לֵילְיָא
𐤋𐤉𐤋𐤉𐤀
lêylᵉyâʼ
H3916 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
(Aramaic) Night; the period of darkness between sunset and sunrise. In all attestations, designates the nocturnal portion of the daily cycle, with emphasis on the cessation of activity, rest, or specific events occurring at night.
Semantic Range
night (the period of darkness), nighttime; the time for rest or inactivity; figuratively, a time of obscurity or mystery
Root / Etymology
Root: ל-י-ל (Aramaic cognate to Hebrew לילה). Derived by extended Aramaic form with -יָא suffix, a characteristic ending in Aramaic nouns of time or condition. The root ל-י-ל carries the sense of covering, concealing, or enveloping, giving rise to the concept of 'night.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
לֵילְיָא is the Aramaic term for 'night,' occurring in the portions of the Hebrew Bible written in Aramaic, such as Ezra and Daniel. It is a direct cognate to the Hebrew לַיְלָה (laylāh) and refers consistently to the hours of darkness as a distinct temporal unit. In Aramaic portions, לֵילְיָא functions in both literal and idiomatic phrases (e.g., 'in the night') just as in Hebrew. Occasionally, Biblical translations render the term generically as 'night,' but do not capture idiomatic or literary nuances such as foreboding, divine visitation, or the period set aside for visions or dreams, which are sometimes emphasized in narrative discourse. The form לֵילְיָא with its characteristic Aramaic ending is distinct from the Hebrew forms found in the rest of the Tanakh. The Strong's gloss erroneously references 'Lael an Israelite,' which is unrelated to this lexeme; לֵילְיָא never appears as a personal name and only as the term for night.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to לָאֵל; {Lael an Israelite}; night.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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ליל (l-y-l) — covering, enveloping, becoming dark
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3916-02 |
לֵילְיָ֖/א | leyleya | ANcmsd/Td |
night | the enveloping-dark | 4 |
H3916-01 |
בְּ/לֵ֣ילְיָ֔/א | beleyleya | AR/Ncmsd/Td |
night | in the night | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3916-02 |
Daniel 2:19 | לֵילְיָ֖/א | leyleya | ANcmsd/Td |
of the night | the enveloping-dark |
H3916-01 |
Daniel 5:30 | בְּ/לֵ֣ילְיָ֔/א | beleyleya | AR/Ncmsd/Td |
night | in the night |
H3916-02 |
Daniel 7:2 | לֵֽילְיָ֑/א | leyleya | ANcmsd/Td |
night | the enveloping-dark |
H3916-02 |
Daniel 7:7 | לֵֽילְיָ֗/א | leyleya | ANcmsd/Td |
night | the enveloping-dark |
H3916-02 |
Daniel 7:13 | לֵֽילְיָ֔/א | leyleya | ANcmsd/Td |
of night | the enveloping-dark |