Lexical Summary alatah: Darkness, Gloom Original Word: עֲלָטָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dark, twilight Feminine from an unused root meaning to cover; dusk -- dark, twilight. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition thick darkness NASB Translation dark (3), very dark (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עֲלָטָה noun feminine thick darkness **< darkness, dusk, which suits both passages (Bevan, privately). (Late Hebrew עֲלָטָה (rare); according to BaES 5 transposes from Arabic  [be cloudy];  darkness); — absolute ׳ע, attending sunset Genesis 15:17 (with verb masculine; AlbrZAW xv (1895), 325 KöSynt. § 350 e read הָֽיְתָה); ׳בַּע Ezekiel 12:7 ("" בָּעֶרֶב), Ezekiel 12:6; Ezekiel 12:12. עֵלִי, עֱלִי, עִלִּי, עֲלִיָּה, עֶלְיוֺן see עלה. p. 750f עֲלֵי see עַל. עַלְיָה, עַלְיָן see עלוה, עלוז.p.752 Topical Lexicon Essential Senseעֲלָטָה portrays the dense dimness that closes a day and envelops human sight. It is not the ordinary evening glow but an oppressive darkness in which normal activity is suspended and God’s purposes, hidden from human control, move forward. Occurrences and Settings Genesis 15:17 – The covenant with Abram is sealed “when the sun had set and darkness had fallen.” The threatening obscurity frames a smoking firepot and flaming torch—emblems of the Lord alone binding Himself by oath. Ezekiel 12:6, 7, 12 – Ezekiel enacts Jerusalem’s exile. Three times עֲלָטָה marks the moment he shoulders baggage, digs through a wall, and disappears from view. “Carry your belongings on your shoulder and go out at dusk” (Ezekiel 12:6). The departing prince will do likewise, “bearing his belongings on his shoulder at dusk” (Ezekiel 12:12). Theological Themes 1. Divine Initiative In both narratives God acts while human vision is limited. Abram sleeps; Israel watches a sign-act it neither wants nor understands. The word underscores the sovereignty of God, who is never hindered by human inability to perceive. 2. Covenant Mercy amid Darkness The Genesis covenant is the prototype of grace: God passes between the pieces alone, guaranteeing His promises independent of Abram’s performance. The thick gloom accentuates the certainty of light that will follow (cf. Genesis 15:18-21). 3. Judgement and Exile In Ezekiel the same gloom signals judgment. Israel will be led out under cover of night, the prince blinded and bound. עֲלָטָה therefore functions as a moral lens: darkness may conceal the deed, but it does not hide it from God who orchestrates both covenant and chastening. Prophetic and Typological Significance • The Genesis scene foreshadows the crucifixion, when darkness covered the land (Matthew 27:45) as the new covenant was ratified through Christ. Thus עֲלָטָה links the first patriarchal covenant to later redemptive milestones, binding Scripture into a coherent narrative of promise, judgment, and restoration. Ministry Applications • Assurance in Uncertainty – Believers can trust that God keeps covenant promises even when circumstances are obscure. Related Imagery עֲלָטָה resonates with “deep darkness” (חֹשֶׁךְ) and “gloom” (אֲפֵלָה), yet its narrative placement distinguishes a twilight threshold where decisive events occur. Whether inaugurating covenant grace or executing righteous judgment, the word points to the God who “forms the light and creates darkness” (Isaiah 45:7) and who will finally banish night in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:5). Forms and Transliterations בָּעֲלָטָ֣ה בָּעֲלָטָ֥ה בעלטה וַעֲלָטָ֖ה ועלטה bā‘ălāṭāh bā·‘ă·lā·ṭāh baalaTah vaalaTah wa‘ălāṭāh wa·‘ă·lā·ṭāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 15:17 HEB: הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ בָּ֔אָה וַעֲלָטָ֖ה הָיָ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֨ה NAS: had set, that it was very dark, and behold, KJV: went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking INT: the sun had set very came and behold Ezekiel 12:6 Ezekiel 12:7 Ezekiel 12:12 4 Occurrences |
    |