Lexical Summary alah: Oath, curse Original Word: אָלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance curse, cursing, execration, oath, swearing From 'alah; an imprecation -- curse, cursing, execration, oath, swearing. see HEBREW 'alah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alah Definition an oath NASB Translation adjuration (1), curse (12), curses (6), oath (13). Brown-Driver-Briggs אָלָה noun feminine oath Genesis 26:28 +; suffix אָלָתִי, אָלָתוֺ Genesis 24:11 + (4 t.); plural אָלוֺת Deuteronomy 29:20 + (4 t). 1 oath in testimony Leviticus 5:1; Numbers 5:21 (twice in verse) (P) Proverbs 29:23; בא באלה come into an oath Nehemiah 10:30; הביא באלה bring into an oath Ezekiel 17:13; נשׂא אלה 1 Kings 8:31 ( = 2 Chronicles 6:22). 2 oath of convenant Genesis 24:41 (twice in verse); Genesis 26:28 (J) Deuteronomy 29:11; Deuteronomy 29:13; בזה אלה despise an oath Ezekiel 16:59; Ezekiel 17:16,18,19. 3 curse (a) from God Numbers 5:23 (P) Deuteronomy 29:18; Deuteronomy 29:19; Deuteronomy 29:20; Deuteronomy 30:7; 2Chronicles 34:24; Isaiah 24:6; Jeremiah 23:10; Daniel 9:11; Zechariah 5:3; (b) from men Job 31:30; Psalm 10:7; Psalm 59:13. 4 execration in the phrase היה לאלה become an execration Numbers 5:27 (P) Jeremiah 29:18; Jeremiah 42:18; Jeremiah 44:12. Topical Lexicon Scope and Primary Concepts אָ֫לָה encompasses two tightly related ideas: the solemn oath by which one binds oneself before God, and the accompanying self-malediction that calls down divine judgment should the oath be violated. The same term thus embraces covenantal promises, formal litigation, and prophetic denunciations. Whether spoken in the intimacy of patriarchal agreements or thundered by the prophets, it invariably presupposes the living God who both witnesses and enforces every word. Distribution across Canon Roughly thirty-six occurrences span Torah, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, Major and Minor Prophets, and the Aramaic portion of Daniel. The term first appears in Genesis among the patriarchs, resurfaces in the Sinai legislation, intensifies during the monarchy, and becomes a major theme in exilic and post-exilic texts that interpret Israel’s national calamities as the outworking of the covenantal אָלָה. Oath as Covenant Seal 1. Patriarchal narratives (Genesis 24:41; 26:28; 31:52) portray the oath as the final step that confirms a covenant, often accompanied by ritual acts (gift exchange, meal, heap of stones). Curse as Judicial Sanction 1. Numbers 5:21-27 employs the term in the ordeal of suspected adultery, weaving oath and curse into a single forensic procedure overseen by priest and sanctuary. Practical Outworking in Israel’s Worship Temple liturgy retained ritual formulas of self-malediction. Psalm 10:7 laments a mouth “full of cursing,” indicating that misuse of the oath desecrates worship. Conversely, Nehemiah 10:29 records a renewed community that “bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law,” turning the same concept into a means of covenant fidelity. Prophetic Employment of the Motif Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel employ אָלָה to interpret societal collapse. Isaiah 24:6: “Therefore a curse consumes the earth.” Jeremiah applies the word to Judah’s impending judgment (Jeremiah 25:18; 42:18), warning that covenant breach inevitably activates the sworn sanctions. Yet Isaiah 65:15 anticipates a remnant given “another name,” implying that God’s faithfulness outlives the curse. Impact on Post-Exilic Community Ezra-Nehemiah demonstrates that post-exilic leaders used the oath-curse formula to secure obedience, acknowledging that restoration requires more than rebuilt walls; it demands hearts bound to God’s word. Nehemiah 13:25, where mixed-marriage offenders are “put under oath,” proves that spiritual reforms continued to invoke the ancient mechanism. Theological Trajectory Toward the New Covenant The Old Testament leaves Israel under the weight of the oath’s penalties, pointing forward to a mediator who can absorb the curse and establish an unbreakable covenant. Galatians 3:13 echoes this trajectory: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” The seriousness with which God enforces every אָלָה magnifies the glory of Christ’s vicarious atonement and the surety of the New Covenant oath sealed in His blood (Hebrews 7:20-22). Implications for Contemporary Ministry • Integrity: Believers’ speech must be truthful, needing no elaborate self-maledictions (Matthew 5:33-37), yet recognizing that every word is spoken before the same covenant God. Selected Representative Passages Genesis 26:28; Numbers 5:21; Deuteronomy 29:12; 2 Chronicles 15:14; Nehemiah 10:29; Psalm 10:7; Isaiah 65:15; Jeremiah 25:18; Daniel 9:11. Forms and Transliterations אָ֣לָת֔וֹ אָֽלָתִי֙ אָל֣וֹת אָלָ֔ה אָלָ֖ה אָלָ֛ה אָלָ֤ה אָלָ֥ה אָלָה֙ אלה אלות אלתו אלתי בְּאָלָ֔ה בְּאָלָ֣ה באלה הָ֣אָלָ֔ה הָֽאָלָ֔ה הָֽאָלָ֜ה הָאָל֖וֹת הָאָלָ֖ה הָאָלָ֣ה הָאָלָה֒ הָאָלֹ֥ת הָאָלוֹת֙ האלה האלות האלת וּבְאָלָת֑וֹ וּמֵאָלָ֖ה ובאלתו ומאלה לְאָלָ֖ה לְאָלָ֣ה לְאָלָ֤ה לְאָלָ֥ה לְהַֽאֲלֹת֑וֹ לאלה להאלתו מֵאָ֣לָתִ֔י מֵאָלָתִֽי׃ מאלתי מאלתי׃ ’ā·lā·ṯî ’ā·lā·ṯōw ’ā·lāh ’ā·lō·wṯ ’ālāh ’ālāṯî ’ālāṯōw ’ālōwṯ aLah alaTi alaTo aLot bə’ālāh bə·’ā·lāh beaLah hā’ālāh hā’ālōṯ hā’ālōwṯ hā·’ā·lāh hā·’ā·lō·wṯ hā·’ā·lōṯ haaLah haaLot lə’ālāh lə·’ā·lāh lə·ha·’ă·lō·ṯōw leaLah ləha’ălōṯōw lehaaloTo mê’ālāṯî mê·’ā·lā·ṯî meAlaTi ū·ḇə·’ā·lā·ṯōw ū·mê·’ā·lāh ūḇə’ālāṯōw ūmê’ālāh umeaLah uvealaToLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 24:41 HEB: אָ֤ז תִּנָּקֶה֙ מֵאָ֣לָתִ֔י כִּ֥י תָב֖וֹא NAS: you will be free from my oath, when KJV: Then shalt thou be clear from [this] my oath, when thou comest INT: then will be free my oath when come Genesis 24:41 Genesis 26:28 Leviticus 5:1 Numbers 5:21 Numbers 5:21 Numbers 5:23 Numbers 5:27 Deuteronomy 29:12 Deuteronomy 29:14 Deuteronomy 29:19 Deuteronomy 29:20 Deuteronomy 29:21 Deuteronomy 30:7 1 Kings 8:31 1 Kings 8:31 2 Chronicles 6:22 2 Chronicles 6:22 2 Chronicles 34:24 Nehemiah 10:29 Job 31:30 Psalm 10:7 Psalm 59:12 Proverbs 29:24 Isaiah 24:6 36 Occurrences |