Genesis 35:4
And they are giving toward Heel אֶת-the whole of the gods [elohe] of the Foreigner which are in their hands, and the Rings which are in their ears, and Heel is hiding אֶת-them under the Goddess [ha-Elah]1086 which is with Shoulder.
And they gave all the strange gods in their hand to Jacob, and the earrings which were in their ears. And Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.
So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.
And they gave to Jacob the strange gods, which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the turpentine tree which is in Shechem, and destroyed them to this day.
Footnotes
| 1086 | We know el אֵל means “god” and is a masculine noun. The feminine noun elah אִלָה however has been translated as the “terebinth tree” or “oak tree”. Elon אַלּוֹן is also the same noun and root but with the paragogic nun suffix which is generally used as a diminutive suffix for something that is a mini or small version of the thing, much like -let or -y in English. Elon has been called a “variation” of elah. The root is known to be the same: to be strong, lofty. Hence the oak tree is often used because it is strong and lofty. See Hebrew #424 and #437. |