H0423 H0423
Curse or imprecation, especially conditional self-cursing; solemn oath or sworn covenant; to adjure or place under oath (Hifil).
The Hebrew noun alah occupies the intersection of oath and curse in ancient Israelite covenant practice. In the ancient world, swearing an oath meant invoking curses upon oneself should one prove false -- so alah names both the curse that falls on the oath-breaker and the oath itself. Eighteen occurrences emphasize the curse dimension: the ritual curses of Numbers 5 that the suspected adulteress must drink (Num 5:21-27), the covenant curses of Deuteronomy (Deut 29:19-20), and Zechariah's flying scroll of judgment (Zech 5:3). Seventeen occurrences foreground the oath-covenant dimension: the mutual oath between Abraham's servant and Laban (Gen 24:41), the sworn covenant at Beersheba (Gen 26:28), and Nehemiah's community pledge (Neh 10:29). Spanish maldicion and juramento split what Hebrew unites, as do French malediction versus serment and German Fluch versus Eid. A lone Hifil occurrence (2 Chr 6:22) turns the noun into a causative verb: to cause someone to swear.
3. adjure, cause to swear (Hifil) — To adjure or cause to swear -- the causative Hifil verbal use, placing someone under oath by invoking the conditional curse. Only one clear occurrence: Solomon's prayer that when a man sins against his neighbor and 'an oath is laid upon him to cause him to swear' (2 Chr 6:22, parallel to 1 Kgs 8:31). Spanish para hacerle jurar and German Eid shift to causative constructions, confirming the verbal force of this rare usage. 1×
AR["لِ-يُقْسِمَهُ"]·ben["অভিশাপ-দিতে"]·DE["Eid"]·EN["to-curse-him"]·FR["[להאלתו]"]·heb["ל-האלתו-ו"]·HI["शपथ-खिलाने"]·ID["untuk-mengutuknya"]·IT["[להאלתו]"]·jav["kanggé-nyumpahi"]·KO["저주하려고-그-를"]·PT["para-jurar"]·RU["чтобы-проклясть-его"]·ES["para-hacerle-jurar"]·SW["kuapishwa"]·TR["lanetlemek-için-onu"]·urd["قسم-دلانے-کے-لیے"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. curse, imprecation — A curse or imprecation -- the conditional self-cursing invoked upon oath-breaking, or a direct pronouncement of divine judgment upon transgressors. Eighteen occurrences center on the curse dimension: the waters of cursing in the ordeal of the suspected adulteress (Num 5:21-27), the covenant curses of Deuteronomy (Deut 29:19-20; 30:7), the flying scroll curse of Zechariah (Zech 5:3), and the prophetic threat that the land itself languishes under a curse (Isa 24:6). Spanish maldicion, French malediction, and German Fluch all reach for dedicated curse vocabulary distinct from oath language. 18×
AR["اللَّعْنَاتِ","اللَّعْنَةُ","اللَّعْنَةِ","الْأَحْلَافِ","الْـلَّعَنَاتِ","الْـلَّعْنَةِ","بِ-لَعنَةٍ","فِي-لَعْنَةٍ","لَعْنَةً","لَعْنَةٌ","لِ-لَعْنَةٍ","لِلْحَلْفِ","وَ-مِن-اللَعنَةِ"]·ben["-অভিশাপ","অভিশাপ","অভিশাপ-জন্য","অভিশাপ-রূপে","অভিশাপগুলো","অভিশাপস্বরূপ","অভিশাপে","অভিশাপের","এই-শাপগুলি","ও-অভিশাপ-থেকে","শপথ"]·DE["Eid","[לאלה]","cursing","der-curses","der-diese","der-oaths","der-verfluchen","diese","fuer-ein-verfluchen","in-diese","und-für-cursing"]·EN["a-curse","an-oath","and-for-cursing","by-a-curse","curse","cursing","devours","for-a-curse","into-a-curse","the-curse","the-curses","the-oaths"]·FR["[באלה]","[האלות]","ceux-ci","dans-באלה","et-de-ceux-ci","le-ces","le-malédiction","le-malédictions","le-serments","pour-un-malédiction","térébinthe","à-térébinthe","אלה"]·heb["אלה","ב-אלה","ה-אלה","ה-אלות","ו-מ-אלה","ל-אלה"]·HI["और-शाप-के-लिए","के-लिए-शाप","शपथ","शपथ-में","शाप","शाप-की","शाप-के","शाप-के-लिए","शाप-से","शापों"]·ID["Kutuk","dengan-kutuk","dengan-kutukan","kutuk","kutuk-kutuk","kutukan","menjadi-kutuk","sumpah-serapah","untuk-kutukan"]·IT["[באלה]","[האלות]","a-questi","e-da-questi","il-curses","il-maledire","il-oaths","il-questi","in-da-un-maledire","per-un-maledire","questi","un-maledire"]·jav["Laknatan","ing-kutukan","ipat-ipat","ipat-ipatan","kangge-laknat","kanggé-sumpah-serapah","kanthi-ipat","laknat","laknat-laknat","sami-damelna-kesasar","sot","sumpah-sumpah","supata"]·KO["그-저주","그-저주들","그-저주들을","그-저주라","그리고-저주-에서","맹세를","이-저주들을","저주-가","저주-로","저주-안에서","저주-에게","저주-와","저주가","저주로","저주로-","저주를","저주의"]·PT["Maldição","a-maldição","as-maldições","com-maldição","e-por-maldição","em-maldição","maldição","para-maldição","por-maldição"]·RU["-проклятие","в-проклятие","и-за-проклятия","проклятие","проклятием","проклятия","с-проклятием"]·ES["Maldición","con-maldición","en-maldición","es-la-maldición","la-maldición","las-maldiciones","maldición","para-juramentación","para-maldición","por-maldición","y-de-maldición"]·SW["Halh","Halt","Laana","Lalh","haalwot","katika-laana","kiapo","kwa-laana","laana","na-kwa-laana"]·TR["-için-yemin","lanet","lanet-","lanet-ile","lanet-için","lanete","lanetin","lanetin-","lanetleri","lanetleri-","ve-lanetten","yemin"]·urd["قسم","لعنت","لعنت سے","لعنت-سے","لعنت-میں","لعنت-نے","لعنت-کی","لعنت-کے-لیے","لعنتوں","لعنتیں","وَ-مِن-لَعنَت"]
2. oath, sworn covenant — A solemn oath or sworn covenant commitment, typically carrying an implicit self-imprecatory element binding the swearer to consequences if violated. Seventeen occurrences emphasize the oath-covenant dimension: the oath securing Abraham's servant's mission (Gen 24:41), the covenant oath at Beersheba (Gen 26:28), the oath attached to Mosaic covenant entry (Deut 29:12, 14), the oath despised by Jerusalem (Ezek 16:59; 17:16-19), and the community pledge under Nehemiah (Neh 10:29). Spanish juramento, French serment, and German Eid separate the oath sense from the curse sense, revealing a distinction that Hebrew collapses. 17×
AR["أَحْلَافِ","الْحَلِفِ","الْقَسَمَ","بِـ-قَسَمٍ","حِلفٌ","قَسَمًا","قَسَمٌ","قَسَمَهُ","قَسَمِي","لَعْنَةً","لَعْنَةٌ","لَعْنَةٍ","مِنْ-لَعْنَتِي","وَفِي-حَلِفِهِ"]·ben["অভিশাপ","অভিশাপের","আমাদের-মধ্যে","আমার-শপথ","আমার-শপথ-থেকে","এই-শপথ","এবং-তাঁর-শপথে","তার-শপথ","শপথ","শপথে","শাপের","সেই-শাপ","সেই-শাপের"]·DE["Eid","der-Eid","diese","ein-Eid","ein-Schwur","in-diese","oath","oaths-von","und-in-sein-Eid","von-meinem-Fluch"]·EN["an-oath","and-into-his-oath","from-my-oath","into-oath","oath","oath-his","oath-my","oaths-of","the-oath"]·FR["ces","ceux-ci","dans-ces","de-mon-serment","et-dans-son-serment","le-serment","malédiction","serment","serments-de","un-serment"]·heb["אלה","אלות","אלתו","אלתי","ב-אלה","ה-אלה","ו-ב-אלתו","מ-אלתי-י"]·HI["और-शपथ-उसके-में","में-शपथ","मेरी-शपथ-से","शपथ","शपथ-अपनी","शपथ-के","शपथ-मेरी","शपथों","शाप","शाप-की"]·ID["dan-sumpah-kutuk-Nya","dari-sumpahku","dengan-sumpah","kutuk","kutuk-itu","kutuk-kutuk","sumpah","sumpah-Ku","sumpah-kutuk","sumpahnya"]·IT["da-mio-oath","e-in-suo-giuramento","giuramento","il-giuramento","in-questi","oath","oaths-di","questi","un-giuramento"]·jav["kanthi-sumpah","lan-ing-sumpahipun","saking-sumpah-kula","sumpah","sumpah-Kula","sumpah-sumpah","sumpahipun"]·KO["그-맹세(접)","그-맹세를","그-저주가","그리고-에-그의-맹세에","나의-맹세-에서","나의-맹세를","맹세가","맹세를","맹세에-","저주","저주들(접)","저주의"]·PT["a-maldição","de-minha-maldição","e-em-seu-juramento","em-juramento","juramento","maldição","maldições-de","meu-juramento","o-juramento","seu-juramento"]·RU["и-в-клятву-Его","клятва","клятву","клятву-Мою","клятву-его","клятвы","от-клятвы-моей","под-клятву","проклятие","проклятия","проклятиям"]·ES["de-mi-maldición","el-juramento","en-juramento","juración","juramento","la-juramentación","la-maldición","maldiciones-de","mi-juramento","su-juramento","y-en-su-juramentación"]·SW["chake","changu","katika-nyumba","kiapo","kutoka-kiapo-changu","kwa-kiapo","laana","laana-zote","na-katika-kiapo-chake","ya-kiapo"]·TR["ant","lanet","laneti","lanetimden","lanetin","lanetleri","ve-lanetine","yemin","yeminde","yemini","yeminimi"]·urd["اور-اُس-کی-قسم-میں","اُس-کی-قسم","قسم","قسم-میری-سے","قسم-میں","قسم-کو","لعنت","لعنت-کی","لعنتوں","میری-قسم"]
Gen 24:41, Gen 24:41, Gen 26:28, Lev 5:1, Deut 29:12, Deut 29:14, Deut 29:19, Deut 29:20, Deut 29:21, 1 Kgs 8:31, 1 Kgs 8:31, 2 Chr 6:22 (+5 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אָלָה n.f. oath Gn 26:28 +; sf. אָלָתִי, אָלָתוֹ Gn 24:41 + (4 times); pl. אָלוֹת Dt 29:20 + (4 times) 1. oath in testimony Lv 5:1 Nu 5:21(×2) (P) Pr 29:24; בא באלה come into an oath Ne 10:30; הביא באלה bring into an oath Ez 17:13; נשׂא אלה 1 K 8:31 (= 2 Ch 6:22). 2. oath of covenant Gn 24:41(×2); 26:28 (J) Dt 29:11, 13; בזה אלה despise an oath Ez 16:59; 17:16, 18, 19. 3. curse (a) from God Nu…