Baca

Baca, or the valley of Baca, appears in Psalm 84 as a place of weeping or dryness through which pilgrims pass on their way to Yahweh's dwelling. The verse renders the name in its meaning — "the valley of Weeping" — and describes a transformation that overtakes those who travel through it (Ps 84:6).

The Valley of Weeping

In the pilgrimage psalm longing for the courts of Yahweh, the journey passes through hardship: "Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs; Yes, the early rain covers it with blessings" (Ps 84:6). Those whose hearts are set on the pilgrimage do not remain in grief — the valley of Weeping becomes, for them, a place of springs. The early rain arriving as blessing completes the reversal: what was barren or tear-soaked is made fruitful by the movement toward Yahweh's house.