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Glite Dictionary
Bayt Lahm

Bayt Lahm

9.6
A small town near Jerusalem in the West Bank, traditionally the birthplace of Jesus and called Bethlehem
  • proper noun
translation icon : Belén
  • Many pilgrims visit Bayt Lahm each year to see the Church of the Nativity.

Examples

  • According to tradition, King David was born in Bayt Lahm before becoming king of Israel.

  • The political situation in Bayt Lahm has affected tourism and local businesses.

  • Many tourists visit Bayt Lahm every year.

  • Have you ever been to Bayt Lahm?

  • Many pilgrims visit Bayt Lahm each year to see the Church of the Nativity.

  • According to tradition, King David was born in Bayt Lahm before becoming king of Israel.

  • The political situation in Bayt Lahm has affected tourism and local businesses.

Synonyms

Bethlehem
vsBayt Lahm
61 5.0

A small town near Jerusalem known as the birthplace of Jesus and early home of King David

is the same town but named in another traditional form
Bethlehem Ephrathah
vsBayt Lahm
9.9

A small town near Jerusalem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus and early home of David

is the same place but cited with the older traditional epithet
Bethlehem-Judah
vsBayt Lahm
9.4

A small town near Jerusalem where King David grew up and Christians say Jesus was born

is the same town but known by its traditional local name

Surface Forms

Bayt Lahm main

Morphology

Bayt + Lahm

This is a language-specific toponym of Arabic/Hebrew origin whose specific referent ('Bethlehem' and its cultural/historical sense as the birthplace of Jesus) cannot be deduced from the literal parts. Even if a learner knew hypothetical glosses for 'Bayt' (house) and 'Lahm' (meat/bread variants), those constituents do not transparently yield the place-name identity or its associations, so prior exposure or cultural knowledge is required.

Etymology

Bayt Lahm comes from old words meaning 'house of bread', with Bayt meaning 'house' and Lahm related to Lehem meaning 'bread'. So the name points to the town now called Bethlehem, famous as the birthplace of Jesus and King David.