VALLEY, There are five Hebrew words ren dered valley' in the A. V. These words are not synonymous. They were intended to convey dis tinct ideas ; and much of the definiteness and force of Scriptural statements and illustrations is lost in consequence of their being represented in English by one term. The object of this article is to state briefly the precise meaning of the Hebrew words, and to indicate their true signification in the prin cipal passages in which they occur. They are taken alphabetically.
- 1. nvp3, Bikah, is derived from rpz, to cleave or to' divide ;' and its primitive meaning is a valley betvveen mountains ;' but its general accepta tion is a broad open valley,' whether shut in by mountain-chains or not. Thus the plain of Shinar is called Bikah (Gen. xi. 2) ; as also are the plains of Esdraelon (2 Chron. XXXV. 22 ; Zech. xii. t), of Ccelesyria (Josh. xi. 17), of the Jordan (Dem. xxxiv. 3), and of Sharon (Neh. vi. 2). Palestine is described as a land of hills and valleys' (Deut. xi. r t), in allusion to those rich alluvial plains which constitute such a distinguishing feature of the country. The word also conveys the idea of a level surface, hence the expressive statement of Isaiah The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plahz' (xL 4). Its usual render ing in the A. V. is valley ;' but it is plain' in six passages. In the Sept. it is translated veStov or 7i-combs, except in Is. xl. 4, where the Alex. MS. has babs [See PLAIN].
2. N.% Gai ; by omission of the aleph also .
ana Ge ; pl. ITN') and ni,Na. This word is of very frequent occurrence and is uniformly translated valley' in the A. V. In the Sept. its usual rendering is ipcfpali ; but /wads, yarn, at'ady, and 7-71, also occur. The root is to flow to gether' (not 114), which contains the strong letter ; see, however, Stanley, S. ancl P. p. 477), and was originally applied to a valley from the water flowing together in it. A Gai is a narrow valley' or ravine,' as distinguished from a broad and level Bikah. Thus, there is the Ge-Rinzzont at Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8). A comparison of this ravine' (gai) with the plain' (bikak) of Megiddo or Sharon, will show how necessary it is to distin guish these words. A gai may be a glen running among mountains ; or a deep and narrow water course in a plain or table-land. Ezekiel speaks of the doves of the vallqs.' The rocks and cliffs along the sides of the glens of Palestine are the favourite retreat of doves (Ezek. vii. 16). The word is, frequently connected with otber expletives so as to form proper names ; thus Ge-ben-Hinnom (Jer. vii. 32) ; Ge-charashinz(` valley of craftsmen,' Neh. xi. 35) ; Ge-71Phthah-el (Josh. xix. 14) ; Ge Zeboim (I Sam. xiii. 18) ; Ge-Zephathah (2 Chron. xiv. to), etc.
3. Arakhal, from to receive' (or haps to flow'), is the usual word applied to a torrent bed,' or a valley through which a winter stream flows, but which is dry during summer. It corresponds to the Arabic wady (010 and the Greek xezta ppm. in the book of Job the uncer.
tain flow of the nakkal is beautifully employed as an emblem of deceitful men :—` My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook (zzakhal), as the stream of brooks they pass away ; which are blackish by reason of the ice, wherein the snow is hid ; what time they wax warm they vanish ; when it is hot they are consumed out of their place' (vi. 15-17). The word is sometimes applied to the vallg, and sometirnes to the stream in the valley, as in Kings xvii. 3 and 4, where Elijah is commanded to hide himself in the valley of Cheritb ;' and also to drink of the stream'—nakhal being used in both cases.
Nakhal is joined with many proper names ; thus the brook Kedron' (1 Kings ii. 37) ; the river of Egypt' (Josh. xv. 4) ; the stream of Egypt' (Is. xxvii. 12) • ' the river Jabbok ' (Deut. ii. 37) ; the brooks of Arnon' (Num. xxi. 14) ; the valley of Gerar' (Gen. xxvi. 17), etc. The renderings in the Sept. are as various as those of the A. V. ; thus, Ocflocvyt ; xeuteibAom ; worcti.eds; vogeis ; and vhrat. [See for further information the article RIVER, 6.] 4. p?.1!, Emek, signifies a low tract of land,' whether plain or vailey. Any level area, of what ever form, encompassed by hills, or by higher ground, might be called by this name. The word is derived from pnv, to be deep.' It is some times applied to a wide valley between parallel ranges of hills, as the valley of Jezreel,' between Gilboa and Moreh (Judg. vi. 33) ; sometimes to an upland plain, as the valley of Rephaim' ( Josh. xv. 8) ; sometimes to a broad but sunk plain, as the vale of Siddim' (Gen. xiv. 3), and the valley of Beth-rehob' at Dan (Judge xviii. 28) ; sometimes to a wide mountain glen, as the valley of Elah' (t Sam. xvii. 2). In the A. V. it is universally translated valley' or vale,' except in Josh. xix. 27, where the Hebrew is retained as a proper name in 'Beth-emek.' The usual rendering of the Sept. is to:Ads ; but cbctpa-yE, aNsa.bv, irealov, at)taE, and fiablis, are also found. Of these the first is the most appropriate, giving the literal signification of the Hebrew word.
5. ripvi, She.phelah, a low plain,' from the root t2), `to be depressed.' With one exception this w-c);--d has always the article r6ZtVrl, and is em ployed as a proper name to denote the plain of Philistia [see SIIEPIIELAH]. The exception is Josh. xi. 16, where the valley of the sante' (with out the article) is disting-uished from the valley' (or the Shephelah, with the article). It is probable that the former rneans the plain of Sharon. The word is usually rendered vale' or valley' in the A. V., and 7reofov or irdun't in the Sept. ; but it is low plains' in Chron. xxvii. 28 ; Chron. ix.
27 ; low country' in 2 Chron. xxvi. ; xxviii. 18 ; and 'plain' in Jer. xvii. 26 ; Obad. 19 ; Zech. vii. 7. In the Sept. it is in four places ren dered as a proper name ZIOnXa.—J. L. P.