Beulah () means "married" and is applied to the land the

Israelites Israelites were a Hebrew language, Hebrew-speaking ethnoreligious group, consisting of tribes that lived in Canaan during the Iron Age. Modern scholarship describes the Israelites as emerging from indigenous Canaanites, Canaanite populations ...

will obtain. The land of Beulah is referred to in various hymns and other works.

Bible

The only known ancient reference to a land called Beulah is in Isaiah 62:4. In

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...

, Beulah means "married", and is applied to the land that the people of Israel will marry: :... but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, :and thy land Beulah; : for the LORD delighteth in thee, : and thy land shall be married. : For as a young man marrieth a virgin... (

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

) Hephzibah means "my delight is in her". Beulah has also been translated as "inhabited", for example by

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

. All later references to the land of Beulah are derivative of this one mention in the Bible.

''Pilgrim's Progress''

In the Christian allegory '' Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678) by

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...

, Beulah Land is a place of peace near the end of the Christian life, on the border of the Celestial City. The River of Death separates Beulah from the

New Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the capital of the ...

, the city on a hill.

Music

Hymns

There are several relatively well-known hymns on the land of Beulah, whose similar titles can lead to confusion. * ''Beulah Land'', 1876, lyrics by Edgar Page Stites (1836–1921) and music by John R. Sweney. First line: "I've reached the land of corn

rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

and wine". In this hymn, several themes from ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' are developed. The song talks about today's Christian life as one that border

Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

and from where one can almost see Heaven. It speaks of a place of victory and fellowship with God. Stites explained the hymn's origins: * ''Is Not This the Land of Beulah?'', 1882, lyrics by either Harriet W. R. Qua or William Hunter, music by John W. Dadmun, recorded by The Isaacs and other groups. First line: "I am dwelling on the mountain". :

There is some uncertainty about the origins of "Is Not This the Land of Beulah." Public domain records show it attributed to William Hunter, somewhere before 1884, yet other records credit William B. Bradbury with the modern arrangement being attributed to John W. Dadman in 1911.

* ''I Have Entered Beulah Land'', 1886, words by Fanny Crosby, music by John Robson Sweney. First line: "Oh my cup is overflowing". * ''The Sweet Beulah Land'', 1891, words by Rev. H. J. Zelley, music by H. L. Gilmour. First line: "I am walking today in the sweet Beulah land". * '' Dwelling in Beulah Land'', 1911, by Charles Austen Miles. First line: "Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling". * ''Sweet Beulah Land'', 1979, by Squire Parsons (1948–). First line: "I'm kind of homesick for a country".

Other songs

Blues musician

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Biography Early years John Hurt was born in Teoc,Cohen, Lawrence (1996). Liner notes to ''Av ...

recorded a song for the Library of Congress in 1963, which was entitled "Beulah Land." First line: "I've got a mother in Beulah land". UK Blues musician Ian Siegal recorded a song called "Beulah Land" on his album ''The Picnic Sessions''. First line: "Riders of the purple sage". Alternative piano artist

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

wrote a song also entitled "Beulah Land", which was a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

on her 1998 album From the Choirgirl Hotel. Dennis brown mentions it in the song deliverance the destiny beulaland instead of Babylon

Mentions in music

Composer

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...

used the hymn tune "Beulah Land" in his "String Quartet No.1" (1896), entitled "Salvation Army", and the second movement of his 4th Symphony. In the final moments of the opera The Ballad of Baby Doe, by

Douglas Moore Douglas Stuart Moore (August 10, 1893 – July 25, 1969) was an American composer, songwriter, organist, pianist, Conducting, conductor, educator, actor, and author. A composer who mainly wrote works with an American subject, his music is genera ...

, the title character, referring to her husband, sings "In the circle of his arms I am safe in Beulah Land." The

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

song, "Take Care Of All My Children," includes the line "I'll be goin' up to Beulah Land." The Vigilantes of Love song "Earth Has No Sorrow" from the album ''Killing Floor'', includes the line "I hear angels 'cross that river in Beulah land". Songwriter Drew Nelson won international acclaim with the 2009 album "Dusty Road to Beulah Land", produced by Michael Crittenden of Mackinaw Harvest Music. The album has been described as "a love song to the state of Michigan." Local community radio station WYCE in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, honored it as the "Best Local Album" at the 2010 Jammie Awards.

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

says that she will go “out sightseeing in Beulah” in her 1947 Gospel hit “I Will Move On Up A Little Higher”.

Books

* Modern author Krista McGruder, a native of the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

, entitled her 2003 collection of short stories "Beulah Land". The final story in the collection is also titled "Beulah Land". * Mary Lee Settle,

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

winner for '' Blood Ties'', (Houghton Mifflin 1977), wrote a series of novels called the Beulah Quintet. ''O Beulah Land'' (Viking, 1956; Scribner Signature Edition, 1987; University of South Carolina Press, 1996) is Volume II in the series. *Oregonian novelist H. L. Davis, best known for his 1935 Pulitzer Prize–winning ''

Honey in the Horn ''Honey in the Horn'' is a 1935 in literature, 1935 debut novel by Harold L. Davis. The novel received the Harper Prize for best first novel of 1935 and won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1936. The title of the book is from a line in a squ ...

'', wrote a 1949 novel called ''Beulah Land'' about the travails and westward travels of a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

family from the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

. A coffee shop and bar called Beulahland (one word) in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, is possibly named after Davis' novel. *''Sweet Beulah Land'' is a 1999 novel by North Carolina writer Bernice Kelly Harris. *''Fire in Beulah'' is a 2001 novel by Rilla Askew. *In

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

, Chapter XV, the title character, having saved Mr. Rochester from the fire in his bedroom, returns to her own bed but does not go to sleep. “Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea, where billows of trouble rolled under surges of joy. I thought sometimes I saw beyond its wild waters a shore, sweet as the hills of Beulah; and now and then a freshening gale, wakened by hope, bore my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne: but I could not reach it, even in fancy ….” *In ''Samantha at Saratoga'' by Marietta Holley, Beulah is compared with

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...

by Josiah Allen and Samantha.

Places

* Welsh immigrants founded Beulah, Pennsylvania, in 1796. It is today a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

(see Ghost Town Trail). * Beulah Land Baptist Church is in Yazoo City, Mississippi. * Beulahland, Virginia, is an unincorporated community in King and Queen County, Virginia. * Beulah, Victoria,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

* Beulah Park, South Australia, Australia * Beulah Park, Ohio *

Beulah, Michigan Beulah ( ) is a Village (United States), village in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Benzie County, Michigan, Benzie County, and is located within Benzonia Township, Michigan, Benzonia Township. The village had a population of ...

Beulah, North Dakota Beulah is a city in Mercer County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 3,058 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Beulah is home to the Dakota Gasification Company. It is near the largest lignite mine in the United States, ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Camp meeting origin
American Christian hymns 1870s songs Book of Isaiah 19th-century hymns