Hebrew Alphabets - Aleph What Does it Mean?

By Robert N Gamble

The Hebrew Alphabet has some very interesting facts, and we will start by exploring the first letter Aleph in our study today.

Interesting Facts About Aleph

Interestingly enough, our word Alphabet comes from the first two letters in the Hebrew Alphabet, Aleph and Bet: Aleph-Bet or AlphaBet. And other nice rat facts: the letter A, or Alpha in Greek is a derivative of an ox head turned upright. Also, coincidentally enough, the Hebrew letter Aleph means ox as well.

The letter itself (aleph) when scribed and superimposed on a drawing of an ox or cow with horns resembles the cow in stick figure. The two upper portions being the horns, and the lower two portions the legs.

But What Does It Mean To a Hebrew?

That is nice interesting trivia, but the real significance of the letter is what an ox represented to a Hebrew. When we investigate the Masoretic text or the Hebrew Old Testament, we find written in the Law and other places several interesting things about oxen.

- If you stole and oxen: you paid back 5 fold


- If a magistrate or a priest sinned an oxen was sacrificed


- Milche cows pulled the ark of the covenant back to Israel and lowed (groaned) as they went


- Oxen were sacrificed in momentous covenantal events


- Oxen were part of the burnt offering


- Do not muzzling the Ox that treads the corn


- Ox in the Ditch on Sunday


- Job: Widow's ox taken in pledge


- Twelve (12) Oxen pointing in 4 directions were under the brazen sea


- Pro 14:4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

At first glance it appears that the oxen had some value beyond most animals. Five oxen restoration, for example for a theft of an oxen. That sticks out pretty far. Additionally, oxen were the prime sacrifice during a very important event.

To a Hebrew, the sacrificial system was not just bringing in a lamb or a goat and sacrificing, it was supposed to leave a lasting impression, more like a pocket book impression: "Put your money where your heart is" impression.

To a farmer, an oxen was a very useful tool. As the proverb stated "much increase is by the strength of the ox." Increase in farm output is more like it: Till more land (in less time!), pull that cart full of hay, tread out corn, your name it, where power was needed, the ox was used. The ox would be our equivalent of a tractor today.

So when Job talks about taking the ox from a widow as a pledge, he is commenting on the dreadful state that the widow would be in without that "increase" coming into her house. Those that would take her last vestige of prosperity, are criminal, is what he was saying.

Real Meaning To A Hebrew

The bottom line is that an ox represented a large investment. It fetched a high price, because it was worth so much from a productive standpoint. The productivity brought strength, or prosperity.

God in Leviticus talks about the curse of mind where the individual says "Lest thou think in thine heart, that by the strength of my own hands have I gotten me this wealth." The strength to perform work is the picture, and all strength originates from God initially: strength being the ability to overcome adversity, and build something.

How To Remember Aleph

To a Hebrew, the oxen represented strength.

So the best way to remember the Aleph character is to think what it looks like: an ox. Secondly, to think what does the letter actually mean: Strength. And thirdly, what was an ox to a Hebrew?: strength or capital investment.

And There Is More...

So not surprisingly enough, when a letter like Aleph is combined with Beth you get an addition or a summation of the pictures into one picture. The word being Awb, means Father.

The word literally means: Strength of the House. And that is exactly what a father is to a home. He brings strength from all angles: he brings lawful order and stability, he brings protection, and he brings sustainability through wealth and work.

As we progress through the Aleph Beth (Hebrew Alpha Beth) we will see that the significance of each letter bears meaning to its form and existence. This is just a starting point, from here the words, Masoretic-pointing and the Alphabet organization are opened up.

Robert N. Gamble, MD is the author of the HebrewScholar.com web page which is devoted to expanding understanding in the Hebrew language. He has written several works on the Hebrew Alphabet, Hebrew Words and Hebrew Pointing. Are you struggling with the Hebrew Alphabet and wondering how to learn it it three days? Go to the http://HebrewScholar.com and try out the Hebrew Alphabet System.