אֵ֫לֶּה
these
‘these’ is one of 3 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Pronoun
- A word standing in for a noun (“he,” “this,” “who”).
Gender
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H428 appears in the Book of Genesis — 78 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis
- Genesis 2:4 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and the heavens.
- Genesis 6:9 אֵ֚לֶּה pron dem cp This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.
- Genesis 9:19 אֵ֖לֶּה וּ/מֵ/אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp conj + prep + pron dem cp These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.
- Genesis 10:1 וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ conj + pron dem cp Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
- Genesis 10:5 מֵ֠/אֵלֶּה prep + pron dem cp Of these were the isles of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
- Genesis 10:20 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, in their nations.
- Genesis 10:29 אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
- Genesis 10:31 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.
- Genesis 10:32 אֵ֣לֶּה וּ/מֵ/אֵ֜לֶּה pron dem cp conj + prep + pron dem cp These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
- Genesis 11:10 אֵ֚לֶּה pron dem cp This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old, and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.
- Genesis 11:27 וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ conj + pron dem cp Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.
- Genesis 14:3 אֵ֨לֶּה֙ pron dem cp All these joined together in the valley of Siddim (the same is the Salt Sea).
- Genesis 15:1 הָ/אֵ֗לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
- Genesis 15:10 אֵ֗לֶּה pron dem cp He took him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't divide the birds.
- Genesis 15:17 הָ/אֵֽלֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
- Genesis 20:8 הָ/אֵ֖לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. The men were very scared.
- Genesis 21:29 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?"
- Genesis 22:1 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" He said, "Here I am."
- Genesis 22:20 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, "Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor:
- Genesis 22:23 אֵ֨לֶּה֙ pron dem cp Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
- Genesis 24:28 הָ/אֵֽלֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp The young lady ran, and told her mother's house about these words.
- Genesis 25:4 אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
- Genesis 25:7 וְ/אֵ֗לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years.
- Genesis 25:12 וְ/אֵ֛לֶּה conj + pron dem cp Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore to Abraham.
- Genesis 25:13 וְ/אֵ֗לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- Genesis 25:16 אֵ֣לֶּה וְ/אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp conj + pron dem cp These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.
- Genesis 25:17 וְ/אֵ֗לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.
- Genesis 25:19 וְ/אֵ֛לֶּה conj + pron dem cp This is the history of the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham became the father of Isaac.
- Genesis 27:46 כָּ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ prep + pron dem cp Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"
- Genesis 29:13 הָ/אֵֽלֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.
- Genesis 31:43 לָ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ prep + pron dem cp Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
- Genesis 32:17 אֵ֥לֶּה pron dem cp He commanded the foremost, saying, "When Esau, my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, 'Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?'
- Genesis 33:5 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, "Who are these with you?" He said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."
- Genesis 34:21 הָ/אֵ֜לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp "These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For, behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
- Genesis 35:26 אֵ֚לֶּה pron dem cp The sons of Zilpah (Leah's handmaid): Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
- Genesis 36:1 וְ/אֵ֛לֶּה conj + pron dem cp Now this is the history of the generations of Esau (the same is Edom).
- Genesis 36:5 אֵ֚לֶּה pron dem cp Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
- Genesis 36:9 וְ/אֵ֛לֶּה conj + pron dem cp This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir:
- Genesis 36:10 אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp these are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau; and Reuel, the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau.
- Genesis 36:12 אֵ֕לֶּה pron dem cp Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
- Genesis 36:13 וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ אֵ֣לֶּ֣ה conj + pron dem cp pron dem cp These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
- Genesis 36:14 וְ/אֵ֣לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These were the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
- Genesis 36:15 אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,
- Genesis 36:16 אֵ֣לֶּה אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp pron dem cp chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek: these are the chiefs who came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah.
- Genesis 36:17 וְ/אֵ֗לֶּה אֵ֣לֶּה אֵ֕לֶּה conj + pron dem cp pron dem cp pron dem cp These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs who came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.
- Genesis 36:18 וְ/אֵ֗לֶּה אֵ֣לֶּה conj + pron dem cp pron dem cp These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah: these are the chiefs who came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.
- Genesis 36:19 אֵ֧לֶּה וְ/אֵ֥לֶּה pron dem cp conj + pron dem cp These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs. The same is Edom.
- Genesis 36:20 אֵ֤לֶּה pron dem cp These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
- Genesis 36:21 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.
- Genesis 36:23 וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ conj + pron dem cp These are the children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
- Genesis 36:24 וְ/אֵ֥לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the children of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he fed the donkeys of Zibeon his father.
- Genesis 36:25 וְ/אֵ֥לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
- Genesis 36:26 וְ/אֵ֖לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
- Genesis 36:27 אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
- Genesis 36:28 אֵ֥לֶּה pron dem cp These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
- Genesis 36:29 אֵ֖לֶּה pron dem cp These are the chiefs who came of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,
- Genesis 36:30 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan: these are the chiefs who came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.
- Genesis 36:31 וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ conj + pron dem cp These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.
- Genesis 36:40 וְ֠/אֵלֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau, according to their families, after their places, and by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,
- Genesis 36:43 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp chief Magdiel, and chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau, the father of the Edomites.
- Genesis 37:2 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
- Genesis 38:25 אֵ֣לֶּה הָ/אֵֽלֶּה pron dem cp ptcl def.art + pron dem cp When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man, whose these are, I am with child." She also said, "Please discern whose are these-- the signet, and the cords, and the staff."
- Genesis 39:7 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph; and she said, "Lie with me."
- Genesis 39:17 הָ/אֵ֖לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp She spoke to him according to these words, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me,
- Genesis 39:19 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, "This is what your servant did to me," that his wrath was kindled.
- Genesis 40:1 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
- Genesis 41:35 הָ/אֵ֑לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
- Genesis 43:7 הָ/אֵ֑לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp They said, "The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'"
- Genesis 44:6 הָ/אֵֽלֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp He overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.
- Genesis 44:7 הָ/אֵ֑לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!
- Genesis 46:8 וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה conj + pron dem cp These are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
- Genesis 46:15 אֵ֣לֶּה pron dem cp These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty-three.
- Genesis 46:18 אֵ֚לֶּה אֵ֨לֶּה֙ pron dem cp pron dem cp These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls.
- Genesis 46:22 אֵ֚לֶּה pron dem cp These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.
- Genesis 46:25 אֵ֚לֶּה אֵ֛לֶּה pron dem cp pron dem cp These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were seven.
- Genesis 48:1 הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה ptcl def.art + pron dem cp It happened after these things, that someone said to Joseph, "Behold, your father is sick." He took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
- Genesis 48:8 אֵֽלֶּה pron dem cp Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"
- Genesis 49:28 אֵ֛לֶּה pron dem cp All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them. He blessed everyone according to his blessing.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“these” is the headline sense of the Hebrew word אלה (ʼêl-leh). First canonically at Genesis 2:4, it enters the text early. It appears 697 verses across 32 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its most common vocabulary. Its meaning spans more than one sense — see its full sense range. Related forms include אל, אל and אלה. See the sense tree, 697-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H428 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 697
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 697 distinct verses.
- 32 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 32 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #68
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 68 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 697 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Genesis 78 verses 11%
- 1 Chronicles 77 verses 11%
- Numbers 71 verses 10%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 697 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 283 verses · 41%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 246 verses · 35%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 168 verses · 24%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 4 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Other 2×, Were 2×
- American Standard Version†: These 4×, Others 2×, Things 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: These 445×, Things 34×, This 27×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: These 523×, Are 62×, Were 57×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H428 across 20† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 16 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H428 across 19† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 11 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H428 across 690† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 60 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 54 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H428 across 830† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 30 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
13 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each.
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 13 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
אלה I
- a. Gn 2:4 & often: in appos. to a subst. with a pron. suff. (always without the art.) Ex 9:14 (read with Hi. אֵלֶּה בְּךָ for אֶל־לִבֵּךָ) 10:1 אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה these my signs, 11:8 Dt 11:18 1 K 8:59; 10:8; 22:23 2 K 1:13 Je 31:21 Ezr 2:65 Ne 6:14; in the genit. 2 K 6:20 Is 47:9 Dt 18:12 ψ 15:5; and after כל Gn 14:3 + often Standing alone in a neuter sense, these things (rare in best prose, & not very common in poetry), with עָשָׂה Dt 18:12; 22:5; 25:16 2 S 23:17, 22 ψ 15:5 +; with other vbs. Ezr 9:1 Is 44:21; 47:7 Je 13:22 Ho 14:10 ψ 42:5; 50:21; 107:43 Jb 8:2; with אֶת־ Nu 15:13 Is 48:14; with כָּל־ Ju 13:23 Is 66:2 +; v. also some of the cases with preps. sub d. אלה may point indifferently to what follows, Gn 6:9; 10:1; 25:7, 12, 13 ψ 42:5; or to what has preceded, Gn 9:19; 10:20, 31, 32; 25:4 Lv 21:14; 22:22 ψ 15:5; = such as these (τοιαῦτα), ψ 73:12 Jb 18:21. e.g. Genesis 2:4
- b. repeated, אלה … ואלה, these … those Dt 27:12, 13 Jos 8:22 Is 49:12 (3 times) ψ 20:8 +. e.g. Deuteronomy 27:12
- c. with art. (only after a subst. determined by art. (except Gn 21:29 Jos 17:9 עָרִים הָאֵלֶּה read הֶעָרִים, cf. 17:12; 19:8, 16, 31, 48, etc. Ez 42:9)) הָאֵלֶּה Gn 15:1 +. e.g. Genesis 21:29
- d. with preps.: בְּאֵלָּה Lv 25:54; 26:23 1 K 22:11 (7 times), בָּאֵלֶּה †1 S 16:10; 17:39; לְאֵלֶּה Lv 11:24 (4 times), לָאֵלֶּה 1 K 22:17 (5 times); מֵאֵלֶּה Gn 9:19 (16 times); עַד אֵלֶּה Lv 26:18; עַל־אֵלָּה on account of these things Is 57:6; 64:11 Je 5:9 al.; כְּאֵלֶּה †Jb 16:2 Je 10:16 = 51:19, כָּאֵלֶּה †Gn 27:46 Lv 10:19 (things like these, so Is 66:8 Je 18:13) Nu 28:24 P (cf. Ez 45:25) 2 K 25:17 = Je 52:22, כְּמוֹ־אֵלֶּה †Jb 12:3. e.g. Leviticus 25:54
אלה II swear, curse (cf. I. אלה? so Thes LagOr ii. 3)
Qal
- Pf. 1 K 8:31 (= 2 Ch 6:22 all Vrss Th Bö Bä Kp reading וְאָלָה); אָלִית Ju 17:2; Inf. abs. אָלֹה Ho 4:2; אָלוֹת Ho 10:4. e.g. 1 Kings 8:31
- 1. swear, take oath before God 1 K 8:31 (= 2 Ch 6:22); in covenants Ho 4:2; 10:4 (falsely). e.g. 1 Kings 8:31
- 2. curse Ju 17:2. e.g. Judges 17:2
Hiphil
- Impf. וַיֹּ֫אֶ֗ל 1 S 14:24; Inf. לְהַאֲלֹתוֹ 1 K 8:31 = 2 Ch 6:22 adjure, put under oath. e.g. 1 Samuel 14:24
אלה III oath Gn 26
- 1. oath in testimony Lv 5:1 Nu 5:21(×2) (P) Pr 29:24; בא באלה come into an oath Ne 10:30; הביא באלה bring into an oath Ez 17:13; נשׂא אלה 1 K 8:31 (= 2 Ch 6:22). e.g. Leviticus 5:1
- 2. oath of covenant Gn 24:41(×2); 26:28 (J) Dt 29:11, 13; בזה אלה despise an oath Ez 16:59; 17:16, 18, 19. e.g. Genesis 24:41
- 3. curse (a) from God Nu 5:23 (P) Dt 29:18, 19, 20; 30:7 2 Ch 34:24 Is 24:6 Je 23:10 Dn 9:11 Zc 5:3; (b) from men Jb 31:30 ψ 10:7; 59:13. e.g. Numbers 5:23
- 4. execration in the phrase היה לאלה become an execration Nu 5:27 (P) Je 29:18; 42:18; 44:12. e.g. Numbers 5:27
אלה IV wail (Aramaic אֲלָא, ܐܶܠܴܐ ) only
Qal
- Imv. fs. אֱלִי Jo 1:8 (v. אַלְלַי). e.g. Joel 1:8
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. (أُولَى, እሉ: እላ: Rabb. אֵלּוּ, Aramaic אִלֵּין, & compd. with ܗܳܐ and ܐܰܝ in ܗܳܠܶܝܢ, ܐܰܝܠܶܝܢ ) pr.pl.m. & f. these, in usage the pl. of זֶה.
I. vb. swear, curse (cf. I. אלה? so Thes LagOr ii. 3)—
II. n.f. oath Gn 26:28 +; sf. אָלָתִי, אָלָתוֹ Gn 24:41 + (4 times); pl. אָלוֹת Dt 29:20 + (4 times)
III. vb. wail (Aramaic אֲלָא, ܐܶܠܴܐ ) only
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from אל (ʼêl) (H411) — these.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אָלָה
- to curse, v. אלי.
אָלָה ²
- imprecation, curse. Sot. II, 5 (17ᵃ); a. fr.—Pl. אָלוֹת. Ib. a. e.
אֵלֶּה
- c. pl. (b. h.; v. preced.) these, those (cmp. הרי). Ex. R. s. 30 v’elleh (and this) adds to the preceding (continues), elleh (these) restricts. V. אֵלּוּ.
אֵלָה
- v. preced. ws.) terebinth. Shebi. VII, 5.
אלה
- Sabb. 90ᵃ Ar., v. אֵילָא 3.
אַלָּה
- Josh. XXIV, 26; v. אַלָּתָא) [pointed, prominent] e.g. Joshua 24:26
- 1. lance, fork. Kel. XVI, 8 חפוי הא׳, v. חִפּוּי. Pes. 57ᵃ אוי לי מֵאַלָּתָן woe to me (I am afraid) of their fork (weapon). Sabb. VI, 3 (63ᵃ) ed. (Ms. אלא); Y. ibid. 8ᵇ (expl. דייקרן).
- 2. sign-pole, used in the barn as a mark. Ib.; Y. Maasr. I, 49ᵃ bot.; Tosef. Ter. III, 11 משתיעקר הא׳ (ed. Zuck. משיתעשר, corr. acc.) as soon as the sign-pole (fork) is removed (indicating that the grain is ready for use and priestly gifts).
אֱלָהּ
- (= h. אֱלוֹהַּ) God. Dan. III, 28; a. fr.—Targ. O. Deut. XXXIII, 26; a. fr.—Lev. R. s. 5, end את אלה רב Ar. (ed. אלוה). Y. B. Mets. II, 8ᶜ אלההון דיהודאי the God of the Jews. Y. Snh. X, 28ᵇ.—Pl. (also plur. majest.) אֱלָהִין. Dan. II, 11; a. e.—אֱלָהַיָּא. Jer. X, 11. Targ. Ps. CXXXVI, 2 אלהי אלהיא the God of gods. [Gen. R. s. 26 כומריא גנבו א׳ וכ׳ (read אלהון) when priests rob—who would swear by their god?] Ib. (ref. to Gen. VI, 2).—Lev. R. s. 33 תמן קריין … אֱלָהַיָּיא there (in Rome) they call their kings gods. e.g. Daniel 3:28
אלי I
- to curse. Sifré Num. 18 (ref. to Num. XVIII, 21) לאלה שיהו אָלִין בה וכ׳ ‘as a curse’ means that people shall curse by her (pointing to her), ‘may happen unto thee what happened to …’. e.g. Numbers 18:21
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 78 distinct written forms H428 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| הָ/אֵ֔לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Amos 6:2 | 68 |
| אֵ֖לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ecclesiastes 7:28 | 58 |
| אֵ֣לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 1:1 | 57 |
| הָ/אֵ֑לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 10:15 | 50 |
| הָ/אֵ֖לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 7:17 | 50 |
| הָ/אֵֽלֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 16:12 | 41 |
| אֵ֥לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 5:3 | 28 |
| אֵ֑לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 18:12 | 26 |
| אֵ֚לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 12:2 | 25 |
| אֵ֛לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ecclesiastes 11:9 | 24 |
| וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 11:41 | 22 |
| הָ/אֵ֗לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 6:6 | 21 |
| אֵֽלֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 11:4 | 18 |
| הָ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 1:17 | 18 |
| וְ/אֵ֣לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ezra 2:1 | 15 |
| אֵ֔לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 10:21 | 14 |
| וְ/אֵ֖לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 22:17 | 14 |
| וְ/אֵ֛לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 27:13 | 14 |
| אֵ֤לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Exodus 32:4 | 13 |
| אֵ֨לֶּה֙ | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 25:3 | 13 |
| וְ/אֵ֗לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Exodus 1:1 | 13 |
| וְ/אֵ֥לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Daniel 12:2 | 12 |
| אֵ֗לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Exodus 6:25 | 11 |
| אֵ֕לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ezra 10:44 | 10 |
| וְ/אֵ֨לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Exodus 6:16 | 9 |
| הָ/אֵ֜לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Esther 9:31 | 7 |
| אֵ֜לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 3:5 | 6 |
| הָ/אֵ֛לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 31:3 | 6 |
| אֵ֠לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 12:1 | 4 |
| מֵ/אֵ֖לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ezekiel 16:5 | 4 |
| מֵ/אֵֽלֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ezekiel 8:15 | 4 |
| אֵ֧לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Genesis 36:19 | 3 |
| אֵ֭לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Job 18:21 | 3 |
| אֵלֶּה֩ | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 29:1 | 3 |
| הָ/אֵ֤לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Esther 9:26 | 3 |
| הָ/אֵלֶּה֮ | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ezekiel 14:16 | 3 |
| וְ/אֵ֤לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Chronicles 3:1 | 3 |
| לָ/אֵ֔לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Kings 22:17 | 3 |
| אֵ֨לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Exodus 11:8 | 2 |
| בְּ/אֵ֛לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Kings 22:11 | 2 |
| הָ/אֵ֡לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Deuteronomy 5:22 | 2 |
| הָ֠/אֵלֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Esther 9:28 | 2 |
| וְ/כָ/אֵ֛לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 2 Kings 25:17 | 2 |
| וְ֠/אֵלֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Genesis 36:40 | 2 |
| וּ/מֵ/אֵ֖לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Genesis 9:19 | 2 |
| כְ/אֵ֜לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Jeremiah 10:16 | 2 |
| כָּ/אֵ֑לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Jeremiah 18:13 | 2 |
| מֵ/אֵ֑לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Ecclesiastes 7:10 | 2 |
| מֵ/אֵ֗לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Chronicles 2:53 | 2 |
| אֵ֣לֶּ֣ה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Genesis 36:13 | 1 |
| אֵ֦לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Kings 20:29 | 1 |
| בְ/אֵ֥לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Jeremiah 9:24 | 1 |
| בְּ/אֵ֑לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Leviticus 25:54 | 1 |
| בְּ/אֵ֔לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Leviticus 26:23 | 1 |
| בְּ/אֵ֨לֶּה֙ | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Chronicles 7:29 | 1 |
| בָּ/אֵ֖לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Samuel 17:39 | 1 |
| בָּ/אֵֽלֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Samuel 16:10 | 1 |
| ה/אהל | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | 1 Kings 7:45 | 1 |
| הָ/אֵ֔לֶה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Zechariah 4:11 | 1 |
| הָ/אֵ֧לֶּה | Pronoun, Demonstrative, Common, Plural | Joshua 4:7 | 1 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 18 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H428, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 661 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 697 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:4
- Exodus 1:1
- Leviticus 2:8
- Numbers 1:5
- Deuteronomy 1:1
- Joshua 4:6
- Judges 2:4
- Ruth 3:17
- 1 Samuel 2:23
- 2 Samuel 2:13
- 1 Kings 4:2
- 2 Kings 1:7
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
