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אָלַף

𐤀𐤋𐤐

ʼâlaph

H502 verb

SILEX Entry

Root d0dce3 to be familiar, to become accustomed, to associate, to accustom (someone), to train, to teach

Definition

To become accustomed to, to be familiar with, to be domesticated; by extension, to learn (through association or habitual experience); in the causative stem (Piel), to teach or to train, particularly through repetition and fostering familiarity.

Semantic Range

to become familiar, to be accustomed, to associate (with), to learn (by association or experience), to teach, to train, to instruct, to utter (words, by having become practiced or familiar)

Root / Etymology

Root: אלף (ʼ-l-p). The root אלף conveys the core idea of becoming familiar or accustomed, often through repeated exposure or association. The verb אָלַף (qal stem) means 'to become familiar/accustomed,' while the causative stem (piel) means 'to teach, train, accustom another.' The root also stands behind the noun אֶלֶף (eleph, 'ox' or 'cattle'), symbolizing a domesticated and trainable animal, and the noun אַלּוּף (alluph, 'chief' or 'leader'), which may derive secondarily from the sense of a domesticated, trusted companion or leader within a group. Thus, the meaning of teaching/learning is closely related to becoming accustomed through association and repetition.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, אָלַף primarily describes the process of acquiring familiarity, either through personal experience ('to become accustomed') or through deliberate instruction ('to teach, train'). In wisdom literature (e.g., Job 15:5; 33:33), it often refers to the act of instructing another, sometimes with a focus on moral or practical wisdom. The qal stem generally means 'to become accustomed' or 'to learn by becoming familiar,' but is less common; the piel stem is much more frequent and carries the notion of teaching by making someone familiar with a subject or practice. The development from 'to become accustomed' to 'to learn' and then to 'teach' is characteristic of Hebrew pedagogy, wherein learning happens through habitual association. Notably, later Jewish tradition sometimes used forms of this root to describe Torah study and instruction, but this religious nuance should not be read back into earlier Israelite contexts. English translations typically render piel forms as 'teach' or 'instruct,' but the original sense of gradual familiarization is often lost. Related roots with overlapping semantic fields include למד (lamad, H3925), which focuses more on the transmission and acquisition of knowledge, often with a consciously didactic direction, in contrast to the experiential, associational nuance of אָלַף.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root, to associate with; hence, to learn (and causatively to teach); learn, teach, utter.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אלף (ʾ-l-p) — to be familiar, to become accustomed, to associate, to accustom, to train, to teach

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H441 אַלּוּף clan chief
H503 אָלַף causing to multiply by thousands (feminine plural)
H504 אֶלֶף your clans
H505 אֶלֶף thousands
H506 אֲלַף one thousand

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H502-02 תֶּאֱלַ֥ף teelaf HVqi2ms you learn you will become accustomed 1
H502-01 מַ֭לְּפֵ/נוּ malefenu HVprmsc/Sp1cp teaches us the one training us 1
H502-03 וַ/אֲאַלֶּפְ/ךָ֥ vaaalefekha HC/Vpi1cs/Sp2ms and-I-will-teach-you I will train you 1
H502-04 יְאַלֵּ֣ף yealef HVpi3ms teaches he trains 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H502-02 Proverbs 22:25 תֶּאֱלַ֥ף teelaf HVqi2ms you learn you will become accustomed
H502-04 Job 15:5 יְאַלֵּ֣ף yealef HVpi3ms teaches he trains
H502-03 Job 33:33 וַ/אֲאַלֶּפְ/ךָ֥ vaaalefekha HC/Vpi1cs/Sp2ms and-I-will-teach-you I will train you
H502-01 Job 35:11 מַ֭לְּפֵ/נוּ malefenu HVprmsc/Sp1cp teaches us the one training us
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