אָלָה
𐤀𐤋𐤄
ʼâlâh
H423 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A solemn imprecation or curse, often in the context of an oath or covenant, whereby a person invokes misfortune or divine judgment upon themselves or others in the event of unfaithfulness or wrongdoing. The word denotes both the pronouncement of a curse and the content or formula of the curse itself. In oath contexts, it may refer to an oath that includes a conditional curse, signaling severe consequences for breach of agreement.
Semantic Range
imprecation, conditional curse, oath formula invoking curse, curse pronounced in a legal or covenantal setting, execration, invocation of disaster as sanction
Root / Etymology
From the root אָלָה (אל״ה), meaning to swear, bind with an oath, or invoke consequences. The noun develops from the sense of invoking a solemn curse or imprecation, particularly as part of legal or covenantal language.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early Israelite society, אָלָה primarily referred to a formal imprecation through which one obligated oneself (or others) to severe consequences if certain conditions were violated. This is distinct from an unstructured spoken curse (e.g., אָרָר), as אָלָה typically appears in legal, covenantal, or ritual contexts. In Deuteronomic and priestly literature, אָלָה is often featured as the public proclamation of covenant curses (e.g., Deut 27–29), binding the community to the stipulations of a covenant with an explicit threat of divine sanction. In ritual practice, an אָלָה could be inscribed, recited, or symbolically enacted. The term is not limited to negativity: its primary sense is of the invocation of a conditional curse, whether for self-binding or as part of juridical procedure. The word does not refer to the generic act of cursing someone (as in English 'curse'), but to an oath-bound legal curse—a fact sometimes obscured in traditional English translations. In later periods, the idea persists but may be replaced in ordinary speech by related terms like קַלָּלָה (qalalah, curse proper).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָלָה; an imprecation; curse, cursing, execration, oath, swearing.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אלה (ʾ-l-h) — to swear, bind by oath, invoke a curse
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H412 | אֵל | these |
| H414 | אֵלָא | Elah |
| H422 | אָלָה | you swore an oath |
| H424 | אֵלָה | her strong oak |
| H425 | אֵלָה | Elah |
Word Forms
12 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H423-01 |
אָלָ֛ה | alah | HNcfsa |
oath | solemn curse-oath | 11 |
H423-06 |
הָ/אָלָה֒ | haalah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the curse | the oath-curse | 6 |
H423-08 |
לְ/אָלָ֥ה | lealah | HR/Ncfsa |
a curse | to a sworn-curse | 5 |
H423-05 |
בְּ/אָלָ֔ה | bealah | HR/Ncfsa |
into a curse | with a curse-oath | 3 |
H423-07 |
הָ/אָלֹ֥ת | haalot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the curses | the oath-imprecations | 3 |
H423-10 |
מֵ/אָ֣לָתִ֔/י | mealati | HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs |
from my oath | from my sworn-curse | 2 |
H423-12 |
וּ/בְ/אָלָת֑/וֹ | uvealato | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and into His oath | and in his oath-curse | 1 |
H423-02 |
אָֽלָתִ/י֙ | alati | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
my oath | my curse-oath | 1 |
H423-03 |
אָ֣לָת֔/וֹ | alato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his oath | his oath-curse | 1 |
H423-09 |
לְ/הַֽאֲלֹת֑/וֹ | lehaaloto | HR/Vhc/Sp3ms |
to make him swear | to bind him by oath-curse | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
36 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H423-10 |
Genesis 24:41 | מֵ/אָ֣לָתִ֔/י | mealati | HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs |
from my oath | from my sworn-curse |
H423-10 |
Genesis 24:41 | מֵ/אָלָתִֽ/י | mealati-2 | HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs |
from my oath | from my sworn-curse |
H423-01 |
Genesis 26:28 | אָלָ֛ה | alah | HNcfsa |
an oath | solemn curse-oath |
H423-01 |
Leviticus 5:1 | אָלָ֔ה | alah | HNcfsa |
of adjuration | solemn curse-oath |
H423-06 |
Numbers 5:21 | הָ/אָלָה֒ | haalah | HTd/Ncfsa |
of the curse | the oath-curse |
H423-08 |
Numbers 5:21 | לְ/אָלָ֥ה | lealah | HR/Ncfsa |
a curse | to a sworn-curse |
H423-07 |
Numbers 5:23 | הָ/אָלֹ֥ת | haalot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the curses | the oath-imprecations |
H423-08 |
Numbers 5:27 | לְ/אָלָ֖ה | lealah | HR/Ncfsa |
a-curse | to a sworn-curse |
H423-12 |
Deuteronomy 29:11 | וּ/בְ/אָלָת֑/וֹ | uvealato | HC/R/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and into His oath | and in his oath-curse |
H423-06 |
Deuteronomy 29:13 | הָ/אָלָ֖ה | haalah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the-oath | the oath-curse |