H0431 H0431
Lo! Behold! An Aramaic interjection introducing vivid scenes in Daniel's visions.
An Aramaic exclamatory particle used exclusively in the book of Daniel to introduce striking elements within dream-visions. It always appears as וַאֲלוּ ('and behold!'), creating a dramatic pause that draws the reader's eye to what follows — a great statue (Dan 2:31), a towering tree (Dan 4:10), a watchman descending (Dan 4:13), and a little horn with human eyes (Dan 7:8). The translations capture this vividness well: Spanish 'y he aquí,' French 'et voici!,' and German 'und siehe' all preserve the demonstrative force that makes Daniel's visions cinematically vivid.
Senses
1. sense 1 — An exclamatory interjection meaning 'lo!' or 'behold!,' used to arrest attention within visionary narratives. Always appears in Daniel as וַאֲלוּ ('and behold') to introduce dramatic new elements: the great statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Dan 2:31), the cosmic tree (Dan 4:10), the heavenly watcher (Dan 4:13), and the little horn (Dan 7:8 — appearing twice for double emphasis). Cognate to Aramaic אֲרוּ and related to Egyptian Aramaic הלו. Spanish 'y he aquí' and German 'und siehe' both effectively reproduce the startling, cinematic quality of this visionary marker. 5×
AR["وَ-هَا"]·ben["এবং-দেখ", "এবং-দেখুন"]·DE["und-siehe"]·EN["and-behold"]·FR["et-voici!"]·heb["ו-הנה"]·HI["और-देख", "और-देखो"]·ID["dan-lihatlah"]·IT["ed-ecco"]·jav["lan-lah"]·KO["그리고-보라"]·PT["e-eis"]·RU["и-вот"]·ES["y-he-aquí"]·SW["na-tazama"]·TR["ve-işte"]·urd["اور-دیکھو"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אֲלוּ interj. lo! (der. uncertain: usually regarded as by-form of אֲרוּ, q.v.; cf.Egyptian Aramaic הלו, Cooke No. 73, RÉS 492 B = S-C M b);—וַאֲלוּ Dn 2:31 חָזֵי הֲוַיְתָ וַאֲלוּ, 4:7, 10; 7:8, always in description of a vision.