Hebrew words starting with alef
775 words in the Bible begin with alef (א), listed most frequent first. This is page 1 of 4. Every word links to its meaning, its attested forms, and the verses it appears in.
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These pages are cut by how often a word occurs, not by spelling, so each one is shown by its range of occurrence counts.
- etאֵת[Obj.]not studied yet
- elאֶלto(wards)not studied yet
- asherאֲשֶׁרwhichnot studied yet
- amarאָמַרto say: to speak words, and so to think them or to declare them
- elohimאֱלֹהִיםGod, or a god: any being that belongs to the divine realm. Most often it names the one God of Israel, but the same word also names foreign gods, members of the heavenly court, and even the spirits of the dead.
- eretsאֶרֶץthe ground at any scale: the dirt underfoot, a country with borders, or the whole earth beneath the sky
- ishאִישׁa man: one human being singled out, most often a grown male, but just as readily a husband, a person of a certain kind, or simply "each one".
- avאָבfather: the man who begets a child, and by extension anyone who stands as a father to others
- attahאַתָּהyou(m.s.)not studied yet
- imאִםif: it sets a condition, so that what follows depends on whether that thing is so
+3 more meanings
- in an oath: a flat denial, or, when the word for "not" is added, a flat promise
- or, whether: it opens the second half of a two way question, or names the thing being asked about
- except, but rather: joined to the word for "that", it carves out the one case a denial does not cover
- eḥadאֶחָדone: the cardinal number one, with the everyday senses that grow out of counting a single thing
- etאֵתwith: alongside, in the company of, or in dealing with someone or something
- aniאֲנִיInot studied yet
- akhalאָכַלto eat: to take something in and use it up, whether food into a body or anything into a force that destroys it
- ayinאַיִןthere is not: the word that denies that something exists or is present
- ishshahאִשָּׁהan adult female human being: a woman, and, when the sentence ties her to a man, his wife.
- ellehאֵלֶּהthesenot studied yet
- alאַלnotnot studied yet
- aḥarאַחַרbehind or after: the place at the back of something, or the time that comes later
- aḥאָחa brother: a male tied to you by birth, and by extension anyone bound to you by blood, nation, or loyal kinship
- enoshאֱנוֹשׁa human being; a person, especially in poetry, where the word often hints at how small and short-lived a person is.
- adamאָדָםhumankind: the human being as a creature of the ground, used both for people as a whole and for any single person
- elephאֶלֶףthe number one thousand, the round figure used to count people, soldiers, animals, time, and value
+1 more meaning
- a clan or troop: the subdivision of a tribe that supplied its fighting men, and the contingent it sent
- adonaiאֲדֹנָי"my Lord": the reverent title that names God as the sovereign master to whom his people belong as servants
- eshאֵשׁfire: burning flame and its heat and light, whether an ordinary blaze or the fire that marks God's presence, worship, or judgment.
- anokhiאָנֹכִיInot studied yet
- aharonאַהֲרֹןAaron: Moses' older brother, the first priest of Israel, and the ancestor whose name later stands for the whole priesthood.
- ohelאֹהֶלa tent: the portable cloth-and-pole dwelling of a roaming people, by extension the household it shelters or the worship-tent where God met Israel
- adonאָדוֹןlord: the one who rightfully possesses, protects, and commands those under his care
- oאוֹornot studied yet
- arbaאַרְבַּעfour: the cardinal number 4
- oyevאֹיֵבan enemy: one who is actively hostile to another person, a people, or God
- aphאַףanger: hot, flaring displeasure, of God or of a person.
+1 more meaning
- nose, nostril; by extension the face, especially in bowing low.
- evenאֶבֶןa stone: a piece of rock a person can gather, shape, carry, throw, or build with
+3 more meanings
- a precious stone: a gem valued for its beauty and worth
- a stone used as a standard of measure: the weight in a merchant's bag or on a builder's line
- stone as an image of what is hard, heavy, lifeless, or dirt cheap
- ammahאַמָּהcubit: the standard biblical unit of length, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, roughly eighteen inches
+1 more meaning
- the foundations or pivots of a doorway: the structural base on which the door-frame and threshold rest
- elאֵלGod: the supreme divine being, or by extension any being treated as a god
+1 more meaning
- power, ability: the strength one has to do something
- adamahאֲדָמָהthe cultivable ground: the living, reddish soil people are made from, work, belong to, and answer to
- emאֵםmother: the woman who bears and raises a child, and by extension any source from which others spring
- ahavאָהֵבto love: to feel and act on deep emotional attachment, loyal commitment, or strong desire, toward a person, God, or an object
- aronאֲרוֹןa chest: a wooden box built to hold and guard what is put inside it
- asaphאָסַףto gather: to bring scattered people or things together into one place
+1 more meaning
- to take away: to remove something so that it is gone
- ozenאֹזֶןthe ear: the body part used for hearing, and by extension the act of paying attention to what is heard.
- ayilאַיִלa ram: an adult male sheep, especially one offered in sacrifice
+3 more meanings
- a chief or mighty man: a powerful leader of a people
- a projecting post or pillar framing a doorway or gateway
- a great tree, an oak or terebinth
- avadאָבַדto perish, to be destroyed, to come to a final end; and, when done to someone else, to destroy them or wipe them out.
- ephrayimאֶפְרַיִםEphraim: Joseph's younger son, and the tribe, hill country and northern kingdom that carry his name.
- avrahamאַבְרָהָםAbraham: the name God gave the patriarch when he made his covenant with him, heard in the text as "father of a multitude of nations"
- aḥerאַחֵרanother, other: a second or different one of the same kind, set apart from the one already in view
- akhאַךְa small focusing particle that singles out its clause, either to insist on it (surely, indeed) or to fence it off from what came before (only, but, however)
- ashshurאַשּׁוּרAssyria: the land on the upper Tigris, the people who lived there, and the empire that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel
+1 more meaning
- Asshur: a son of Shem in the list of nations, the ancestor from whom Assyria takes its name
- aramאֲרָםAram: the Aramean people, the kingdoms they held to Israel's north and east, and the country itself, which many English Bibles call Syria
+1 more meaning
- Aram: a man's name, carried by three different men, one of them the ancestor the Aramean people are named after
- azאָזthen: at that point in time, or in that case as a result.
+1 more meaning
- from then on, of old, since: counting time from a point in the past forward.
- arba'imאַרְבָּעִיםforty: the cardinal number 40
- aphאַףalsonot studied yet
- emetאֱמֶתthat which holds firm and can be relied on: faithfulness in a person and truth in a word, as one undivided idea
- orאוֹרphysical light in every form: the brightness of day, dawn, the sun, moon and stars, lightning, and lamplight
+1 more meaning
- light as a picture of life, rescue, favor, and guidance: the brightness that means things are well
- anaḥnuאֲנַחְנוּwenot studied yet
- aḥotאָחוֹתsister: a female relative by blood or kinship, from full sister to half-sister and broader female kin
+2 more meanings
- a term of intimate address: beloved, or any entity spoken of with the closeness of a sister
- counterpart: used of paired inanimate objects aligned with or joined to each other
- avishalomאֲבִישָׁלוֹםAbsalomnot studied yet
- amanאָמַןto be firm, steady, and reliable, so that a person or thing can be counted on
+2 more meanings
- to believe, to trust, to put confidence in someone or something
- to support and care for a child as a guardian, foster-parent, or nurse
- edomאֱדוֹםEdom: the second name given to Esau, and from him the people and kingdom descended from him and the dry hill country they held south and east of the Dead Sea
- orekhאֹרֶךְlength: how far something extends, whether across space, across time, or (in one fixed phrase) in patience
- aḥavאַחְאָבAhabnot studied yet
- emoriאֱמֹרִיAmoritenot studied yet
- ekhאֵיךְhow?not studied yet
- otאוֹתa sign: something tangible that points beyond itself so a person recognizes, remembers, or trusts what God has said or done
- aryehאַרְיֵהlion: the general word for the great predator of the biblical world, and the Bible's standard picture of overwhelming power, whether admired in a king or feared in an enemy
- otsarאוֹצָרa store of valuables, or the place that holds them: treasure, and the treasury or storehouse where treasure is kept
- avenאָוֶןevil that comes to nothing: the emptiness, harm, and wickedness of a life set against God
- erezאֶרֶזcedar: the tall evergreen of Lebanon, and the prized aromatic wood cut from it
- elazarאֶלְעָזָרEleazarnot studied yet
- asarאָסַרto make fast by tying: to bind, fasten, harness, or hold a person or thing in restraint
- eliyyahאֵלִיָּהElijahnot studied yet
- alluphאַלּוּףa tribal chief: the head of a clan or people, especially one of the ruling chieftains of Edom
+2 more meanings
- a close friend: a trusted, intimate companion bound to someone by long familiarity
- a tame ox or other domestic animal: a docile, well-fed beast accustomed to people
- aḥazאָחַזto grasp: to close the hand on something and hold it fast
- avimelekhאֲבִימֶלֶךְAbimelech: a Northwest Semitic personal name meaning "my father is king" (in its older form, "the Father is King"), carried by several rulers and would-be rulers in the Hebrew Bible.
- aḥuzzahאֲחֻזָּהa permanent holding: land (or property) held in lasting, heritable ownership
- ishshahאִשֶּׁהa gift handed over to God at the altar: the technical priestly term for what is presented to him as his portion
- avnerאֲבִינֵרAbnernot studied yet
- ararאָרַרto curse: to declare a person, animal, or piece of ground cut off from blessing and handed over to ruin, by a formal word that God is expected to make good
- evyonאֶבְיוֹןdestitute: someone with nothing, so poor they depend on others or on God to survive
- avramאַבְרָםAbram: the patriarch's name before God renamed him Abraham, a name that says the Father is exalted
- aḥaritאַחֲרִיתthe after-part of something: its end, its final outcome, or the future it leads to
- etselאֵצֶלbeside: at the side of, right next to, close by
- iyyovאִיּוֹבJobnot studied yet
- elisahאֱלִישָׁעElishanot studied yet
- asaאָסָאAsanot studied yet
- oraḥאֹרַחa way or path: a track that is traveled, whether a literal road or the figurative course of a person's life and conduct
+1 more meaning
- a traveler or band of travelers: the people who walk a route, named by the road they keep
- edenאֶדֶןa socket or base: the heavy footing into which an upright post or pillar is set so it stands firm
- elo'ahאֱלֹהַּGod: the one true deity, and by extension any being worshiped as a god
- almanahאַלְמָנָהa widow: a woman whose husband has died and who is left without his protection and support
- amahאָמָהa female slave: a woman owned and serving in a household, often one who could be taken as a wife or who calls herself this in humble respect before a superior.
- esterאֶסְתֵּרEsthernot studied yet
- avahאָבָהto be willing: to consent and go along with what someone else asks or wants
- aḥaronאַחֲרוֹןlast or later: what comes after, whether at the end of a sequence or further along in time
+1 more meaning
- hinder or western: at the back, and so the west, since Hebrew speakers faced east to get their bearings
- emunahאֱמוּנָהfirmness that you can lean on: steadiness, reliability, faithfulness
- emerאֵמֶרa spoken word or saying: what someone puts into speech
- ephodאֵפוֹדephod: a sacred object of Israelite worship, most often a priestly garment, but in some places a freestanding cult object made of precious metal.
- asaphאָסָףAsaphnot studied yet
- ashamאָשָׁםguilt and what is owed to set it right: the wrong a person incurs, the payment that makes amends for it, and the offering that puts it right with God
- ulayאוּלַיperhaps: a marker that what follows is possible but not certain, leaving the outcome genuinely open
- ayyehאַיֵּהwhere?not studied yet
- esherאֶשֶׁרhow fortunate!: a teacher's or poet's glad exclamation that a certain kind of person has a life worth envying
- ephesאֶפֶסan outermost edge: the farthest point something reaches, above all the farthest reaches of the earth
+2 more meanings
- nothing, none at all: what has run out or ceased to be, and so no one and nothing besides
- only, however: a small word that limits or pushes back on what was just said
- orאוֹרto shine or give light: for light to break out, or for something to send light out onto what was dark
- okhelאֹכֶלfood: anything eaten, especially as a supply or provision
- asherאָשֵׁרAsher: the eighth son of Jacob, whose name means "fortunate", along with the tribe descended from him and the northern coastal land that tribe held
- aḥazאָחָזAhaznot studied yet
- azanאָזַןto give ear: to listen closely and attentively to what someone says
- aḥorאָחוֹרthe back or behind: the rear of something, the direction backward, and (of time) what is still to come
- amatsאָמֵץto be firm and strong, or to make someone firm: physical might, inner resolve, and the courage to hold steady
- anאָןwhere?not studied yet
- aravאָרַבto lie in wait: to stay hidden in order to spring out and attack or seize
- ephahאֵיפָהthe ephah: the everyday dry measure for grain and flour in ancient Israel, holding roughly twenty liters (a little over half a bushel)
- amatsyahאֲמַצְיָהוּAmaziahnot studied yet
- asherahאֲשֵׁרָהAsherah: a Canaanite mother-goddess, and the wooden pole or stylized tree set up at a worship site to represent her
- avalאָבַלto mourn: to grieve a death or disaster, with the body and the land itself drooping in sorrow.
- uriyyahאוּרִיָּהUriahnot studied yet
- ayאַיwhere?not studied yet
- ahavahאַהֲבָהlove: the deep attachment a heart chooses and holds to, set on a particular person or, in God's case, on his people, ranging from romantic desire to loyal devotion to covenant love.
- argamanאַרְגָּמָןa costly reddish-purple dye taken from sea snails, and the wool or cloth colored with it
- aḥazyahאֲחַזְיָהוּAhaziahnot studied yet
- imrahאִמְרָהa spoken word: an utterance, saying, or promise, most often God's.
- iאִיcoastland: land bordering or set within the sea, from a single shore or island out to the far-off maritime regions and the peoples who live there
- ophanאוֹפָןa wheel: the round turning part that carries a chariot, cart, or stand
- alahאָלָהa binding oath: a sworn pledge that seals a promise or covenant by invoking a curse on whoever breaks it
+1 more meaning
- a curse: an invoked doom pronounced on the guilty or on those who break a sworn covenant
- ashamאָשַׁםto be guilty: to become answerable for wrongdoing, and so to bear its penalty
- ulamאוּלָםporch, vestibule: a roofed entrance hall built across the front of a large building
- arakhאָרַךְto be long or to make long, in time or in space: to prolong, lengthen, extend, or hold off.
- atonאָתוֹןshe-ass: the female donkey, a valued animal for riding, breeding, and carrying loads
- armonאַרְמוֹןa fortified great house: the citadel or palace of a king or the powerful, at once a grand residence and a defensible stronghold
- aḥashveroshאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁAhasuerusnot studied yet
- oniyyahאֳנִיָּהa ship: a seagoing vessel
- etsbaאֶצְבַּעa finger: a digit of the hand (and by extension a toe, or a finger's width as a small measure)
- evyatarאֶבְיָתָרAbiatharnot studied yet
- amenאָמֵןamen: a one-word reply that takes another person's words and makes them binding on oneself
- amnonאַמְנוֹןAmnonnot studied yet
- addirאַדִּירpossessing overwhelming, awe-commanding power; mighty and majestic enough to master every rival
- adoniyyahאֲדֹנִיָּהוּAdonijahnot studied yet
- avahאָוָהto long for: to set the heart and appetite on something one wants
- evilאֱוִילthe perverse fool: a person whose settled disposition rejects wisdom, correction, and the fear of God, not someone of low intelligence
- aviyyahאֲבִיָּהוּ, אֲבִיָּהAbijahnot studied yet
- avishayאֲבִישַׁיAbishainot studied yet
- ivveletאִוֶּלֶתmoral folly: the culpable refusal to live wisely that marks a person as a fool, as opposed to a mere lack of intelligence
- aphahאָפָהto bake: to cook bread or cakes with dry heat, in an oven or on hot stones
- arnonאַרְנוֹןArnonnot studied yet
- evelאֵבֶלmourning: a recognized, outward state of grief marked by set customs and a fixed span of time, not merely an inner feeling.
- oyאוֹיwoe: a spontaneous cry of anguish, grief, or dread
- aḥiyyahאֲחִיָּהוּAhijahnot studied yet
- edאֵידdisaster: a sudden, crushing catastrophe that overtakes a person or a nation, often the appointed day of their downfall
- arbehאַרְבֶּהlocust: the swarming, migratory insect that arrives in devouring clouds and eats a land bare, and the ordinary Hebrew word for it
- izevelאִיזֶבֶלJezebelnot studied yet
- ish-boshetאִישׁ־בֹשֶׁתIsh-boshethnot studied yet
- epherאֵפֶרthe gray residue left after something burns, which biblical writers repeatedly turn into a physical sign of grief, human frailty, worthlessness, or ruin.
- itamarאִיתָמָרIthamarnot studied yet
- akhishאָכִישׁAchishnot studied yet
- eli'avאֱלִיאָבEliabnot studied yet
- elqanahאֶלְקָנָהElkanahnot studied yet
- atahאָתָהto come, to arrive; a rare, poetic word for coming, and in its causative use, to bring.
- aḥiqamאֲחִיקָםAhikamnot studied yet
- aḥitophelאֲחִיתֹפֶלAhithophelnot studied yet
- elilאֱלִילa contemptuous word for a false god or idol: a so-called god branded as a powerless nothing
- ulamאוּלָםbut, however: a weighty turn that sets what follows squarely against what was just said
- aphiqאָפִיקa watercourse: the bed or channel a stream runs in, from a seasonal desert ravine to the deep channels of the sea
+1 more meaning
- strong ones: mighty or powerful people
- ashmahאַשְׁמָהguilt: the culpability a person or community incurs by doing wrong, together with the liability to punishment or repayment it brings
- okhlahאׇכְלָהfood: something given to be eaten or consumed, whether nourishment for the living, prey for wild animals, or fuel for fire
- akhenאָכֵןsurelynot studied yet
- avigayilאֲבִיגַיִל, אֲבִיגַלAbigailnot studied yet
- abbirאַבִּירmighty one: a being marked by sheer physical power, whether a strong man, a bull, or a war-horse.
- ovאוֹבa means of consulting the dead: the summoned spirit, the ritual pit or instrument used to reach it, or the medium who conducts the rite
+1 more meaning
- a wineskin: a leather bag for holding wine
- ezraḥאֶזְרָחnative to the land: belonging somewhere by having sprung up there, most often the native-born member of the community as opposed to a foreigner living among them
- aḥimelekhאֲחִימֶלֶךְAhimelechnot studied yet
- aḥarאָחַרto delay: to let time pass before something is done or arrives, whether by putting it off, being overdue, or lingering
- emahאֵימָהoverwhelming, paralyzing dread: a terror so heavy it can seem less like a feeling and more like a physical force that falls on a person or is sent against them.
- ayinאַיִןwhere?not studied yet
- elyashivאֶלְיָשִׁיבEliashibnot studied yet
- elishamaאֱלִישָׁמָעElishamanot studied yet
- amonאָמוֹןAmonnot studied yet
- ashdodאַשְׁדּוֹדAshdodnot studied yet
- azarאָזַרto gird: to bind a belt or garment around the waist, and so to arm or equip someone with what they need
- elahאֵלָהElah: a man's name in Israel and Edom, borne by five unrelated men, and spelled exactly like the Hebrew word for a large tree.
+1 more meaning
- the Valley of Elah: the valley in the low hills between the Philistine plain and the hill country of Judah where Israel faced the Philistines and David killed Goliath.
- amalאָמַלto lose vitality and waste away: to wither, droop, and grow feeble
- amaryahאֲמַרְיָהוּAmariahnot studied yet
- asharאָשַׁרto go straight ahead on a path, or to lead and direct others along one
+1 more meaning
- to call someone happy, to publicly declare a person fortunate or blessed
- ahahאֲהָהּthe sound of dismay: an involuntary cry of dread, horror, or grief, most often the first word of a protest or plea turned upward to God
- aḥituvאֲחִיטוּבAhitubnot studied yet
- aḥima'atsאֲחִימַעַץAhimaaznot studied yet
- elamאֵילָםthe porch of a gateway: the roofed entrance space at one end of a temple gate passage
- eliphazאֱלִיפַזEliphaznot studied yet
- amtaḥatאַמְתַּחַתa grain sack: the large open-topped bag that carried food home on a donkey, used in the Bible only of the bags Joseph's brothers brought back from Egypt
- ephoאֵפוֹthennot studied yet
- arekhאָרֵךְpatient: slow to grow angry, holding heat back over time rather than flaring up
+1 more meaning
- long: extended in physical length
- artaḥshashtaאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתָּאArtaxerxesnot studied yet
- ezorאֵזוֹרa band of cloth or leather worn wrapped around the waist or hips: a waistcloth, belt, or sash.
- eli'ezerאֱלִיעֶזֶרEliezernot studied yet
- anaphאָנַףto be angry: the burning anger of God, which in the Bible is directed only against people for their sin
- aragאָרַגto weave: to interlace threads on a loom into cloth
- onאוֹןvigor: the productive strength held in a body, above all a man's prime, and by extension the property that strength piles up
- ophirאוֹפִירOphirnot studied yet
- etanאֵיתָןunfailing: something that keeps going or holds steady without giving out, the way a stream that runs all year does
- elahאֵלָהa terebinth: a large, broad shade tree of the hills and the dry country, and in most places one particular tree that people knew and could walk to