Bible Encyclopedias
Baca

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bā´ka בּכא , bakha' ̌ : In the King James Version in Psalm 84:6 , where the Revised Version (British and American) has "the valley of Weeping," with a marginal variant which is best put in the form, "the valley of the balsam-trees." The word is elsewhere used only in the duplicated account of one of David's battles (2 Samuel 5:23 , 2 Samuel 5:24; 1 Chronicles 14:14 , 1 Chronicles 14:15 ). There the translation is "the mulberry trees," with "the balsam-trees" in the margin in the Revised Version (British and American). Conjecturally the word is, by variant spelling, of the stem which denotes weeping; the tree is called "weeper" from some habit of the trickling of its gum or of the moisture on it; the valley of weeping is not a geographical locality, but a picturesque expression for the experiences of those whose strength is in Yahweh, and who through His grace find their sorrows changed into blessings.