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עֶלְיוֹן

𐤏𐤋𐤉𐤅𐤍

ʻelyôwn

H5946 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root עלה to ascend, go up, be high, be exalted

Definition

Most High, highest, or exalted; an epithet denoting supreme status, often used of a high god or the God of Israelite religion. May also describe a position of literal or metaphorical height. The primary usage in Biblical Aramaic is as a title for the supreme deity, often in passages with parallel Hebrew references to God as 'Most High' (Elyon).

Semantic Range

highest, most high, supreme, exalted; (as title) the Supreme God, the Most High God; one who is preeminent or surpassingly exalted

Root / Etymology

From the root עָלָה (alah), 'to go up, ascend, be high'. עֶלְיוֹן is the adjectival or nominal form meaning 'high' or 'highest'. The Aramaic form (as found at H5946) corresponds closely to the Hebrew עֶלְיוֹן both in form and function.

Historical & Contextual Notes

As an Aramaic term in the Hebrew Bible (notably Daniel 4–7 and Ezra 7), עֶלְיוֹן functions as a divine title for the high god worshiped by the Babylonian and later Persian courts, often equated with the God worshiped by Israelite exiles. Its usage in Aramaic aligns closely with Hebrew עֶלְיוֹן, notably as an epithet emphasizing universality and supremacy among deities. In later Jewish tradition and translation (e.g., Greek 'ὕψιστος'), the phrase 'Most High' became a standard way to refer to the singular God, but in the earliest texts may carry polemical overtones against polytheistic conceptions. English translations often render this as 'Most High' or 'the Most High God', but may lose the universalizing and comparative nuance present in the Aramaic and Hebrew titles, especially in contexts of royal or cosmic sovereignty. It is distinct from similar adjectives for 'high/exalted' (e.g., רָם ramach), which are not always used as divine titles.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to עֶלְיוֹן; the Supreme; Most high.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עלה (ʿ-l-h) — to ascend, go up, be high, be exalted

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

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5946-01 עֶלְיוֹנִ֑ין eleyonin AAampa of the Most High Highest ones 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5946-01 Daniel 7:18 עֶלְיוֹנִ֑ין eleyonin AAampa the Most High Highest ones
H5946-01 Daniel 7:22 עֶלְיוֹנִ֑ין eleyonin AAamsa of the Most High Highest ones
H5946-01 Daniel 7:25 עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין eleyonin AAampa the Most High Highest ones
H5946-01 Daniel 7:27 עֶלְיוֹנִ֑ין eleyonin AAampa of the Most High Highest ones
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