H0504 H0504
Cattle, oxen (used in agriculture and husbandry); also a clan or tribal subdivision within Israel.
This is the rarer homonym of the extremely common eleph (thousand), referring instead to domesticated cattle used for plowing and tillage. The plural alafim appears in contexts of agricultural blessing -- the increase of one's herds is a sign of divine favor (Deut 7:13, 28:4). Psalm 8:7 places oxen under human dominion alongside sheep and wild animals. A secondary sense, appearing in Judges 6:15, uses eleph for a clan or tribal subdivision, where Gideon protests that his 'clan' is the weakest in Manasseh. Spanish splits between 'bueyes' (oxen) and 'mi clan' (my clan), reflecting these distinct senses.
Senses
1. cattle, oxen — Cattle or oxen, domesticated bovines used for agricultural work and animal husbandry. The plural alafim appears in Deuteronomy's blessing and curse formulae: 'the increase of your cattle' (shegar alafekha) parallels 'the young of your flock' (Deut 7:13, 28:4, 18, 51). In Proverbs 14:4, abundant harvest comes through the strength of oxen. Psalm 8:7 places them under human dominion. Spanish 'bueyes' (oxen) and 'tus vacas' (your cattle), along with French 'ton bétail' (your livestock) and German 'dein Rinder' (your cattle), all confirm the agricultural-livestock sense. 7×
AR["بَقَرِكَ", "ثيرانٍ", "وَ-الثِّيرَانُ", "وَ-بَقَرًا"]·ben["এবং-গরুগুলি", "ও-গরুরা", "তোমার-গবাদিপশুর", "তোমার-গরুদের", "তোমার-গোরুর", "বলদের"]·DE["[אלפים]", "[והאלפים]", "dein-Rinder", "und-Ochsen"]·EN["And-the-oxen", "and-oxen", "oxen", "your-cattle"]·FR["[והאלפים]", "et-milliers", "ton-bétail", "אלפים"]·heb["אלפיך", "אלפים", "ו-אלפים", "ו-ה-אלפים"]·HI["और-बैल", "गायों-तेरी-के", "तेरे-बैलों-की", "बैलों-के"]·ID["Dan-lembu-lembu", "dan-lembu-lembu", "lembu", "lembu-lembumu", "lembu-sapi-mu"]·IT["[והאלפים]", "e-bestiame", "oxen", "tuo-bestiame"]·jav["lan-sapi", "lembu-lembu-panjenengan", "lembu-panjenengan", "saha-sapi", "sapi"]·KO["그리고-그-소들과", "그리고-소들", "너의-소들의", "네-소들-의", "황소-들-이"]·PT["E-os-bois", "bois", "e-bois", "teus-bois", "tuas-vacas"]·RU["-быков-твоих", "И-волы", "быков-твоих", "волов", "и-волов"]·ES["bueyes", "tu-ganado", "tus-vacas", "y-bueyes", "y-los-bueyes"]·SW["Na-ng'ombe", "na-ng'ombe", "ng'ombe", "ng'ombe-zako", "wa-ng'ombe-wako"]·TR["Ve-sigirlar", "sığırlarının", "ve-sığır", "öküzlerin"]·urd["اور-بیل", "بیل", "تیرے-بیلوں-کے", "تیرے-گائے-بیل"]
2. clan, tribal division — A clan, family group, or tribal subdivision within Israel -- a social unit smaller than a tribe (shevet/matteh) but larger than a household (bet av). In Judges 6:15, Gideon objects: 'My clan (alpi) is the weakest in Manasseh.' This sense of eleph as a military or social grouping unit is debated by scholars and may also affect the reading of large numbers elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. Spanish 'mi clan' and French 'mon clan' directly render this sociological meaning. 1×
AR["أَلْفي"]·ben["আমার-হাজার"]·DE["mein-Sippe"]·EN["my-clan"]·FR["mon-clan"]·heb["אלפי"]·HI["हजार-मेरा"]·ID["ribuan-ku"]·IT["mio-clan"]·jav["kulawarga-kula"]·KO["나의-씨족은"]·PT["meu-milhar"]·RU["род-мой"]·ES["mi-clan"]·SW["ukoo-wangu"]·TR["klanim"]·urd["ہزار-میرا"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)H6629 1. flock, sheep/goats (small livestock) (274×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H1241 1. cattle, herd (bovine livestock) (183×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [אֶ֫לֶף] n.m. ψ 8:8; only pl. cattle (Ph. אלף, Assyrian alpu, COTGloss.)—אֲלָפִים Pr 14:4 Is 30:24 used in tillage; subject to man ψ 8:8 (‖ צֹנֶה); their increase שְׁגַר אֲלָפֶיךָ a blessing Dt 7:13; 28:4, 18, 51 (‖ all עַשְׁתְּרֹת צֹאנֶ֑ךָ).