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אֶלֶף

𐤀𐤋𐤐

Elef

H507 noun

SILEX Entry

Root א-ל-ף to be familiar, to train, to associate, to count (as a thousand or clan)

Definition

Proper noun: Eleph, a geographic location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, specifically a city in the territory allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. The name itself may derive from the noun 'eleph' (thousand; clan), possibly indicating a clan settlement or communal association.

Semantic Range

proper noun: specific place name (Eleph); possible clan-name origin, not used in common noun sense of 'thousand' or 'clan' when functioning as a toponym

Root / Etymology

From the root א-ל-ף (ʾ-l-p), which carries the sense of being familiar, trained, or numbering by 'thousands' (from the noun אֶלֶף meaning 'thousand' or by extension 'clan'). In this case, the topographic name may draw on the idea of a clan-group, a thousand, or a related concept, but the application to a place name is not transparently etymological; it is a proper noun derived from a common noun or possibly a personal/ancestral name.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Joshua 18:28, אֶלֶף (Eleph) is listed among the towns of the tribe of Benjamin during the settlement of the land. The toponym may reflect the practice of naming settlements after founding clan-units or communal groups, as 'eleph' also functions as a term for a tribal subunit ('clan') or a military unit in the Hebrew Bible. There is no direct archaeological or extrabiblical attestation for the precise location of Eleph, and its identification remains uncertain in modern scholarship. English translations generally transliterate the name as 'Eleph'; some translations, following later tradition or confusion with the numeral sense, may obscure the connection to the clan-based origins. The term here functions strictly as a place name, distinct from the common noun 'thousand' though sharing its spelling and root. Caution should be used not to conflate the place name with the numeric or clan term in context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as אֶלֶף; Eleph, a place in Palestine; Eleph.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אלף (ʾ-l-p) — to be familiar, to train, to associate, to count as a thousand or clan

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H441 אַלּוּף clan chief
H502 אָלַף the one training us
H503 אָלַף causing to multiply by thousands (feminine plural)
H504 אֶלֶף your clans
H505 אֶלֶף thousands

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H507-01 הָאֶ֜לֶף haelef HNp Haeleph Eleph 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H507-01 Joshua 18:28 הָאֶ֜לֶף haelef HNp Haeleph Eleph
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