ala · utter a curse, adjure

What it means

ala (אָלָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “utter a curse, adjure”.

Utter an imprecation: call aloud for evil to fall on whoever is guilty of something; also put under an oath.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Call down evil on someone.
2. Swear; make someone swear.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• imprecation ×3
• Cursing ×1
• make him swear ×1
• swearing ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×1
• 2 Chronicles×1
• Hosea×2

• Judges 17:2

  And he said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you, and you uttered an imprecation and also said it in my ears, look, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by YHWH.”

• 1 Samuel 14:24

  The men of Israel were hard pressed on that day, and Saul put the people under an imprecation, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats bread until the evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” And none of the people tasted bread.

• 1 Kings 8:31

  If a man sins against his neighbor, and he lays on him an imprecation to make him swear, and the imprecation comes before your altar in this house,

• 2 Chronicles 6:22

  If a man sins against his neighbor and he lays on him an imprecation to make him swear, and the imprecation comes before your altar in this house,

• Hosea 4:2

  Cursing, and lying, and murdering, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and bloodshed touches bloodshed.

• Hosea 10:4

  They speak words, swearing falsely in making a covenant; so judgment sprouts like poison in the furrows of the field.