בָּקַע (ba.qa)
ba.qa
to break up/open
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 44 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb baqaa describes a violent or forceful splitting, cleaving, or breaking open. It conveys the physical act of tearing something apart, whether it is wood, stone, skin, or a city wall. The word carries a sense of sudden rupture and division, often implying that the object being split was previously whole or sealed.
This term appears in diverse contexts that highlight its range. In Exodus 14:16, God commands Moses to stretch out his hand so the sea will be divided, using baqaa to describe the parting of waters. In contrast, Amos 1:13 uses it to describe the horrific act of ripping open pregnant women in Gilead, emphasizing brutal violence. It also describes natural phenomena, such as water bursting from a rock in Psalm 74:15.
The word’s force comes from its imagery of breaking through barriers. Whether describing the breach in Jerusalem’s walls (2 Kings 25:4) or wine skins bursting with new wine (Hosea 2:22), baqaa always involves a transition from containment to release, or from unity to separation. Translators render it variously as "cleave," "break through," or "rend," depending on whether the subject is divine power, human aggression, or natural pressure.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word baqaa describes a forceful splitting or breaking open. It is used for dramatic events like the parting of the Red Sea or water bursting from a rock. This imagery shows how God can break through barriers that seem impossible to cross. When life feels sealed shut, this word reminds us that divine power can create a way where there was none.
It also appears in stories of human struggle, such as warriors breaking through enemy lines to bring water to David. These moments highlight our deep needs and the lengths we go to meet them. The text suggests that even when we are broken or divided, God is present in the rupture. He brings release and life from places of confinement.
Reflecting on this word can encourage you during difficult seasons. It points to a faith that trusts in breakthroughs beyond human ability. Whether facing personal walls or communal challenges, the promise remains that God can open new paths. This hope anchors us when circumstances seem unyielding.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 44 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they were split open3×
- you split open2×
- he split open2×
- and/ they broke through2×
- and/ it was split open2×
- and/ it was broken into2×
- and/ he split open2×
- you will rip open1×
- you broke open1×
- to/ break through1×
- to/ break into/ them1×
- they will burst forth1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וַ/תִּבָּקַ֥ע2×
- וַ/תִּבָּקַ֣ע2×
- תִּבָּקַ֥ע1×
- תְּבַקַּע\־1×
- תְּבַקֵּֽעַ\׃1×
- תְּבַקְּעֵֽ/ם\׃1×
- נִבְקָֽעוּ\׃\ \ס1×
- נִבְקָ֑עוּ1×
- נִבְקַ֖ע1×
- נִבְקְעוּ֙1×
- נִבְקְע֤וּ1×
- לְ/הַבְקִ֛יעַ1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 14:21
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
This verse uses baqaa to describe the miraculous division of the sea, showing God's power to create a path through an impassable barrier.
-
Judges 15:19
But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out of it. When he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore its name was called En Hakkore, which is in Lehi, to this day.
Here the word describes God splitting a rock to provide water, illustrating His ability to sustain life in desperate situations.
-
II Samuel 23:16
The three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David; but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Yahweh.
The phrase 'broke through' depicts warriors forcing their way past an army, highlighting the intensity of human effort and loyalty.
-
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened.
This occurrence describes the fountains of the deep bursting open, marking a sudden and violent transition in the natural order.