אֱלָהּ94 H0426
God or deity (Aramaic); used for the God of Israel and also for pagan gods in Daniel and Ezra.
The Aramaic cognate of Hebrew Eloah (אֱלוֹהַּ), this word appears almost exclusively in the Aramaic portions of Ezra and Daniel. In its primary use it denotes the God of Israel — 'the God of heaven' whom Daniel serves and to whom Ezra builds a temple (Ezra 5:1-2; Dan 6:23). But it also designates false gods, as when Nebuchadnezzar commands worship of golden idols and speaks of 'gods made of gold and silver' (Dan 5:4, 23). The distinction between true God and pagan deities is clear from context and grammatical form: the emphatic state Elahā often marks the true God, while the plural elahin refers to pagan gods. Spanish Dios versus dioses and German Gott versus Goetter mirror this distinction.
Senses
1. God, the true God — The God of Israel, the supreme and true deity worshipped by Daniel, Ezra, and the Jewish exiles. Used in definite, construct, and suffixed forms. Ezra speaks of 'the God of heaven' who stirred Cyrus (Ezra 5:1), and Daniel's God delivers him from the lions' den (Dan 6:23). Spanish Dios, French Dieu, and German Gott all render this uniformly as a proper reference to the one true God. 76×
AR["الإِلَهِ","اللّٰه","لِلّٰه"]·ben["-ঈশ্বরের","ঈশ্বরের","এই-ঈশ্বরের"]·DE["Gott"]·EN["Elaha"]·FR["Dieu"]·heb["אלהא"]·HI["परमेश्वर","परमेश्वर-का","परमेश्वर-की","परमेश्वर-के"]·ID["Allah"]·IT["Dio"]·jav["Gusti-Allah","ing-panggenanipun","kang","kang-Gusti-Allah","kang-ageng","kang-emas","lan-karsanipun","piyambakipun","punika"]·KO["그-하나님","하나님"]·PT["o-Deus","o-Elohim"]·RU["Элаха"]·ES["Dios","el-Dios"]·SW["Mungu","ya-Mungu"]·TR["Elahin"]·urd["خدا","خدا-کا","خدا-کے"]
2. god(s), pagan deities — A god or gods in the generic or pagan sense — false deities worshipped by foreign nations. Appears in both singular indefinite and plural forms (elahin). Jeremiah 10:11 declares that 'the gods that did not make heaven and earth shall perish,' and Daniel 3:12-18 recounts the refusal to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. The plural and indefinite usage across Spanish dioses and German Goetter consistently signals the pagan referent. 20×
AR["(لِآلِهَتِكَ)","[لِآلِهَتِكَ]","آلِهَتَكَ","آلِهَتِي","إِلَهٍ","إِلَهِي","الآلِهَةُ","الآلِهَةِ","لِآلِهَةِ","وَ-لِآلِهَةِ"]·ben["(আপনার-দেবতাদের)","-আমার-দেবতাদের","-দেবতাদের","[আপনার-দেবতাদের]","আপনার-দেবতাদের","আমার-দেবতার","ঈশ্বরকে","এবং-দেবতাদের","দেবতা","দেবতাদের","দেবতারা"]·DE["Gott","[אלהיא]","diese","und-zu-Gott","zu-Gott","zu-dein-Gott"]·EN["(qere:your-god)","The-gods","[ketiv:your-gods]","and-the-elahei-of","elah","elahim","elahin","gods","my-elah","my-gods","the-elahei-of","your-gods"]·FR["Dieu","Dieu-de","[אלהיא]","ces","et-pour-Dieu-de","pour-Dieu-de","pour-ton-Dieu"]·heb["אלהיא","אלוה","אלוהי","אלוהים","ו-ל-אלוהי","ל-אלוהי","ל-אלוהיך","ל-אלוהך"]·HI["एलाहीम","एलाहों-का","और-देवताओं-की","तेरे-देवता","तेरे-देवताओं","देवता","देवताओं","देवताओं-की","पवित्र-देवताओं-की","मेरे-देवता-के","मेरे-देवताओं","सिवा"]·ID["-allah-allah","[kepada-allah-allahmu]","allah","allah-allah","allah-allahmu","allahku","dan-allah-allah","kepada-allah-allahku","kepada-allah-allahmu","para-allah","segala-allah"]·IT["Dio","[אלהיא]","a-Dio","a-tuo-Dio","e-a-Dio","questi"]·jav["(dhateng-allah-panjenengan)","Para-allah","[dhateng-para-allah-panjenengan]","allah","allah-kula","dhateng-déwa-déwa","dhateng-para-allah-kawula","dhateng-para-allah-panjenengan","déwa","lan-dhateng-déwa-déwa","para-allah","para-déwa"]·KO["그리고-신들-을","나-의-신-의","신","신들-","신들-을","신들-의","신들에게-나의","신들에게-당신의","신들의","신들이","신들이라","신에게"]·PT["Os-deuses","[aos-deuses-teus]","aos-deuses-de","aos-deuses-meus","aos-deuses-teus","deus","deuses","e-aos-deuses-de","meu-deus"]·RU["(богу-твоему)","[богам-твоим]","бога","бога-моего","богам-моим","богам-твоим","боги","богов","богу","и-богов"]·ES["(a-tu-dios)","[a-tus-dioses]","a-los-dioses-de","a-mis-dioses","a-tu-dios","dios","dioses","los-dioses","mi-dios","y-a-los-dioses-de"]·SW["(mungu-wako)","[miungu-yako]","miungu","miungu-hii","miungu-ya","miungu-yako","miungu-yangu","mungu","mungu-wangu","na-miungu-ya"]·TR["(ilahına)","[ilahlarına]","ilaha","ilahlar","ilahlarıma","ilahların","ilahlarına","ilahlarını","ilahtan","ilahımın","kutsal-ilahların","ve-ilahlarını"]·urd["الہٰ","اور-خداؤں-کی","تیرے-معبودوں-کی","خدا","خداؤں-کا","خداؤں-کی","خداؤں-کے","معبود","میرے-خدا-کا","میرے-معبودوں-کی","پاک-خداؤں"]
Related Senses
H0430 1. God (of Israel) (2502×)G2316 1. God, the true God (1315×)H6635b 1. hosts, armies (of YHWH) (286×)H0410 1. God, the true God (223×)G0032 1. heavenly angel (170×)H4397 2. messenger, envoy, ambassador (102×)H3742 1. cherub, angelic guardian being (91×)H0430 2. gods (pagan deities) (81×)G1140 1. demon, evil spirit (62×)H0433 1. God, the true God (54×)H5945b 1. Most High (30×)G4152 1. spiritual (21×)H5943 1. [ketiv:Most High] (18×)G1139 1. be demon-possessed (13×)H1712 1. Dagon (13×)G2316 2. god, pagan deity (12×)G5310 1. Most High (9×)H0410 3. a god, deity (generic) (9×)H3645 1. Chemosh (9×)H0842 2. Asherah (goddess) (8×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֱלָהּ94 n.m. god, God (= BH אֱלֹהַּ (p. 43), v. also √ I. אלה p. 41);—א׳ abs. Dn 2:28 +, cstr. v 18 +; emph. אֱלָהָא v 20 +; sf. אֱלָהִי 6:23, -הָךְ Ezr 9:14 +, -הֵהּ Dn 6:6 +, -הֲהֹם Ezr 5:5; 7:16, -הֲהוֹן Dn 3:28(×2), 29, -הֲכֹם Ezr 7:17, etc.; pl. abs. אֱלָהִין Dn 2:11 +, emph. -הַיָּא Je 10:11, cstr. -הֵי Dn 5:4, 23, sf. -הַי 3:14, etc. [c. pref. לֵאלָהָא Dn 5:23, לֵאלָהָ֯יךְ 3:14, etc.; but…