Bible Word Study
לָאֵל
Lâʼêl · Lael an Israelite
לָאֵל
Lael an Israelite
Definition
Lael is a proper name meaning 'belonging to God' or 'God's.' It is the name of a single individual in the Bible, the father of Eliasaph, who was the leader of the Gershonite clan of Levites (Numbers 3:24). As a name, it functions solely as a personal identifier for this Israelite. There are no other biblical senses or meanings for this specific term.
Biblical Usage
The word לָאֵל (Lael) is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Numbers 3:24. It is used strictly as a proper name to identify the father of Eliasaph, the chief of the Gershonites. This places it within the context of the census and organization of the Levitical clans during the wilderness wanderings.
Etymology
The name Lael is a compound word. It is formed from the prepositional prefix לְ (le-), meaning 'to' or 'belonging to,' and the divine name אֵל (ʼēl, H410), meaning 'God.' Therefore, its literal and only meaning is 'belonging to God.'
Semantic Range
While a single-use personal name, Lael's meaning—'belonging to God'—reflects a core theological concept of Israel's identity. The Levites, in particular, were set apart as belonging to God for service in the tabernacle (Numbers 3:12). This name serves as a small, personal reminder that individuals and families within the covenant community were understood to be God's possession. In ancient Israelite culture, names were often descriptive or theophoric (containing a divine name), expressing a hope, character trait, or relationship to God. Naming a child 'Lael' was a declaration of dedication, affirming that the individual and their lineage were under God's ownership and care. This differs from modern names, which are often chosen for sound or family tradition rather than explicit meaning. Eliab (ʼEliʼab, H446) — Another theophoric name meaning 'My God is Father,' used for several individuals. Elihu (ʼElihu, H453) — A name meaning 'He is my God,' also borne by multiple biblical figures. Both share the element ʼēl (God) but have different constructions and meanings.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]