# Does the el or al in Semitic Languages mean THE or LORD? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159 "2003-05-09T17:55:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_willard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@don\_willard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_willard)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/1 "2003-05-09T17:55:22Z")
I vas reading in an astronomy book how all those stars with al in them like Algenubi and Aldebaran and Betel=al geuse, Rigel=al, Alnitak, Alnizam, and so forth mean THE. But the el in Elohim means lord also, I mean plural: Lords, and Allah I read in another book means the Lord. But it could mean lord lord or the the too? Signed, All Mixed Up About Semitic Roots! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/2 "2003-05-09T18:05:10Z")
‘Al’ is Arabic for ‘the’ (it gets changed sometimes when combined with certain consonants, but standing alone it’s ‘Al’). ‘Allah’ is Arabic for ‘The Lord.’ ‘Elohim’ is Aramaic for ‘My Lord.’ Languages that are related are still going to have some differences. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/3 "2003-05-09T18:40:01Z")
In Arabic, “Al” or “El” means “the”. In Hebrew “El” means Lord ---
**Author:** ![Faerie\_Nuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/76d3ee/32.png) [@Faerie\_Nuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faerie_Nuff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/4 "2003-05-09T19:13:03Z")
“El” at the end of a word/name can also mean “of the Lord”. Notice some of the names of angels, Michael, Gabriel, Azrael. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/5 "2003-05-11T06:31:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bup \* > ‘Allah’ is Arabic for ‘The Lord.’ The God. Lord is a different word. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/6 "2003-05-11T06:56:00Z")
Similar to wat Col said, “el”, is Hebrew for “god”, not “the Lord”, while “Elohim” is Hebrew for “God” (capital G). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/7 "2003-05-11T07:31:48Z")
To amplify, in Arabic: al-Lah, The God al-ilah: the gods; Gods, ilah. Must be some relationship with the Hebrew but I don’t know Hebrew. BTW lord in Arabic in this context is rendered with rubb. I suspect Hebrew probably has a close cognate. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/8 "2003-05-11T08:04:33Z")
In Turkish, a language which borrows alot of vocabulary from Arabic ‘el’ means hand/hands (though eller strictly means hands, but quite often it isn’t pluralized). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/9 "2003-05-11T09:28:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MC Master of Cermonies \* > \*\*In Turkish, a language which borrows alot of vocabulary from Arabic ‘el’ means hand/hands (though eller strictly means hands, but quite often it isn’t pluralized). \*\* And the relevance here being? In this case, the word is clearly not a borrowing from Arabic. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/10 "2003-05-11T12:51:48Z")
Well, I always thought that it was borrowed from arabic 😕 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/11 "2003-05-11T13:33:28Z")
Not bloody likely as Arabic for hand is yed. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/12 "2003-05-11T14:07:16Z")
\<\< Not bloody likely as Arabic for hand is yed. \>\> And the Hebrew word for hand is yad. The Hebrew word “el” meaning “God” or “god” or “of God” (as a suffix) is spelled '-L (The apostrophe stands for the Hebrew alef, the first letter). There are lots of variants of this root word, such as “elohai” (my God), or “Elohim” (usually just translated as God, but “elohim” can also mean “gods”, as in “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”) The Hebrew word “Adon” is most commonly translated as “Lord.” Many older translations use the term “the Lord” as a translation of the tetragrammaton (the four-letterred Name of God). Most newer translations just use Y-H-V-H or some similar designation for that unpronounced Hebrew word. So I don’t see a relation to the Arabic word rubb that **Collunsbury** cites. I don’t pretend to know much Arabic, but I agree with the comments of others that the prefix al- is usually translated as “the.” (The Hebrew for “the” is “ha”, H- as a prefix to a word.) Thus, in Arabic, “Al-lah” is “The God,” as **Collunsbury** comments, and I presume the Arabic “Lah” is related to the ancient Hebrew '-L (pronounced El). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/13 "2003-05-11T14:13:22Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* \*\*\<\< Not bloody likely as Arabic for hand is yed. \>\> And the Hebrew word for hand is yad. [quote] Can’t get much closer on cognates than that. Really Yad and Yed are the same, given I am just using “e” for the fatha. > [@](#): > > The Hebrew word “Adon” is most commonly translated as “Lord.” Many older translations use the term “the Lord” as a translation of the tetragrammaton (the four-letterred Name of God). Most newer translations just use Y-H-V-H or some similar designation for that unpronounced Hebrew word. So I don’t see a relation to the Arabic word rubb that **Collunsbury** cites. I thought perhaps Rabbi might be derived from a similar root, although that is a mere guess w/o any understanding of the Hebrew root at all, always dangerous in translated words and transliteration. > [@](#): > > I don’t pretend to know much Arabic, but I agree with the comments of others that the prefix al- is usually translated as “the.” (The Hebrew for “the” is “ha”, H- as a prefix to a word.) Thus, in Arabic, “Al-lah” is “The God,” as **Collunsbury** comments, and I presume the Arabic “Lah” is related to the ancient Hebrew '-L (pronounced El). Probably, Jomo Mojo or those more learned in the linguistics of this might cast light on the subject as I have reached the end of my semi-learned guesswork. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/14 "2003-05-11T14:14:36Z")
Oh rotted, bad coding again. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-el-or-al-in-semitic-languages-mean-the-or-lord/174159/15 "2003-05-11T14:20:31Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > \*\* So I don’t see a relation to the Arabic word rubb that **Collunsbury** cites._\* The cognate probably would be rab…master, which is where the title rabbi comes from.