אֵלָא
Ela, an Israelite
Definition
אֵלָא (ʼÊlâʼ) is a proper noun referring to an Israelite named Elah, who served as an official under King Solomon. He is specifically identified as the son of Shimei and one of Solomon's twelve district governors, responsible for providing food for the royal household one month each year (1 Kings 4:18). The name is a variant of the Hebrew word אֵלָה (ʼēlâ), meaning 'oak' or 'terebinth tree,' a common element in Israelite personal and place names. This Elah should not be confused with King Elah of Israel (1 Kings 16:8), who shares the same name but is a different individual.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Kings 4:18, within a list of Solomon's administrative officials. It functions strictly as a personal name for a minor figure in the royal bureaucracy. There are no other contextual uses or patterns, as it is a hapax legomenon (a word occurring only once).
Etymology
The name אֵלָא (ʼÊlâʼ) is a variant spelling or dialectical form of the more common Hebrew noun אֵלָה (ʼēlâ, H424), which means 'oak' or 'terebinth tree.' Such tree names were frequently used in Semitic cultures for personal names, likely symbolizing strength, endurance, or connection to the land. The shift in spelling may reflect regional pronunciation differences or scribal variation.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names derived from nature, like 'Elah' (oak), were common and often carried symbolic meaning. Oaks were significant trees in the Canaanite landscape, sometimes associated with sacred sites (e.g., Genesis 35:4, Joshua 24:26). Bearing a name meaning 'oak' may have implied qualities of stability or prominence. As a royal official, Elah's role highlights Solomon's organized, centralized kingdom, where even minor administrators were recorded, reflecting the biblical emphasis on orderly governance under God's appointed king.
אֵלָה (ʼēlâ, H424) — The standard Hebrew word for 'oak' or 'terebinth,' from which the name Ela is derived. אַלּוֹן (ʼallôn, H437) — Another Hebrew term for 'oak,' often used in place names like 'Allon-bacuth' (Genesis 35:8).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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