Bible Dictionary
Baca
Baca may refer to the valley of weeping in Psalm 84, or to balsam or mulberry trees mentioned elsewhere. The psalm uses the expression poetically for a difficult journey transformed by God’s blessing.
Definition
Baca may denote the valley of weeping in Psalm 84 or a valley associated with balsam or mulberry trees. The term is also used in the account of one of David’s battles, where the trees are translated “mulberry trees” or “balsam-trees.”
Biblical Usage
In Psalm 84, the valley of Baca is a picturesque expression for the hardships of pilgrims whose strength is in Yahweh. Through God’s grace, their sorrows are changed into blessings.
Historical Background
Whether Baca in Psalm 84 names an actual locality is disputed. Its association with trees and moisture or gum may underlie the imagery of weeping.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(weeping), The Valley of, A valley in Palestine, through which the exiled Psalmist sees in vision the pilgrims passing in their march towards the sanctuary of Jehovah at Zion. (Psalms 84:6) That it was a real locality is most probable from the use of the definite article before the name. The rendering of the Targum is Gehenna, i.e. the Ge-Hinnom or ravine below Mount Zion. This locality agrees well with the mention of became (Authorized Version “mulberry”) trees in (2 Samuel 5:23)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ba'-ka bakha': In the King James Version in Ps 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 (2Sa 5:23,24; 1Ch 14:14,15). 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.</p><p>Willis J. Beecher</p>