Original Word: עָלַל
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: `alal
Pronunciation: ah-LAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-lal')
KJV: abuse, affect, X child, defile, do, glean, mock, practise, thoroughly, work (wonderfully)
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to effect thoroughly
2. specifically, to glean (also figuratively)
3. (by implication) (in a bad sense) to overdo, i.e. maltreat, be saucy to, pain, impose (also literal)

abuse, affect, child, defile, do, glean, mock, practice,

A primitive root; to effect thoroughly; specifically, to glean (also figuratively); by implication (in a bad sense) to overdo, i.e. Maltreat, be saucy to, pain, impose (also literal) -- abuse, affect, X child, defile, do, glean, mock, practise, thoroughly, work (wonderfully).

I. [עָלַל] verb

Po`el, act severely (toward) (Late Hebrew id., deal with (rare), and derivatives; Arabic do a thing (drink, beat, give) a second time, II. divert, occupy, see divert, occupy oneself with (food, a woman, etc.); Syriac cause, occasion, affair); — act severely, always with ל person: Perfect2masculine singular עוֺלַלְתָּ לִי Lamentations 1:22 as thou hast acted severely to me (in punishment, subject׳י); ׳לְמִי ע Lamentations 2:20 to whom hast thou acted thus severely ?3feminine singular עֵינִי עוֺלְלָה לְנַפְשִׁי Lamentations 3:51 my eye deals severely with me, i.e. gives me pain (?; text dubious; compare Perles^Anal.18 Bu). Imperative masculine singular עוֺלֵל לָמוֺ Lamentations 1:22 deal severely with them. — See also ׳ע

denominative below

Po`al Perfect3masculine singular מַכְאֹבִי אֲשֶׁר עוֺלַל לִי Lamentations 1:12 my pain which is severely dealt out to me.

Hithpa. Perfect

1 busy, divert oneself with (compare Arabic see ), always with ב person: 1 singular ׳אֶתאֲֿשֶׁר חִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּ Exodus 10:2 (J) how I [׳י] have made a toy of Egypt; especially deal wantonly, ruthlessly with (ב person): 3 masculine singular הִתְעַלֵּל 1 Samuel 6:6; 2feminine singular הִתְעַלַּלְתְּ Numbers 22:29 (J E; Balsaam's ass); 3 plural וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ consecutive 1 Samuel 31:4 = 1 Chronicles 10:4; Jeremiah 38:19; Imperfect3masculine plural וַיִּתְעַלְּלוּקּבָהּ Judges 19:25 (of abusing a woman; "" וַיֵּדְעוּ אֹתָהּ).

Hithpo`el Infinitive construct לֵהִתְעוֺלֵל עֲלִלוֺר Psalm 141:4 to practise practices in wickedness (perhaps denominative).

[עָלַל] verb denominative Po`. glean (grapes or olives; לִמֵּט of grain); — Imperfect2masculine singular תְּעוֺלֵל Leviticus 19:10 (object כֶּרֶם; "" תְּלַמֵּט), Deuteronomy 24:21 (absolute, + אַחֲרֶיךָ); 3 masculine plural figurative (+ Infinitive absolute) עוֺלֵל יְעוֺלְלוּ כַגֶּפֶן שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל Jeremiah 6:9; וַיְעֹלְלֻהוּ Judges 20:45 they made a gleaning of them (i. e. smote the fugitives).

[עָלַל] verb denominative act or play the child; — only

Po`. Participle עַמִּי נֹגְשָׂיו מְעוֺלֵל Isaiah 3:12 my people — its ruler is acting the child.

III. [עָלַל] verb insert, thrust in (Arabic , whence yoke; compare Old Aramaic עלל, ᵑ7 עֲלַל, Syriac , all enter); — only

Po`. Perfect1singular וְעֹלַלְתִּי בֶעָפָר קַרְנִי Job 16:15 figurative of humiliation.

Breadth of Meaning and Emphasis

עָלַל expresses purposeful action that stresses what one “does” with another person or object—sometimes constructive, often destructive. Its nineteen occurrences show two major spheres: (1) deliberate removal or collection (“gleaning”) and (2) deliberate dealing with people, ranging from severe judgment by God to human cruelty, mockery, or manipulation.

Divine Dealing in Salvation History

Exodus 10:2 and 1 Samuel 6:6 place the verb on the lips of the LORD and the Philistine priests. Egypt’s plagues are described as how God “dealt severely” with Pharaoh so that future generations would know His supremacy: “that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt severely with the Egyptians and what signs I performed among them” (Exodus 10:2). The Philistines acknowledge the same pattern: “When He dealt severely with them, did they not send the Israelites out?” (1 Samuel 6:6). Lamentations echoes this theme during Jerusalem’s fall: “Is there any pain like my pain which was inflicted on me, which the LORD has brought on me …?” (Lamentations 1:12). Scripture therefore presents God’s “dealing” as righteous, memorable, instructional, and never arbitrary. Even judgment serves a pedagogical purpose—teaching reverence, calling for repentance, and preserving the covenant line.

Covenant Compassion Shown Through Gleaning

Leviticus 19:10 and Deuteronomy 24:21 apply עָלַל to agricultural practice: landowners must not “glean” their vines or olive trees a second time; the remnant belongs to “the poor and the foreigner.” This turns the verb toward mercy: deliberate withholding of further profit so that vulnerable people may live. Jeremiah 6:9 reverses the imagery: “Glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine; pass your hand once more like a grape gatherer over the branches.” The prophet warns that Babylon will strip Judah just as a diligent farmer strips a vine. The same metaphor that safeguards the helpless in Torah becomes an image of total loss when the nation rejects that very Torah.

The gleaning laws find a narrative showcase in the Book of Ruth and anticipate the Gospel principle that “the laborer is worthy of his wages” (Luke 10:7) while still depending on grace. In ministry, the verb reminds believers to leave margin—time, resources, influence—for the needy, mirroring God’s margin of mercy for sinners.

Human Abuse and Exploitation

When עָלַל is used of people acting against people, it almost always carries a dark hue. Judges 19:25 records one of Scripture’s most chilling sentences: the men of Gibeah “raped her and abused her (עָלַל) throughout the night.” Saul anticipates the same shame from the Philistines: “These uncircumcised men will come and abuse me” (1 Samuel 31:4; repeated in 1 Chronicles 10:4). King Zedekiah fears that defectors will “abuse me” (Jeremiah 38:19). In Numbers 22:29 Balaam cries to his donkey, “You have made a fool of me!”—humiliation that leads quickly to rage. Psalm 141:4 uses the verb for “practice wicked deeds,” showing that abuse can be personal or collective, violent or subtle.

These texts form a biblical theology of oppression: personal indignity leads swiftly to societal collapse; unchecked abuse invites divine justice; the covenant community must not tolerate actions that disfigure the image of God in others.

Warfare and Total Defeat

Judges 20:45 depicts Israel “gleaning” fugitives from Benjamin—collecting scattered soldiers the way a vintager collects grapes left behind. The verb therefore paints a battlefield stripped of survivors, reinforcing the seriousness of the civil war sparked by Gibeah’s crime. When God hands a people over to such “gleaning,” moral failure has reached its harvest.

Personal Lament and Prayer

Job 16:15 (“I have buried my horn in the dust”), Lamentations 3:51 (“My eyes bring grief to my soul”), and several pleas in Lamentations 1–2 employ עָלַל to express what suffering has “done” to the inner person. In each case the sufferer wrestles with the tension between present anguish and the conviction that God remains righteous. The verb thus serves devotional life by giving vocabulary to pain without surrendering faith.

Ethical and Theological Implications

1. Memory and Testimony: Exodus 10:2 mandates that God’s dealings be retold. Teaching children the acts of God is part of covenant fidelity.
2. Social Justice: Leviticus 19:10 and Deuteronomy 24:21 ground care for the marginalized in God’s own character (“I am the LORD your God”). Extreme poverty or alien status never removes a person from His concern.
3. Abuse Condemned: Passages like Judges 19:25, 1 Samuel 31:4, and Jeremiah 38:19 call the church to protect the vulnerable and confront exploitation.
4. Prayerful Watchfulness: Psalm 141:4 links the heart’s inclination with outward practice; believers must pray not to “practice” what the wicked do.
5. Sovereign Justice and Mercy: Lamentations shows that God’s severe dealings are never mere wrath but a righteous response to covenant breach, always holding out the hope of restoration.

Foreshadowings in the Gospel

The severe dealings against Egypt culminate in the Passover, prefiguring Christ’s sacrifice (1 Corinthians 5:7). The gleaning laws anticipate the Gospel’s inclusion of Gentiles and the church’s diaconal calling (Acts 6:1–7). The abuse Saul fears and Jerusalem suffers foreshadows the mocking, scourging, and crucifixion of Jesus, who “was oppressed and afflicted” yet remained silent (Isaiah 53:7). Through His resurrection the ultimate outcome of God’s dealings is salvation for all who believe.

Ministry Application

• Proclaim the mighty acts of God: incorporate Exodus 10:2 into family worship and corporate testimony.
• Build margin for mercy: structure personal budgets and church calendars so that “gleanings” remain for the poor.
• Confront abuse: establish accountability and transparent care structures in every ministry.
• Model lament: use Job and Lamentations to teach believers how to bring honest grief before God.
• Trust divine justice: when oppression seems unanswered, recall that the same God who “dealt severely” with Egypt will one day judge every wrong and wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4).

הִתְעַלֵּ֣ל הִתְעַלַּ֖לְתְּ הִתְעַלַּ֙לְתִּי֙ התעלל התעללת התעללתי וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־ וְעֹלַ֖לְתִּי וְעוֹלֵ֣ל וַיְעֹֽלְלֻ֙הוּ֙ וַיִּֽתְעַלְּלוּ־ והתעללו־ ויעללהו ויתעללו־ ועולל ועללתי יְעוֹלְל֥וּ יעוללו לְהִתְע֘וֹלֵ֤ל להתעולל עֽוֹלְלָ֣ה עוֹלֵ֛ל עוֹלַ֖ל עוֹלַ֛לְתָּ עוֹלַ֣לְתָּ עולל עוללה עוללת תְעוֹלֵ֔ל תְעוֹלֵ֖ל תעולל ‘ō·w·lal ‘ō·w·lal·tā ‘ō·w·lêl ‘ō·wl·lāh ‘ōwlal ‘ōwlaltā ‘ōwlêl ‘ōwllāh hiṯ‘allalt hiṯ‘allaltî hiṯ‘allêl hiṯ·‘al·lal·tî hiṯ·‘al·lalt hiṯ·‘al·lêl hitalLalt hitalLalti hitalLel lə·hiṯ·‘ō·w·lêl ləhiṯ‘ōwlêl lehitoLel oLal oLalta oLel olLah ṯə‘ōwlêl ṯə·‘ō·w·lêl teoLel vaiyitallelu vayoleLuhu vehitallelu veoLalti veoLel way‘ōləluhū way·‘ō·lə·lu·hū way·yiṯ·‘al·lə·lū- wayyiṯ‘alləlū- wə‘ōlaltî wə‘ōwlêl wə·‘ō·lal·tî wə·‘ō·w·lêl wə·hiṯ·‘al·lə·lū- wəhiṯ‘alləlū- yə‘ōwllū yə·‘ō·wl·lū yeolLuInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts