H414. Ela

אֵלָא‎ proper name, masculine father of an officer of Solomon 1 Kings 4:18 (= II. אֵלָה‎ terebinth?).

I. אלה‎ (assumed as √ of אֵל‎, (אֱלוֺהַּ‎) אֱלֹהִים‎ god, God, but question intricate, & conclusions dubious It is uncertain whether אֵל‎ & אֱלֹהִים‎ are from the same √. Following are the chief theories:

1. a. Thes makes אֵל‎ & אֱלֹהִים‎ distinct, and both really primitive, but associates אֵל‎ in treatment with אֵל‎ strong, Participle of √ אול‎; strong, according to Thes, being derived from meaning be in front of; (different order in Lex. Man., Rob-Ges);

b. אֵל‎ & אֱלֹהִים‎ distinct; former from אול‎ strong; latter plural of אֱלֹהַּ‎ from √ [אלהּ‎] = () go to and fro in perplexity or fear, hence אֱלֹהַּ‎ fear & object of fear, reverence, revered one; = אל פחד‎ trepide confugere ad Hosea 3:5; אלהים‎ = פחד‎ Genesis 31:42 = מוֺרָא‎ Isaiah 8:13 De^{Gn 1887, 48} (compare σέβασμα, post-Biblical Hebrewיִרְאָה‎ NHWB; Aramaic דַּחֲלָא‎ CWB); so De following Fl in De^{Gn ed. 4, 57}, compare MV.

2 אֵל‎ & אֱלֹהִים‎ possibly connected; אֵל‎ = leader, lord, from √ אול‎ be in front; so Nö^{MBAk 1880, 760 f; SBAk 1882, 1175 f.}

3. a. אֵל‎ & אֱלֹהִים‎ connected, & both from a √ אלה‎ (= אלהּ‎) to which is assigned meaning strong; so Ew^{§ 146 d, 178 b (see also Jahrbücher d. bibl. Wiss. x. 11, Bibl. Theol. ii. 330)};

b. אֵל‎ from √ אלה‎ strong (not אלהּ‎), & אֱלֹהִים‎ expanded from אֵל‎, compare plural אֲמָהוֺת‎ from אמה‎ etc.; so Di on Genesis 1:1; he supports meaning strong by reference to phrase יָדִי לְאֵל יֵשׁ‎ 31:29 and elsewhere;

c. similarly, אֵל‎, being very early & common Shemitic word, formed plural אלהים‎, from which singular אֱלוֺהַּ‎ was afterwards inferred, Nes^{Theol. Stud. a. Württ., 1882, 243} (criticized by Nö^{SBA 1.c}.).

4 אֵל‎ (אֱלֹהִים אֱלוֺהַּ,‎ disregarded) from √ אלה‎ stretch out to, reach after (compare preposition אֱלִי אֵל,‎, also אָלָה‎ swear), God as the one whom men strive to reach, 'das Ziel aller Menschensehnsucht und alles Menschenstrebens,' Lag^{Or. ii. 3; Gn 1882:173 = M 96}. — compare Spurrell^{Hebrew Text of Genesis, App. ii}, where all these views are stated somewhat more fully, & briefly criticized; on the use of אֵל‎ & אֱלֹהַּ‎ in Shemitic languages see, exhaustively, Nö^{MBAk, SBAk, 1.c}.).