the>/ Bokim1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/בֹּכִ֑ים\ \פ1×
- בֹּכִ֑ים1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 2:1
Yahweh’s angel came up from Gilgal to Bochim. He said, “I brought you out of Egypt, and have brought you to the land which I swore to give your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you.
This verse introduces Bochim as the site where the angel confronts Israel’s covenant failure, setting the stage for their weeping.
-
Judges 2:5
They called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there to Yahweh.
Here the name Bochim is explicitly linked to the people’s response of weeping and sacrifice, highlighting repentance as a path to restoration.