ba.a.lah denotes a woman identified by her relation of possession or authority, whether of a house or of a medium and sorceries.

The attested uses identify a woman by what she possesses or is associated with: a house in 1 Kings 17:17, a medium in 1 Samuel 28:7, and sorceries in Nahum 3:4. The latter two settings form a smaller cluster involving occult practice.

1. Woman associated with a household or possession · dominant

   In 1 Kings 17:17, the construct form occurs in the description of the woman whose son becomes gravely ill; the APB renders the clause "the woman, the mistress of the house."

   1 Kings 17:17
2. Woman associated with a medium or sorceries · common

   In 1 Samuel 28:7, the construct form occurs twice in the search for a woman connected with a medium; the APB renders "a woman who is mistress of a medium." In Nahum 3:4, the same construct form stands with sorceries in a description of the woman who sells nations and families; the APB renders "a mistress of sorceries."

   1 Samuel 28:7Nahum 3:4

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB uses "mistress" in each setting, specifying "of the house," "of a medium," and "of sorceries." These phrases confirm the clauses' overall presentation rather than establish a separate English equivalent for each occurrence.