H5929 H5929
A leaf or piece of foliage, used literally of tree leaves and figuratively for withering or flourishing; in plural construct, leafy branches or boughs.
This common noun denotes the leaf of a tree -- one of the Bible's most evocative natural images. The very first human garments are sewn from fig leaves (Gen 3:7), and the dove returns to Noah bearing an olive leaf (Gen 8:11). Psalm 1:3 pictures the righteous person as a tree 'whose leaf does not wither,' while Isaiah and Jeremiah use the fading leaf as a metaphor for spiritual decline (Isa 1:30; 64:6; Jer 8:13). German Blatt and French feuille track this sense precisely. In Nehemiah 8:15, the plural construct form refers to leafy branches or boughs gathered for building festival booths -- Spanish ramas de ('branches of') reflects this broader botanical sense.
Senses
1. leaf, foliage — The leaf or foliage of a tree, used both literally and in rich figurative application. Genesis 3:7 records humanity's first use of fig leaves as covering, and Genesis 8:11 presents the olive leaf as a sign of receding floodwaters. Psalm 1:3 and Jeremiah 17:8 use the unfading leaf as a symbol of righteous vitality, while Isaiah 64:5 and Job 13:25 picture the driven, withering leaf as an image of human frailty. German Blatt ('leaf') and French feuille capture the botanical precision; Ezekiel 47:12 adds healing to the imagery, with leaves for medicine. 13×
AR["أَورَاقُهَا","كَ-الْوَرَقِ","هَلْ-وَرَقَةً","وَ-كَ-وَرَقَةٍ","وَ-وَرَقُهُ","وَالـ-وَرَقُ","وَرَقَ","وَرَقَةٍ","وَرَقَةُ","وَرَقُهُ"]·ben["এবং-তার-পাতা","এবং-পাতা","এবং-যেমন-পাতা","তার-পাতা","পাতা","পাতা-কি","পাতার","পাতার-মতো"]·DE["Blatt","Blätter","[וכעלה]","[ועלהו]","[כעלה]","[עלהו]","der-Brandopfer","ein-Blatt-","ging-hinauf","und-er-brachte-hinauf","und-sein-Blatt"]·EN["?-leaf","and-its-leaf","and-the-leaf","but-like-a-leaf","its-leaf","leaf","leaf-its","leaf-of","leaf-of-","like-a-leaf","of-a-leaf"]·FR["comme-feuille","et-feuille","et-le-feuille","et-וכעלה","feuille","feuille-de","feuille-de-","le-העלה","leaf"]·heb["ה-עלה","ו-ה-עלה","ו-כ-עלה","ו-עלהו","ו-עליהו","כ-עלה","עלה","עלהו","עליהו"]·HI["उसका-पत्ता","और-उसका-पत्ता","और-जिसके-पत्ते","और-जैसे-पत्ते","और-पत्ते","क्या-पत्ते-को","पत्ता","पत्ता-","पत्ते","पत्ते-उसके","पत्ते-की","पत्ते-की-तरह"]·ID["Apakah-daun","dan-daun","dan-daunnya","daun","daun-nya","daunnya","seperti-daun","tetapi-seperti-dedaunan","yang-tertiup"]·IT["[ועלהו]","[עלהו]","come-sali","e-come-il-ma-like-un-leaf","e-il-sali","e-la-sua-foglia","foglia","il-?-leaf","leaf-di","leaf-di-","sali"]·jav["godhong","godhongé","kados-godhong","kados-gogrog","lan-godhong","lan-godhongé","lan-kados-godhong","punapa-ron","ron","ron-ipun","ron-nipun","saha-ron-ipun"]·KO["그-잎이","그러나-잎-같이","그리고-그-의-잎사귀-가","그리고-그의-잎이","그리고-잎이","그의-잎이","나뭇잎처럼","잊-을-","잎","잎의","잎이"]·PT["Folha","como-folha","e-a-folha","e-a-sua-folha","e-como-folha","e-sua-folha","folha","folha-de-","folha-sua","folhas","sua-folha"]·RU["а-как-лист","и-лист","и-лист-его","и-листья-его","как-лист","лист","лист-","лист-его","лист-ли","листа","листва-его","листья"]·ES["como-hoja","hoja-de","hoja-de-","hoja-suya","su-follaje","su-hoja","una-hoja","y-como-hoja","y-la-hoja","y-su-hoja","¿A-hoja"]·SW["jani","jani-la","jani-lake","kama-jani","lakini-kama-jani","majani-ya","majani-yake","na-jani-lake","na-majani","wake"]·TR["ve-gibi-yaprak","ve-yaprak","ve-yaprağı","yaprak","yaprak-","yaprak-gibi","yapraklarını","yaprağı","yaprağı-","yaprağı-mı"]·urd["اس-کے-پتے","اور-اُس-کا-پتا","اور-پتا","اور-پتہ-اُس-کا","اور-پتے-کی-طرح","پتا","پتہ-اُس-کا","پتے","پتے-اُس-کے","پتے-کی-طرح","کیا-پتے-کو"]
2. branch, bough — Leafy branches or boughs of trees, used in the plural construct form especially in the context of gathering materials for the Festival of Booths (Sukkot). All five occurrences in Nehemiah 8:15 refer to branches of olive, myrtle, palm, and other trees brought to construct temporary shelters. Spanish ramas de ('branches of') and French feuille (here broadened to 'leafy branch') reflect this shift from individual leaf to the larger leafy limb cut for ritual construction. 5×
AR["أَغْصانَ-","وَ-أَغْصانَ","وَ-أَغْصانَ-"]·ben["আর-ডালপালা","আর-ডালপালা-","ডালপালা-"]·DE["ueber-mich","und-ueber-mich"]·EN["and-branches-of","branches-of"]·FR["et-feuille","feuille"]·heb["ו-עלי","עלי"]·HI["और-डालियां","डालियां"]·ID["dan-daun-daun","dan-daun-daun-","daun-daun-"]·IT["e-foglia","foglia"]·jav["lan-ron","ron"]·KO["가지들을","그리고-가지들을"]·PT["e-folhas-de","e-folhas-de-","folhas-de-"]·RU["ветви","и-ветви"]·ES["ramas-de-","y-ramas-de","y-ramas-de-"]·SW["matawi-ya","na-matawi-ya"]·TR["dalları-","ve-dalları","ve-dalları-"]·urd["اور-پتے","پتے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† עָלֶה n.m. leaf, leafage (v. עלה Qal 4);—ע׳ Lv 26:36 +; cstr. עֲלֵה Gn 3:7; 8:11; sf. עָלֵהוּ Je 17:8 +; pl. cstr. עֲלֵי Ne 8:15 +; sf. עָלֶהָ Is 1:30;—leaf, leafage, of various trees Gn 3:7; 8:11; Ne 8:15(×5); green Je 17:8, flourishing Pr 11:28; but usually fading Is 1:30; 34:4; 64:5; Je 8:13; Ez 47:12 ψ 1:3; driven leaf Lv 26:36; Jb 13:25; עלה לִתְרוּפָה leaf for healing Ez 47:12.