← H5694 H5696 →

עֵגֶל

𐤏𐤂𐤋

ʻêgel

H5695 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עגל to be round, roll, circular movement

Definition

A young male bovine, specifically a calf, often referring to an animal that is not fully mature. The term most frequently indicates a young bull prepared for sacrificial, ritual, or festive purposes, but also appears as a general term for a young male of the cattle species. In several contexts, it carries the connotation of a choice animal set apart for religious offerings or feasts.

Semantic Range

young male bovine, calf, young bull prepared for sacrifice or festal meal, symbol of fertility or idolatry (golden calf), term of wealth or agricultural value

Root / Etymology

Root: עגל. The root meaning is 'to be round, circular, roll,' possibly in reference to the roundness of a calf's body or the playful movement of calves. The noun עֵגֶל derives from this root and refers to a young bull or calf.

Historical & Contextual Notes

עֵגֶל appears throughout the Hebrew Bible in both cultic and pastoral contexts. It is particularly prominent in narrative and legal texts concerning sacrificial ritual (e.g., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers), as well as in certain historical narratives (e.g., the 'golden calf' episode in Exodus 32). In these settings, the עֵגֶל is regularly distinct from other cattle terms (e.g., פַּר 'grown bull,' פֶּרֶה 'wild donkey'), indicating a relatively young but weaned male bovine. During the monarchic period, the term took on polemical resonance as an object of illegitimate worship (notably, the golden (עֵגֶל) images erected at Dan and Bethel in the northern Israelite kingdom). Modern English translations frequently render עֵגֶל as 'calf,' but this can at times understate its ritual or symbolic significance, especially in passages involving sacrifice or cultic imagery. Later Jewish and Christian traditions have also interpreted עֵגֶל symbolically. The term should be distinguished from עֶגְלָה (eglāh), which refers to a female calf or heifer and carries its own ritual associations (e.g., Deut 21).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the same as עָגֹל; a (male) calf (as frisking round), especially one nearly grown (i.e. a steer); bullock, calf.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

עגל (ʿ-g-l) — roundness, circularity, rolling

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4570 מַעְגָּל in the round path
H5694 עָגִיל round ornament-ring
H5696 עָגֹל rounded
H5697 עֶגְלָה with my heifer
H5698 עֶגְלָה to Eglah

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5695-04 עֵ֣גֶל egel HNcmsa young bull-calf 12
H5695-07 הָ/עֵ֖גֶל haegel HTd/Ncmsa the young bull-calf 7
H5695-06 עֶגְלֵ֣י egeley HNcmpc calves of 3
H5695-01 עֲגָלִ֑ים agalim HNcmpa young bull-calves 2
H5695-12 וְ/עֵ֨גֶל veegel HC/Ncmsa and a young bull-calf 2
H5695-09 כְּ/עֶגְלֵ֣י keegeley HR/Ncmpc like calves of 2
H5695-03 בְּ/עֶגְלֵ֬י beegeley HR/Ncmpc with calves of 1
H5695-10 לָ/עֲגָלִ֣ים laagalim HRd/Ncmpa to young bulls 1
H5695-05 עֶגְלֵ֣/ךְ egelekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs your calf 1
H5695-11 וַ/עֲגָלִ֖ים vaagalim HC/Ncmpa and young bull-calves 1

Occurrences in Scripture

35 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5695-04 Exodus 32:4 עֵ֣גֶל egel HNcmsa young bull-calf
H5695-04 Exodus 32:8 עֵ֖גֶל egel HNcmsa young bull-calf
H5695-07 Exodus 32:19 הָ/עֵ֖גֶל haegel HTd/Ncmsa the young bull-calf
H5695-07 Exodus 32:20 הָ/עֵ֨גֶל haegel HTd/Ncmsa the young bull-calf
H5695-07 Exodus 32:24 הָ/עֵ֥גֶל haegel HTd/Ncmsa the young bull-calf
H5695-07 Exodus 32:35 הָ/עֵ֔גֶל haegel HTd/Ncmsa the young bull-calf
H5695-04 Leviticus 9:2 עֵ֣גֶל egel HNcmsa young bull-calf
H5695-12 Leviticus 9:3 וְ/עֵ֨גֶל veegel HC/Ncmsa and a young bull-calf
H5695-04 Leviticus 9:8 עֵ֥גֶל egel HNcmsc young bull-calf
H5695-04 Deuteronomy 9:16 עֵ֖גֶל egel HNcmsc young bull-calf
← H5694 Hebrew Lexicon H5696 →