the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Come Up, Ascend
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or A. Verb.
‛Âlâh (עָלָה, Strong's #5927), “to go up, ascend, offer up.” This word occurs in all Semitic languages, including biblical Hebrew. The Old Testament attests it about 890 times.Basically, ‛âlâh suggests movement from a lower to a higher place. That is the emphasis in Gen. 2:6 (the first occurrence of the word), which reports that Eden was watered by a mist or stream that “went up” over the ground. ‛Âlâh may also mean “to rise up” or “ascend.” The king of Babylon said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven” (Isa. 14:13). This word may mean “to take a journey,” as in traveling from Egypt (Gen. 13:1) toward Palestine or other points northward. The verb may be used in a special sense meaning “to extend, reach”—for example, the border of Benjamin “went up [“extended, reached”] through the mountains westward” (Josh. 18:12).
The use of ‛âlâh to describe the journey from Egypt to Palestine is such a standard phrase that it often appears without the geographical reference points. Joseph told his brothers to “go up” to their father in peace (Gen. 44:17). Even the return from the Exile, which was a journey from north to south (Palestine), is described as a “going up” (Ezra 2:1). Thus, the reference may be not so much to physically “going up,” but to a figurative or spiritual “going up.” This usage appears long before Ezra’s time, when it is said that one “goes up” to the place where the sanctuary is located (cf. Deut. 17:8). The verb became a technical term for “making a pilgrimage” (Exod. 34:24) or “going up” before the Lord; in a secular context, compare Joseph’s “going up” before Pharaoh (Gen. 46:31).
In instances where an enemy located himself in a superior position (frequently a higher place), one “goes up” to battle (Josh. 22:12). The verb can also refer merely to “going out” to make war against someone, even though there is no movement from a lower to a higher plane. So Israel “went up” to make war against the Moabites, who heard of the Israelites’ approach while still dwelling in their cities (2 Kings 3:21). Even when ‛âlâh is used by itself, it can mean “to go to war”; the Lord told Phinehas, “Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand” (Judg. 20:28). On the other hand, if the enemy is recognized to be on a lower plane, one can “go down” (yarad) to fight (Judg. 1:9). The opposite of “going up” to war is not descending to battle, but “leaving off” (‘alah me’al), literally, “going up from against.”
Another special use of ‛âlâh is “to overpower” (literally, “to go up from”). For example, the Pharaoh feared the Israelites lest in a war they join the enemy, fight against Egypt, and “overpower” the land (Exod. 1:10). “To go up” may also be used of “increasing in strength,” as the lion that becomes strong from his prey: The lion “goes up from his prey” (Gen. 49:9; cf. Deut. 28:43).
Not only physical things can “go up.” ‛Âlâh can be used also of the “increasing” of wrath (2 Sam. 11:20), the “ascent” of an outcry before God (Exod. 2:23), and the “continual” sound of battle (although “sound of” is omitted; cf. 1 Kings 22:35). The word can also be used passively to denote mixing two kinds of garments together, causing one “to lie upon” or “be placed upon” the other (Lev. 19:19). Sometimes “go up” means “placed,” even when the direction is downward, as when placing a yoke upon an ox (Num. 19:2) or going to one’s grave (Job 5:26). This may be an illustration of how Hebrew verbs can sometimes mean their opposite. The verb is also used of “recording” a census (1 Chron. 27:24).
The verb ‛âlâh is used in a causative stem to signify “presenting an offering” to God. In 63 cases, the word is associated with the presentation of the whole burnt offering (‘olah). ‛Âlâh is used of the general act of “presenting offerings” when the various offerings are mentioned in the same context (Lev. 14:20), or when the purpose of the offering is not specifically in mind (Isa. 57:6). Sometimes this verb means merely “to offer” (e.g., Num. 23:2).
B. Nouns.
‛Elyôn (עֶלְיוֹן, Strong's #5945), “the upper; the highest.” This word occurs 53 times. The use of ‛elyôn in Gen. 40:17 means “the upper” as opposed to “the lower.” Where referring to or naming God, ‛elyôn means “the highest” (Gen. 14:18).Metsûllâh (מְצֻלָּה, 4699), “step; procession; pilgrimage.” In some of its 47 biblical appearances, metsûllâh signifies a “step” or “stair” (cf. Exod. 20:26). The word can also mean “procession” (Ps. 84:6).
These files are public domain.
Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Come Up, Ascend'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/c/come-up-ascend.html. 1940.
