Original Word: עָלֶה
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `aleh
Pronunciation: ah-leh
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-leh')
KJV: branch, leaf
NASB: leaf, branches, leaves
Word Origin: [from H5927 (עָלָה - went)]

1. a leaf (as coming up on a tree)
2. collectively, foliage

branch, leaf

From alah; a leaf (as coming up on a tree); collectively, foliage -- branch, leaf.

see HEBREW alah

Word Origin
from alah
Definition
leaf, leafage
NASB Translation
branches (5), leaf (9), leaves (4).

עָלֶה noun masculine leaf, leafage (see עלה Qal 4; — ׳ע Leviticus 26:36 +; construct עֲלֵה Genesis 3:7; Genesis 8:11; suffix עָלֵהוּ Jeremiah 17:8 +; plural construct עֲלֵי Nehemiah 8:15 +; suffix עֶלֶהָ Isaiah 1:30; — leaf, leafage, of various trees Genesis 3:7; Genesis 8:11; Nehemiah 8:15 (5 t. in verse); green Jeremiah 17:8, flourishing Proverbs 11:28; but usually fading Isaiah 1:30; Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 64:5; Jeremiah 8:13; Ezekiel 47:12; Psalm 1:3; driven leaf Leviticus 26:36; Job 13:25; עלה לִתְרוּפָה leaf for healing Ezekiel 47:12.

Botanical imagery across Scripture

The Hebrew noun עָלֶה (leaf, foliage) appears in eighteen Old Testament verses and carries a rich range of symbolic weight. From Eden to Ezekiel’s temple river, the simple leaf serves as a visual shorthand for humanity’s condition before God, for covenant remembrance, and for eschatological hope.

Leaves as symbols of human insufficiency and sin

The first mention, Genesis 3:7, shows Adam and Eve sewing fig leaves to hide their nakedness after the fall. Their makeshift coverings dramatize mankind’s impulse to deal with guilt apart from divine provision. The image prepares readers for the later revelation that only a substitutionary sacrifice can cover sin (Genesis 3:21). Every subsequent leaf motif can be read against this backdrop of human inability.

Leaves as indicators of life, health, and blessing

Positive leaf imagery predominates in wisdom and worship texts. Psalm 1:3 declares of the righteous: “whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.” Proverbs 11:28 contrasts worldly trust with spiritual vitality: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.” Jeremiah 17:8 echoes the same promise for the man who trusts the Lord: “its leaves are always green.” Such verses ground assurance for believers whose spiritual health depends on continual dependence upon God.

Leaves as warning of judgment and transience

Where covenant infidelity dominates, the leaf becomes a metaphor of decline. Isaiah 1:30 predicts Judah will be “like an oak whose leaf withers” after her rebellion. Leviticus 26:36 pictures disobedient Israel fleeing “as though pursued by the sound of a rustling leaf.” Isaiah 34:4 describes cosmic judgment: “the sky will be rolled up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall… like leaves from a vine.” Isaiah 64:6 links moral uncleanness with autumnal decay: “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf.” Jeremiah 8:13 announces fruitlessness and withered foliage on the fig tree—a sober warning to any generation that turns from the Lord.

Leaves in covenant celebrations

Nehemiah 8:15 records the post-exilic revival when Israel gathered “olive branches, wild olive branches, myrtle, palm, and leafy branches” to build booths for the Feast of Tabernacles. The restored use of foliage recalled wilderness provision and affirmed ongoing covenant faithfulness. The same practice informs the palm branches of John 12:13 and Revelation 7:9, showing continuity between Testaments.

Leaves in prophetic and eschatological hope

Genesis 8:11 offers the earliest emblem of hope: the dove’s olive leaf signals new creation after the flood. The climax comes in Ezekiel 47:12 (twice): “Their leaves will not wither… and their leaves for healing.” The scene anticipates Revelation 22:2, weaving the leaf motif into the Bible’s closing vision of restored Eden. Here the leaf, once a sign of sin’s futile covering, becomes medicine for the nations—an emblem of complete redemption.

Ministry reflections and applications

1. Gospel contrast: Human attempts at self-covering (Genesis 3:7) remain inadequate; only God-provided righteousness endures (Psalm 1:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
2. Pastoral encouragement: Believers rooted in Scripture and prayer can expect evergreen stability amid cultural droughts (Jeremiah 17:8).
3. Prophetic warning: Congregations tolerating sin may experience withered witness and fruitlessness (Isaiah 64:6; Revelation 2–3).
4. Missional hope: Ezekiel’s healing leaves inspire confidence that every gospel labor anticipates a future where nations find wholeness under Christ’s reign.

The arc of עָלֶה thus moves from inadequate fig coverings to everlasting healing leaves, tracing God’s redemptive purpose from Genesis to Revelation and urging faith, faithfulness, and hope in every season.

הֶעָלֶ֣ה העלה וְ֝כֶעָלֶ֗ה וְהֶֽעָלֶה֙ וְעָלֵ֖הוּ וְעָלֵ֥הוּ וַעֲלֵ֖י וַעֲלֵ֣י וַעֲלֵ֤י וַעֲלֵי־ והעלה וכעלה ועלהו ועלי ועלי־ כֶּֽעָלֶה֙ כעלה עֲלֵ֣ה עֲלֵה־ עֲלֵי־ עָלֵ֖הוּ עָלֵ֜הוּ עָלֶ֑הָ עָלֶ֣ה עָלֶה֙ עלה עלה־ עלהו עלי־ ‘ă·lê- ‘ā·le·hā ‘ā·lê·hū ‘ă·lêh ‘ā·leh ‘ă·lêh- ‘ălê- ‘ălêh ‘āleh ‘ălêh- ‘ālehā ‘ālêhū aLeh aLeha aLehu alei he‘āleh he·‘ā·leh heaLeh ke‘āleh ke·‘ā·leh keaLeh vaalei veaLehu vecheaLeh veheaLeh wa‘ălê wa‘ălê- wa·‘ă·lê wa·‘ă·lê- wə‘ālêhū wə·‘ā·lê·hū wə·he·‘ā·leh wə·ḵe·‘ā·leh wəhe‘āleh wəḵe‘ālehInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts