Vale; Valley

There are few places in Palestine which resemble the valleys of other countries. Two of the words translated ’valley’ are also translated ’plain,’ and signify broad plains between the hills. Two other words refer to the narrow dales or ravines through which the streams run in winter, but many of which are dry in summer, now called wadys.

The words are

1. biqah, ’valley or plain,’ which is the word used for the valleys or plains of Aven, Jericho, Lebanon, Megiddo, Mizpeh, and Ono.

2. emeq, ’valley or plain,’ more resembles an English ’valley’: it is applied to Achor, Ajalon, Baca, Berachah, Beth-aram, ’of decision’ (Joe 3:14); Elah; ’of the giants’ (Jos 15:8; Jos 18:16); Gibeon, Hebron, Jehoshaphat, Jezreel, Keziz, ’of the King,’ or ’the King’s Dale’ (Gen 14:17; 2Sa 18:18); Rephaim, Shaveh, Siddim, and Succoth.

3. gay, ge, ravine, narrow glen: applied to Charashim, Hamon-Gog, Hinnom, Son of Hinnom, Jiphthah-el, Zeboim, and Zephathah; and used symbolically for ’Valley of the Mountains’ (Zec 14:5); ’of the passengers’ (Eze 39:11); ’of salt’ (2Sa 8:13; 2Ki 14:7; 1Ch 18:12; 2Ch 25:11; Psa 60 title ); ’of craftsmen’ (Neh 11:35); ’of slaughter’ (Jer 7:32; Jer 19:6); ’of vision’ (Isa 22:1; Isa 22:5); ’of the shadow of death.’ (Psa 23:4.)

4. nachal, gorge, wady, often translated ’brook’ and ’river’: the valleys are Eshcol, Gerar, Shittim, Sorek, Zared.

5. shephelah, translated ’vale’ and ’valley,’ but not specified by any proper name. It refers to the lowlands that lie midway between the highlands and the low plains of Judah. See CANAAN.

6. φάραγξ. "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low," Luk 3:5: a quotation from Isa 40:4, where the Hebrew word is gay.

VALE, VALLEY.—‘Vale’ is found in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] as the tr. [Note: translate or translation.] of two Heb. words ‘çmeq and shephçlah; ‘valley’ represents five Heb. words, biq‘ah, gai’, nachal, ‘çmeq, shephçlah, and the Gr. phara[n]gx. For shephçlah (a low-lying tract of ground) and biq‘ah (a broad plain) see art. Plain, and for nachal (wady) see art. Brook.

1. The word gai’ (AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] always ‘valley’) refers to a narrow gorge, a glen or ravine. A considerable number of such are named in the OT, e.g. the valley of Hinnom, beside Jerusalem; of Iphtah-el, between Zebulun and Asher; of Zeboim, S.E. of Gibeah; of Salt, etc., while several other valleys are mentioned without a special name being attached to them.

The reference in Psa 23:4 to the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ may be simply figurative of a place of peril and loneliness, or, as Gunkel holds, the place through which the ancient Hebrews supposed the soul had to pass on the way to the under world.

In the Apocrypha, ‘valley’ is the translation of phara[n]gx and aulôn, the former appearing in the NT (Luk 3:5).

2. The word ‘çmeq (generally tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘valley’ but ‘vale’ in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] of Gen 14:3; Gen 14:8; Gen 14:10; Gen 37:14 and also in RV [Note: Revised Version.] of Gen 14:17, Jos 8:13; Jos 15:8; Jos 18:15, 1Sa 17:2; 1Sa 17:19; 1Sa 21:8) means literally depression, and is ‘a highlander’s word for a valley as he looks down into it, and is applied to wide avenues running up into a mountainous country like the Vale of Elah, the Vale of Hebron, and the Vale of Aijalon’ (HGHL [Note: GHL Historical Geography of Holy Land.] 384). Thus the ‘çmeq is broader than a gai’ and not so broad or extensive as a biq‘ah (plain). A considerable number of vales are mentioned in the OT, e.g. of Siddim, of Shaveh, of Hebron, of Achor, of Aijalon, etc.

Other vales are mentioned without special names being attached to them. The fertility of the vale (1Sa 6:13, Isa 17:5) and its suitability for cavalry operations (e.g. Jos 17:16, Jdg 1:18; Jdg 1:34 etc.) are frequently referred to.

W. F. Boyd.

val, val´i:

(1) גּיא, gay’; either absolute: “from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab” (Num 21:20); or with a proper name: “valley of Hinnom,” also “valley of the son of Hinnom” (Jos 15:8); “valley of Slaughter” (Jer 7:32); “valley of Zeboim” (1Sa 13:18); “valley of Zephathah” (2Ch 14:10); “valley of Hamon-gog” (Eze 39:11); “valley of Iphtah-el” (Jos 19:14); “valley of the mountains” (Zec 14:5); “Valley of Salt” (2Sa 8:13); “valley of vision” (Isa 22:1); once (in the Revised Version (British and American)) as a place-name: “until thou comest to Gai” (the King James Version “the valley”) (1Sa 17:52); also (Revised Version) “Ge-harashim” (1Ch 4:14); compare “valley of craftsmen” (margin “Ge-haharashim”) (Neh 11:35).

(2) עמק, ‛ēmeḳ, root עמק, ‛āmōḳ, “to be deep”; compare Arabic ‛amuḳ, “to be deep”; ‛umḳ, “depth”; ‛Ammı̂ḳ a village in the valley of Coele-Syria; absolute: “He could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley” (Jdg 1:19); often with place-names: “valley of Achor” (Jos 7:24); “valley of Aijalon” (Jos 10:12); “valley of Gibeon” (Isa 28:21); “vale of Hebron” (Gen 37:14); “valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joe 3:2); “vale of Rephaim,” the King James Version “valley of the giants” (Jos 15:8); “vale of Shaveh” (Gen 14:17); “vale of Siddim” (Gen 14:3); “valley of Succoth” (Psa 60:6); compare “valley of Weeping” (the King James Version “Baca”) (Psa 84:6); “valley of Beracah” (margin “Blessing”) (2Ch 20:26); “valley of decision” (Joe 3:14); “vale of Elah” (margin “terebinth”) (1Sa 17:2); “the King’s Vale” (Gen 14:17); but “the king’s dale” (2Sa 18:18); “Emekkeziz,” the King James Version “valley of Keziz” (Jos 18:21).

(3) בּקעה, biḳ‛āh, root בּקע, bāḳa‛, “to cleave,” hence, “valley,” especially “broad valley” or “plain”; compare Arabic baḳ‛at, “wet meadow” Biḳâ‛, Coele-Syria; absolute: “a land of hills and valleys” (Deu 11:11); with place-names: “valley of Jericho” (Deu 34:3); “valley of Lebanon” (Jos 11:17); “valley of Megiddo” (2Ch 35:22); “valley of Mizpah” (Jos 11:8).

(4) נחל, naḥal, also “river” or “stream”; absolute “Isaac’s servants digged (dug) in the valley” (Gen 26:19); with place-names: “valley (the King James Version “river”) of the Arnon” (Deu 2:24); “valley of Eshcol” (Num 32:9); “valley of Gerar” (Gen 26:17); “valley of Shittim” (Joe 3:18); “valley of Sorek” (Jdg 16:4); “valley of Zered” (Num 21:12).

(5) שׁפלה, sh^ephēlāh, root שׁפל, shāphēl, “to be low”; compare Arabic safal, “to be low”; the King James Version “valley” or “vale,” the Revised Version (British and American) “lowland,” the coast and foothills of Western Palestine

(6) αὐλών, aulṓn, “valley” (Judith 4:4; 7:3; 10:10).

(7) φάραγξ, pháragx: “Every valley shall be filled” (Luk 3:5).

The valley gate (Neh 2:13, etc.) may have had about the location of the present Jaffa gate, if by “valley” is meant the valley of Hinnom. If the Tyropoeon is meant, it would have been near the southwestern corner of the ḥârām area. See JERUSALEM.

The valleys of the mountainous part of Palestine are mostly dry, rocky wadies with occasional torrents m the winter season. Those which descend to the W. widen out as they approach the plain and contain broad fields and meadows which in the winter and spring at least are fresh and green. The valley of the Jordan, the valley of Megiddo and the valley of Lebanon (i.e. Coele-Syria) contain much cultivable land: “the herds that were in the valleys” (1Ch 27:29): “They of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley” (1Sa 6:13); “The valleys also are covered over with grain” (Psa 65:13). See BROOK; CHAMPAIGN; LOWLAND; RIVER; SHEPHELAH.