בְּתוּלִים (be.tu.lim)
be.tu.lim
virginity
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 7 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
In the ancient world, a woman’s status as a betulah was deeply tied to her family’s honor and her future security. This Hebrew word appears in legal texts where it protects women from false accusations, ensuring that justice is served rather than shame being inflicted on the innocent. It reminds us that God cares about truth and the dignity of every person, especially those vulnerable to slander.
Yet the word also carries a note of profound loss. In the story of Jephthah’s daughter, she mourns her virginity not because of a legal dispute, but because her vow has led to a life without children or marriage. Here, the term highlights the human cost of broken promises and the pain of unfulfilled potential. It invites us to see how cultural expectations can weigh heavily on individuals.
For believers today, these passages offer a glimpse into God’s heart for justice and compassion. They show that while cultural norms shape our lives, God’s concern is always for the person behind the label. Whether in protection from lies or comfort in grief, this word points to a God who sees the whole story.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 7 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- virginiti<es>3×
- virginiti<es>/ my1×
- virginiti<es>/ her1×
- in/ virginiti<es>/ her1×
- [the] virginiti<es> of1×
- [are] [the] virginiti<es> of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בְּתוּלַ֔/י1×
- בְּתוּלֶ֖י/הָ1×
- בְּתוּלֵ֧י1×
- בְּתוּלֵ֣י1×
- בְּתוּלִֽים\׃1×
- בְּתוּלִ֔ים1×
- בִ/בְתוּלֶ֖י/הָ1×
- בְתוּלִ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 22:14
accuses her of shameful things, gives her a bad name, and says, “I took this woman, and when I came near to her, I didn’t find in her the tokens of virginity;”
This verse shows how the accusation of lacking 'tokens of virginity' was used as a weapon to destroy a woman's reputation, highlighting the word's connection to social standing and truth.
-
Deuteronomy 22:17
Behold, he has accused her of shameful things, saying, ‘I didn’t find in your daughter the tokens of virginity;’ and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity.” They shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
Here the parents present evidence to counter the false claim, demonstrating how the concept of virginity was legally verified to protect the innocent from unjust punishment.
-
Judges 11:37
Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me. Leave me alone two months, that I may depart and go down on the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my companions.”
Jephthah’s daughter asks to mourn her virginity with friends, revealing that for her, this status represented not just physical purity but the loss of future family and legacy.