אלון

Hebrew

Alternative forms

אֵלוֹן (elon)

Etymology

Root
א־ל־ל‎ (ʾ-l-l)

Cognate with Akkadian 𒀠𒆷𒀭 (ʾallānu, alyānu, “oak; acorn”), Aramaic אִילָנָא‎ (ʾīlānā, “tree”), Classical Syriac ܐܺܝܠܳܢܳܐ‎ (ʾīlānā, “tree”). Doublet of אִילָן‎ (ʾīlān, “tree”) which is borrowed from Aramaic. Borrowed into Semitic from Sumerian 𒄑𒀠𒆷𒈝 (allanum, “oak; acorn, acorn-shaped”). Compare also אֵלָה‎ (ʾelā, “terebinth”) and the plurale tantum אֵילִים‎ (ēlīm, “mighty tree”).

Noun

אַלּוֹן • (alon) m (plural indefinite אַלּוֹנִים‎, plural construct אַלּוֹנֵי־‎)

oak
- Genesis 13:18, with translation of the English Standard Version:
  ‏וַיֶּאֱהַל אַבְרָם וַיָּבֹא וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא אֲשֶׁר בְּחֶבְרוֹן וַיִּבֶן שָׁם מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה׃‎‎
  So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
- Genesis 35:8, with translation of the English Standard Version:
  ‏וַתָּמָת דְּבֹרָה מֵינֶקֶת רִבְקָה וַתִּקָּבֵר מִתַּחַת לְבֵית אֵל תַּחַת הָאַלּוֹן וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ אַלּוֹן בָּכוּת׃‎‎
  And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth.
- Hosea 4:13, with translation of the English Standard Version:
  ‏עַל רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים יְזַבֵּחוּ וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת יְקַטֵּרוּ תַּחַת אַלּוֹן וְלִבְנֶה וְאֵלָה כִּי טוֹב צִלָּהּ עַל כֵּן תִּזְנֶינָה בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם וְכַלּוֹתֵיכֶם תְּנָאַפְנָה׃‎‎
  They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains / and burn offerings on the hills, / under oak, poplar, and terebinth, / because their shade is good. / Therefore your daughters play the whore, / and your brides commit adultery.

Proper noun

אַלּוֹן • (alon) m

a male given name, Alon or Elon

References

H436 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
H367 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
“אלון” in the Hebrew Terms Database of the Academy of Hebrew Language