← H5944 H5946 →

עֶלְיוֹן

𐤏𐤋𐤉𐤅𐤍

ʻelyôwn

H5945 adjective

SILEX Entry

Definition

ʻelyôwn functions primarily as an adjective meaning 'high, upper, exalted.' As a substantive or title, it refers to 'the Most High,' indicating the highest status, most often applied to deities, especially the God of Israel. It is employed in geographic, architectural, and social contexts to denote something set above others. As a divine title, it emphasizes supreme authority or position.

Semantic Range

high, upper, exalted, uppermost, highest, Most High (divine title), upper part (of a place or structure), highest rank or position

Root / Etymology

The word derives from the root ע־ל־ה (עלה), meaning 'to go up, ascend, be high.' ʻelyôwn is the qal adjective form denoting the quality of height or loftiness, applied literally or metaphorically.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ʻelyôwn appears throughout the Hebrew Bible to indicate physical height (e.g., upper rooms, upper regions), but its most prominent use is as a divine epithet, particularly in psalms and poetic passages (e.g., Psalm 7:18[17], 78:35), emphasizing the transcendent status of Israel's deity over all other gods, rulers, or powers. In non-Israelite literature and some inscriptions from surrounding cultures, comparable titles are given to supreme gods, which may reflect near eastern concepts of divine hierarchy. Early Israelite texts use 'Elohim ʻelyôwn' (God Most High), sometimes seen alongside El Elyon, which may reflect a period when divine titles were more fluidly applied. English translations traditionally render ʻelyôwn as 'Most High,' particularly when it refers to the God of Israel; however, in architectural or geographic contexts (as in 'upper city' or 'upper room'), this is rendered as 'upper' or 'highest.' Care must be taken not to read later theological connotations of 'supreme being' or 'monotheistic uniqueness' back into every occurrence. In post-exilic and Second Temple literature, ʻelyôwn as a title becomes more prominent and increasingly specialized as the supreme divine epithet, often reflected in Greek as 'Hypsistos.'

Translation Consistency

primary "high" 4 occurrences

ʻelyôwn primarily means “high/upper/exalted” in both physical and figurative senses. Choosing the uninflected adjective “high” gives a natural, versatile base that covers geographic/architectural uses (upper, uppermost), social or rank senses (exalted, highest), and can be rendered as the conventional title “the Most High” when the substantive/divine sense is required. “High” is the most neutral, widely applicable English headword for consistent rendering.

Alternatives (46 occurrences):
"highest one" (30x) "upper" (10x) "highest" (2x) "uppermost" (1x) "heap of ruins" (1x) "upper ones" (1x) "exalted" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עָלָה; an elevation, i.e. (adj.) lofty (compar.); as title, the Supreme; (Most, on) high(-er, -est), upper(-most).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

עלה (Ilay) — to go up, ascend, rise

Root עלה to go up, to ascend, to be high
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4605 מַעַל upward
H4607 מֹעַל in hand-raising
H4608 מַעֲלֶה at the ascent
H4609 מַעֲלָה in the ascents
H5866 עִילַי Elevated-one

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5945-01 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One 32
H5945-02 הָ/עֶלְי֑וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper 11
H5945-03 הָֽ/עֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה haeleyonah HTd/Aafsa the upper the uppermost the highest 4
H5945-06 וְ/עֶלְי֖וֹן veeleyon HC/Aamsa and the Most High Exalted One and the High One 3
H5945-05 לְ/עֶלְיֽוֹן leeleyon HR/Aamsa the Most High to the Highest One to the Highest One 2
H5945-04 הָ/עֶלְיוֹנֹ֖ת haeleyonot HTd/Aafpa upper the upper ones the upper ones 1

Occurrences in Scripture

53 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5945-01 Genesis 14:18 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Genesis 14:19 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Genesis 14:20 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Genesis 14:22 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-02 Genesis 40:17 הָֽ/עֶלְי֔וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa uppermost the Most High the uppermost
H5945-01 Numbers 24:16 עֶלְי֑וֹן eleyon HAamsa of the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Deuteronomy 26:19 עֶלְי֗וֹן eleyon HAamsa high Highest One high
H5945-01 Deuteronomy 28:1 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa high Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Deuteronomy 32:8 עֶלְיוֹן֙ eleyon HAamsa the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Joshua 16:5 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa the upper Highest One the upper
H5945-06 2 Samuel 22:14 וְ/עֶלְי֖וֹן veeleyon HC/Aamsa and-the-Most-High Exalted One and the High One
H5945-01 1 Kings 9:8 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa a-heap-of-ruins Highest One a heap of ruins
H5945-02 2 Kings 15:35 הָ/עֶלְיֽוֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper
H5945-03 2 Kings 18:17 הָֽ/עֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה haeleyonah HTd/Aafsa the upper the uppermost the upper
H5945-03 Isaiah 7:3 הָ/עֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה haeleyonah HTd/Aafsa upper the uppermost the highest
H5945-05 Isaiah 14:14 לְ/עֶלְיֽוֹן leeleyon HR/Aamsa the Most High to the Highest One to the Highest One
H5945-03 Isaiah 36:2 הָ/עֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה haeleyonah HTd/Aafsa the upper the uppermost the upper
H5945-02 Jeremiah 20:2 הָֽ/עֶלְי֔וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper
H5945-02 Jeremiah 36:10 הָ/עֶלְי֗וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa upper the Most High the upper
H5945-02 Ezekiel 9:2 הָ/עֶלְי֜וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper
H5945-03 Ezekiel 41:7 הָ/עֶלְיוֹנָ֖ה haeleyonah HTd/Aafsa the highest the uppermost the highest
H5945-04 Ezekiel 42:5 הָ/עֶלְיוֹנֹ֖ת haeleyonot HTd/Aafpa upper the upper ones the upper ones
H5945-01 Psalms 7:18 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 9:3 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa O Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-06 Psalms 18:14 וְ֭/עֶלְיוֹן veeleyon HC/Aamsa and the Most High Exalted One and the High One
H5945-01 Psalms 21:8 עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן eleyon HAamsa of the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 46:5 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 47:3 עֶלְי֣וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-05 Psalms 50:14 לְ/עֶלְי֣וֹן leeleyon HR/Aamsa to the Most High to the Highest One to the Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 57:3 עֶלְי֑וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-06 Psalms 73:11 בְ/עֶלְיֽוֹן veeleyon HR/Aamsa with the Most High Exalted One and the High One
H5945-01 Psalms 77:11 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa of the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 78:17 עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן eleyon HAamsa the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 78:35 עֶ֝לְיוֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 78:56 עֶלְי֑וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 82:6 עֶלְי֣וֹן eleyon HAamsa the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 83:19 עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 87:5 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa will establish Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 89:28 עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן eleyon HAamsa highest Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 91:1 עֶלְי֑וֹן eleyon HAamsa of the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 91:9 עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 92:2 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 97:9 עֶלְי֥וֹן eleyon HAamsa Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Psalms 107:11 עֶלְי֣וֹן eleyon HAamsa the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Lamentations 3:35 עֶלְיֽוֹן eleyon HAamsa the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-01 Lamentations 3:38 עֶלְיוֹן֙ eleyon HAamsa the Most High Highest One Highest One
H5945-02 Nehemiah 3:25 הָֽ/עֶלְי֔וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper
H5945-02 1 Chronicles 7:24 הָ/עֶלְי֑וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper
H5945-01 2 Chronicles 7:21 עֶלְי֔וֹן eleyon HAamsa high Highest One exalted
H5945-02 2 Chronicles 8:5 הָֽ/עֶלְי֔וֹן haeleyon HTd/Aamsa the upper the Most High the upper
← H5944 Hebrew Lexicon H5946 →