Baalah

From BibleEncyclopedia.Net

Mistress; city.

(1.) A city in the south of Judah (Jos_15:29), elsewhere called Balah (Jos_19:3) and Bilhah (1Ch_4:29). Now Khurbet Zebalah

(2.) A city on the northern border of the tribe of Judah (Jos_15:10), called also Kirjath-jearim, q.v. (Jos_15:9; 1Ch_13:6), now Kuriet-el-Enab, or as some think,' Erma.

(3.) A mountain on the northwestern boundary of Judah and Dan (Jos_15:11).

bā´a-la (בּעלה, ba‛ălāh; “possessor,” “mistress”):

Three occurrences of this name:

(1) = Kiriath-Jearim (which see) (Jos_15:9, Jos_15:10; 1Ch_13:6).

(2) A city in the Negeb of Judah (Jos_15:29). In Jos_19:3 Balah and in 1Ch_4:29 Bilhah; perhaps also Boaloth of Jos_15:24. The site is unknown; but see PEF, III, 26.

(3) Mount Baalah (Jos_15:11), a mountain ridge between Shikkeron (Ekron) and Jabnoel unless, as seems probable, the suggestion of M. Clermont-Ganneau (Rev. Crit, 1897, 902) is correct that for הר, har ( = “mount”), we should read נהר, nāhār (“river”). In this case the border in question would be the Nahr rubîn. Here there is an annual feast held - attended by all classes and famous all over Syria - which appears to be a real survival of “Baal worship.”