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אֶלְעָלֵא

𐤀𐤋𐤏𐤋𐤀

Eleale

H500 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אלה, עלה God, ascend, rise, go up

Definition

Proper noun designating a specific town east of the Jordan river, frequently mentioned in association with regions of Moab; the name is likely a theophoric compound meaning 'El is ascending/rising' or 'God has ascended.' Used as a toponym, not as a common noun or adjective. Its lexical function is to identify the location Elealeh.

Semantic Range

the proper name of a town east of the Jordan, toponym incorporating a reference to God and the concept of ascension or elevation

Root / Etymology

Compound from אֵל ('El', a common Semitic term for 'God' or 'deity') and the verb עָלָה ('to go up, ascend, rise'). The combination indicates a theophoric place name, with the second component functioning as a verb or verbal noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The city of Elealeh appears in Numbers, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, always as a place east of the Jordan, and in territorial lists related to the Reubenites and later Moabite control. Its formation is typical of ancient West Semitic theophoric toponyms. Over time, Elealeh became associated with Moabite territory; the biblical texts often pair it with Heshbon and other nearby settlements. Unlike later translational traditions that sometimes render the name in ways that obscure its meaning, ancient Israelites would have recognized the theophoric element ('El'). There is no evidence that the site was known outside its geographic reference; it does not denote an ethnic or religious community in the biblical period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (more properly) אֶלְעָלֵה; from אֵל and עָלָה; God (is) going up; Elale or Elaleh, a place east of the Jordan; Elealeh.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אלה, עלה (ʾ-l-h, ʿ-l-h) — God, ascend, rise, go up

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H500-03 וְ/אֶלְעָלֵ֑ה veelealeh HC/Np and Elealeh and El-Has-Ascended 3
H500-01 אֶלְעָלֵ֑א eleale HNp Elealeh El-Has-Ascended 1
H500-02 אֶלְעָלֵ֗ה elealeh HNp Elealeh El-Has-Ascended 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H500-03 Numbers 32:3 וְ/אֶלְעָלֵ֑ה veelealeh HC/Np and Elealeh and El-Has-Ascended
H500-01 Numbers 32:37 אֶלְעָלֵ֑א eleale HNp Elealeh El-Has-Ascended
H500-03 Isaiah 15:4 וְ/אֶלְעָלֵ֔ה veelealeh HC/Np and Elealeh and El-Has-Ascended
H500-03 Isaiah 16:9 וְ/אֶלְעָלֵ֑ה veelealeh HC/Np and-Elealeh and El-Has-Ascended
H500-02 Jeremiah 48:34 אֶלְעָלֵ֗ה elealeh HNp Elealeh El-Has-Ascended
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