עֹלָה
𐤏𐤋𐤄
ʻôlâh
H5930 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An offering or sacrifice that is entirely burned upon the altar, with nothing retained by offerer or priests; fundamentally, a sacrificial act characterized by the complete consumption of the victim by fire. Typically refers to the whole burnt offering presented to the God of Israelite worship, symbolizing total dedication or submission. The term can also denote the act or process of the offering ascending (by fire or smoke) or, in certain cases, ascent or stairway.
Semantic Range
whole burnt offering, sacrifice entirely consumed by fire, act of ascending in smoke, stairway or means of ascent, ascent in general
Root / Etymology
From the root עלה (עָלָה), meaning 'to go up, ascend.' The noun עֹלָה is a feminine active participle, describing something that ascends, reflecting either the physical rising of smoke from a burnt offering or metaphorically the act of rising or an ascent. The derivational pathway is from the root meaning 'to ascend' to the ritual context of an offering ascending in fire and smoke.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Israelite cultic practice, the עֹלָה is distinguished from other sacrifices such as the זֶבַח (zevaḥ, 'slaughter offering') or שֶׁלֶם (shelem, 'well-being offering/sharing offering'), as it is entirely immolated, signifying the complete surrender and consecration to the deity, with no portion eaten by priests or offerers. The עֹלָה is one of the most frequently mentioned sacrifices in the Torah (e.g., Leviticus 1; Exodus 29), with specified ritual procedures. In certain contexts, especially outside cultic instructions (e.g., Judges 20:40), the word can refer more generally to 'ascending' (e.g., ascent by stair or smoke). In later periods, Greek translations (LXX) rendered the term as 'holokaustōma' (ὁλοκαύτωμα), the root of the English 'holocaust' (but not reflecting earlier Hebrew nuances). The English translation 'burnt offering' narrowly reflects the sacrificial aspect, omitting the nuance of ascent or totality of consumption. Use of 'burnt offering' does not occur outside ritual contexts; other meanings (such as 'ascent') are attested but much rarer and usually contextually clear by accompanying language. The meaning and ritual of עֹלָה developed in relation to evolving Israelite sacrificial systems, remaining central in priestly texts and in Second Temple period references. The term is not synonymous with later English or religious concepts of 'sacrifice' or 'holocaust.' In post-exilic and later Hellenistic contexts, shift of meaning toward the technical ritual sense is observable. In rare poetic usages, can convey either literal ascending or metaphorical rising, but most frequently denotes the total burnt offering.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or עוֹלָה; feminine active participle of עָלָה; a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke); ascent, burnt offering (sacrifice), go up to. See also עֶוֶל.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
עלה (ʿ-l-h) — ascend, go up, rise
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H421 | אָלָה | Lofty One |
| H422 | אָלָה | he ascended |
| H4605 | מַעַל | upward |
| H4607 | מֹעַל | in hand-raising |
| H4608 | מַעֲלֶה | at the ascent |
Word Forms
34 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5930-04 |
הָ/עֹלָ֗ה | haolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the burnt offering | the ascending-offering | 73 |
H5930-15 |
עֹלָ֔ה | olah | HNcfsa |
burnt offering | ascending offering | 56 |
H5930-20 |
עֹלֹ֖ת | olot | HNcfpa |
burnt offerings | ascending-offerings | 38 |
H5930-09 |
לְ/עֹלָ֔ה | leolah | HR/Ncfsa |
for a burnt offering | for an ascending-offering | 35 |
H5930-16 |
עֹלַ֤ת | olat | HNcfsc |
burnt offering | ascending-offering of | 26 |
H5930-19 |
עֹֽלָת/וֹ֙ | olato | HNcfsc/Sp3ms |
his burnt offering | his ascending-offering | 7 |
H5930-24 |
עֹלֹ֣תֵי/כֶ֔ם | oloteykhem | HNcfpc/Sp2mp |
your burnt offerings | your ascending-offerings | 6 |
H5930-23 |
עֹלֹתֶ֨י/ךָ֙ | oloteykha | HNcfpc/Sp2ms |
your burnt offerings | your ascending-offerings | 5 |
H5930-33 |
וְ/עֹל֑וֹת | veolot | HC/Ncfpa |
and burnt offerings | ascending-offerings | 5 |
H5930-07 |
לָֽ/עֹלָה֙ | laolah | HRd/Ncfsa |
for the burnt offering | for an ascending-offering | 5 |
Occurrences in Scripture
289 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5930-20 |
Genesis 8:20 | עֹלֹ֖ת | olot | HNcfpa |
burnt offerings | ascending-offerings |
H5930-09 |
Genesis 22:2 | לְ/עֹלָ֔ה | leolah | HR/Ncfsa |
as a burnt offering | for an ascending-offering |
H5930-15 |
Genesis 22:3 | עֹלָ֔ה | olah | HNcfsa |
for the burnt offering | ascending offering |
H5930-04 |
Genesis 22:6 | הָ/עֹלָ֗ה | haolah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the burnt offering | the ascending-offering |
H5930-09 |
Genesis 22:7 | לְ/עֹלָֽה | leolah | HR/Ncfsa |
for a burnt offering | for an ascending-offering |
H5930-09 |
Genesis 22:8 | לְ/עֹלָ֖ה | leolah | HR/Ncfsa |
for a burnt offering | for an ascending-offering |
H5930-09 |
Genesis 22:13 | לְ/עֹלָ֖ה | leolah | HR/Ncfsa |
as a burnt offering | for an ascending-offering |
H5930-33 |
Exodus 10:25 | וְ/עֹל֑וֹת | veolot | HC/Ncfpa |
and burnt offerings | ascending-offerings |
H5930-15 |
Exodus 18:12 | עֹלָ֥ה | olah | HNcfsa |
a burnt offering | ascending offering |
H5930-23 |
Exodus 20:24 | עֹלֹתֶ֨י/ךָ֙ | oloteykha | HNcfpc/Sp2ms |
your burnt offerings | your ascending-offerings |