לָאֵל
𐤋𐤀𐤋
Lael
H3815 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper name meaning 'Belonging to El' or 'Of El'; most directly, 'to El' or 'for El.' Used exclusively as a personal name for an Israelite individual. The term combines a prepositional prefix indicating direction ('to' or 'for') with the divine name El ('God' or 'god'), yielding a theophoric name that implies dedication, association, or belonging to the deity El. In biblical usage, the word only designates Lael, father of Eliasaph, a leader of the Gershonite Levites in the wilderness period.
Semantic Range
personal name denoting belonging to El or God; theophoric Israelite name; not used as a common noun or adjective
Root / Etymology
From the prepositional prefix לְ ('to' or 'for') attached to אֵל (El), the common Northwest Semitic term for 'god' or the God of Israel. The root of El is אל, meaning 'to be strong, mighty,' which, as a noun, designates 'god' or 'the mighty one.' The formation of the name follows a typical Northwest Semitic theophoric pattern: preposition + divine name.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Lael (לָאֵל) appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 3:24), exclusively as a personal name. The structure, preposition + deity name, parallels other Northwest Semitic theophoric names. The use of the theophoric element 'El' signifies allegiance or dedication to the deity, not specifying which Israelite god is meant, as El is both a generic term for god and the proper name of the high god in early Israelite religion. The translation 'to God' is literal but does not reflect its function as a personal name in the biblical context. Later English translations often transliterate the name rather than translate it. The term does not recur in later biblical periods, nor does it have any attested adjectival or general noun uses outside personal naming. Contrast with related names such as Samuel ('name of El') and Daniel ('El is my judge'), which use the deity name as a theophoric element with differing constructions.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from the prepositional prefix and אֵל; (belonging) to God; Lael an Israelite; Lael.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
אל (Lael) — to, for, belonging to (prepositional prefix); god, mighty one (El)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H410 | אֵל | among mighty ones |
| H413 | אֵל | upon / over |
| H428 | אֵלֶּה | in these |
| H431 | אֲלוּ | and look! |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3815-01 |
לָאֵֽל | lael | HNp |
of Lael | Belonging to El | Lael | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3815-01 |
Numbers 3:24 | לָאֵֽל | lael | HNp |
of Lael | Belonging to El | Lael |