בָּקַע (b. h.; √בק , v. בְּקָא) 1) to split, chop; to break through. B. Mets. 99ᵃ בָּ׳ בו; (Kidd. 47ᵇ בִּיקַּע) if he chopped wood with it. Gen. R. s. 55, end; Koh. R. to X, 9; II, 23, v. בְּקִיעָה. Ex. R. s. 21 אני בוֹקֵעַ להם וכ׳ I am going to split the sea for them; a. fr.—Lam. R. to II, 2 בקעו בחיילותיו וכ׳ broke through the lines of N.’s armies; Y. Taan. IV, 69ᵇ top ברחו לתוך. —2) to cross, make a short cut, pass over. Y. Pes. I, 27ᵇ bot. חצר שהרבים בּוֹקְעִין וכ׳ a court which people use for crossing. Erub. 16ᵇ; Sabb. 101ᵇ (a low wall) שהגדיים וכ׳ ב׳ over which the kids pass; v. בִּקְעָה. —3) (cmp. בִּצְבֵּץ) to break through the ground, esp. as a legal fiction for a levitical impurity the cause of which is underground, but which affects the things above and beneath. Ohol. VI, 6 טומאה בּוֹקַעַת וכ׳ the impurity breaks through the ground and rises, and breaks through and goes down; a. fr.—Koh. R. III, 16 היה הדם בו׳ ועולה the blood broke through and rose. Midr. Till. to Ps. LXXVIII, 45 ב׳ את הצור, ב׳ בצור break through (take root in) the rock; a. fr.
Nif. - נִבְקַע to be split, to burst open. Ib. הסיפין נבקעין וכ׳ the door sells were burst before them. Ib. נ׳ הספל מאליו the vessel went to pieces of itself. Gen. R. s. 55, end זכה להִבָּקַע הים וכ׳ he was rewarded by the sea being divided before the children of Israel. Ḥull. 14ᵇ שמא יִבָּקַע הנוד the wine bottle may burst; a. fr.
Pi. - בִּקַּע, בִּיקַּע 1) to split, chop, tear. Kidd. 47ᵇ, v. supra. Y. Bets. I, 60ᵃ bot.; Y. Ab. Zar. II, 41ᶜ bot. שביקעו (שבקעו) להם וכ׳ of whose flocks the wolves had torn more than &c. Bets. IV, 3 אין מְבַקְּעִין וכ׳ one must not split woods (on Holy Days) etc. Sifré Deut. 183 (ref. to Deut. XIX, 5) מן העץ המְבַקֵּעַ from the splitting wood (the handle), opp. העץ המִתְבַּקֵּעַ the split wood (the tree). Tanḥ. Vayetse 9 בַּקְּעִי וכ׳ chop thou &c.—Part. pass. מְבוּקָּע. Ab. Zar. 65ᵇ מְבוּקָּעוֹת grapes burst open. —2) to jam in, wedge. Sabb. 67ᵇ המְבַקַּעַת ביצים (Rashi Var. המקבעת, Ms. M. עצים) one who squeezes egg-shells &c. (a superstitious practice; Tosef. ib. VI (VII), 18 הנותנת בצים … בכותל).