Beulah (/ˈbjuːlə/ BEW-lə), a feminine given name, originated from the Hebrew word (בְּעוּלָ֑ה bə‘ūlāh), used in the Book of Isaiah as a prophesied attribute of the land of Israel. The King James Bible transliterates the word and translates it as "married" (see Isaiah 62:4). An alternative translation is "espoused", see for example Isaiah 62:4 (Mechon Mamre). The Online Etymology Dictionary relates the word to baal, meaning "owner, master, lord".[1]

Beulah
Pronunciation/ˈbjuːlə/ BEW-lə
Genderfemale
Language(s)Hebrew
Origin
Word/nameBook of Isaiah
Meaningmarried

Literary works have used "Beulah" as the name of a mystical place, somewhere between Earth and Heaven. It was so used in The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and in the works of William Blake, for example several times in The Four Zoas.[2]

People

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Fictional characters

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  • Beulah Brown, the title character of the 1940s and '50s radio and television series Beulah
  • Beullah Lisa Wilkes, Will's girlfriend and onetime fiancée in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "baal". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
  2. ^ The Four Zoas