5944. aliyyah
Lexical Summary
aliyyah: Upper room, upper chamber, roof chamber

Original Word: עֲלִיָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `aliyah
Pronunciation: ah-lee-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (al-ee-yaw')
KJV: ascent, (upper) chamber, going up, loft, parlour
NASB: roof chamber, upper chamber, upper room, upper rooms, upper chambers, chamber over
Word Origin: [feminine from H5927 (עָלָה - went)]

1. something lofty, i.e. a stair-way
2. also a second-story room (or even one on the roof)
3. (figuratively) the sky

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ascent, upper chamber, going up, loft, parlor

Feminine from alah; something lofty, i.e. A stair-way; also a second-story room (or even one on the roof); figuratively, the sky -- ascent, (upper) chamber, going up, loft, parlour.

see HEBREW alah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from alah
Definition
a roof chamber
NASB Translation
chamber over (1), roof chamber (4), upper chamber (4), upper chambers (2), upper room (4), upper rooms (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עֲלִיָּה noun feminine (c. adjective masculine Jeremiah 22:14, compare AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 83Synt. § 251 k) roof-chamber (Late Hebrew id., ᵑ7 עֲלִיתָא, Syriac (whence Arabic dining-room as loan-word Frä20f.); Sabean עלית DHMEpigr. Denkm. 27); — chamber on roof, cool and secluded: absolute ׳ע Judges 3:23,24,25 (compare NesMarg. 13), 1 Kings 17:19,23; 2 Kings 4:11; construct עֲלִיַּת הַמְּקֵרָה Judges 3:20, קִֿיר׳ע 2 Kings 4:10 roof-chamber with walls (permanent); הַשַּׁעַר ׳ע 2 Samuel 19:1, i.e. over the gateway; הַמִּנָּה ׳ע Nehemiah 3:31,32 i.e. at a corner of the wall; אָחָז ׳ע 2 Kings 23:12 (probably built by A.); suffix עֲלִיָּתוֺ 2 Kings 1:2 (belonging to Ahaziah); — 2 Chronicles 9:4 read עֹלֹתָיו (compare "" 1 Kings 10:5); plural absolute עֲלִיּוֺת מְרֻוָּחִים Jeremiah 22:14 spacious roof-chambers; in Solomon's temple according to 2 Chronicles 3:9, so suffix עֲלִיּתָיו 1 Chronicles 28:11; more Generally עֲלִיּוֺתָיו Jeremiah 22:13; ׳י's chambers in sky Psalm 104:3, containing rain, Psalm 104:13.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Architectural Setting

The עֲלִיָּה refers to an upper room or roof-chamber built above the main house or gate complex. Usually reached by an external stairway, it provided privacy, cooling breezes, and an elevated vantage point. Stone or wooden beams supported a flat roof, often overlaid with clay and tiles. Windows, lattices, and parapets completed the structure. In royal buildings the עֲלִיָּה could be richly paneled (Jeremiah 22:14); in common homes it might be a simple loft (1 Kings 17:19).

Domestic and Royal Use

1. Personal living space: Ehud visited Eglon while the Moabite king was “sitting alone in his cool upper room” (Judges 3:20).
2. Sleeping quarters: Elijah laid the dead boy “on his own bed” in the widow’s upper room (1 Kings 17:19).
3. Guest accommodation: The Shunammite couple furnished a small עֲלִיָּה for Elisha “with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp” (2 Kings 4:10).
4. Palace additions: Jehoiakim boasted of “spacious upper rooms” while defrauding laborers (Jeremiah 22:13–14), exposing social injustice hidden behind architectural grandeur.
5. Military lookouts: David’s “chamber over the gate” (2 Samuel 18:33) enabled rapid access to city defenses while providing a secluded place to grieve.

Places of Prayer, Revelation, and Resurrection

Elijah’s solitary intercession in the attic of Zarephath culminated in resurrection (1 Kings 17:19-24). Likewise, Elisha’s retreat to the Shunammite loft became the scene of a second resurrection (2 Kings 4:32-36). Both miracles underline the עֲלִיָּה as a quiet arena where life-giving power confronts death, prefiguring New Testament upper-room events (Mark 14:15; Acts 20:8).

Stages for Judgment and Warning

Ahaziah “fell through the lattice in his upper room” (2 Kings 1:2) and never recovered—a sober reminder that elevation without obedience affords no safety. Josiah later destroyed the idolatrous altars “on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz” (2 Kings 23:12), purging the nation of sins committed in secret heights.

Temple and Cultic Significance

David’s blueprint for the temple included “its upper rooms” (1 Chronicles 28:11), and Solomon “overlaid the upper rooms with gold” (2 Chronicles 3:9). The עֲלִיָּה within the house of God spoke of holiness above the common plane, an earthly echo of the heavenly sanctuary.

Metaphorical Extension to God’s Dwelling

Psalm 104 twice employs עֲלִיָּה to describe the Lord’s cosmic palace: “He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters” (verse 3) and “He waters the mountains from His upper chambers” (verse 13). The imagery invites worshipers to lift their eyes to the Supreme “upper room” that governs wind, rain, and seasons.

Civic Architecture and Restoration

Nehemiah records repair work stretching “up to the upper room at the corner” on Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 3:31–32). The detail illustrates careful stewardship in post-exilic rebuilding, ensuring that elevated structures were as secure as foundational stones.

Theological Themes

• Separation for communion: Height symbolizes withdrawal from daily traffic for undistracted fellowship with God.
• Vulnerability of the proud: Elevated positions can incubate complacency, as with Ahaziah and Jehoiakim.
• Anticipation of greater revelation: Old Testament attic rooms foreshadow the New Testament upper room where the Lord’s Supper was instituted and where Pentecost power descended, underscoring uninterrupted continuity in God’s redemptive plan.

Ministry Application

Believers are encouraged to create “upper-room” moments—dedicated seasons of retreat, prayer, and hospitality—while remembering that elevation without humility courts disaster. Just as prophets, kings, and widows encountered life-altering grace in modest lofts, contemporary disciples can expect God to meet them wherever space is consecrated for Him.

Forms and Transliterations
בַּעֲלִיַּ֨ת בַּעֲלִיָּת֛וֹ בעלית בעליתו הָֽעֲלִיָּ֑ה הָעֲלִיָּ֖ה הָעֲלִיָּ֗ה הָעֲלִיָּה֙ הָעַלִיָּ֛ה העליה וְהָעֲלִיּ֖וֹת וַעֲלִיֹּתָ֛יו וַעֲלִיּ֖וֹת וַעֲלִיּוֹתָ֖יו והעליות ועליות ועליותיו ועליתיו מֵעֲלִיּוֹתָ֑יו מעליותיו עֲ‍ֽלִיּ֫וֹתָ֥יו עֲלִיַּ֤ת עֲלִיַּ֥ת עֲלִיַּ֨ת עֲלִיַּת־ ע‍ליותיו עלית עלית־ ‘ă·lî·yaṯ ‘ă·lî·yaṯ- ‘ălî·yō·w·ṯāw ‘ălîyaṯ ‘ălîyaṯ- ‘ălîyōwṯāw aliYat aliYoTav ba‘ălîyaṯ ba‘ălîyāṯōw ba·‘ă·lî·yā·ṯōw ba·‘ă·lî·yaṯ baaliYat baaliyaTo hā‘alîyāh hā‘ălîyāh hā·‘a·lî·yāh hā·‘ă·lî·yāh haaliYah mê‘ălîyōwṯāw mê·‘ă·lî·yō·w·ṯāw mealiyoTav vaaliYot vaaliyoTav vehaaliYot wa‘ălîyōṯāw wa‘ălîyōwṯ wa‘ălîyōwṯāw wa·‘ă·lî·yō·ṯāw wa·‘ă·lî·yō·w·ṯāw wa·‘ă·lî·yō·wṯ wə·hā·‘ă·lî·yō·wṯ wəhā‘ălîyōwṯ
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Englishman's Concordance
Judges 3:20
HEB: וְהֽוּא־ יֹ֠שֵׁב בַּעֲלִיַּ֨ת הַמְּקֵרָ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־
NAS: in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud
KJV: in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud
INT: he was sitting roof his cool after

Judges 3:23
HEB: וַיִּסְגֹּ֞ר דַּלְת֧וֹת הָעַלִיָּ֛ה בַּעֲד֖וֹ וְנָעָֽל׃
NAS: the doors of the roof chamber behind
KJV: the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked
INT: and shut the doors of the roof brandish and locked

Judges 3:24
HEB: וְהִנֵּ֛ה דַּלְת֥וֹת הָעֲלִיָּ֖ה נְעֻל֑וֹת וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ
NAS: the doors of the roof chamber were locked;
KJV: that, behold, the doors of the parlour [were] locked,
INT: and behold the doors of the roof were locked said

Judges 3:25
HEB: פֹתֵ֖חַ דַּלְת֣וֹת הָֽעֲלִיָּ֑ה וַיִּקְח֤וּ אֶת־
NAS: the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took
KJV: not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took
INT: open the doors of the roof took the key

2 Samuel 18:33
HEB: וַיַּ֛עַל עַל־ עֲלִיַּ֥ת הַשַּׁ֖עַר וַיֵּ֑בְךְּ
NAS: and went up to the chamber over the gate
KJV: and went up to the chamber over the gate,
INT: and went to the chamber the gate and wept

1 Kings 17:19
HEB: וַֽיַּעֲלֵ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־ הָעֲלִיָּ֗ה אֲשֶׁר־ הוּא֙
NAS: and carried him up to the upper room where
KJV: and carried him up into a loft, where he abode,
INT: and carried to the upper after he

1 Kings 17:23
HEB: וַיֹּרִדֵ֤הוּ מִן־ הָעֲלִיָּה֙ הַבַּ֔יְתָה וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖הוּ
NAS: and brought him down from the upper room into the house
KJV: and brought him down out of the chamber into the house,
INT: and brought from the upper the house and gave

2 Kings 1:2
HEB: בְּעַ֣ד הַשְּׂבָכָ֗ה בַּעֲלִיָּת֛וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּשֹׁמְר֖וֹן
NAS: the lattice in his upper chamber which
KJV: through a lattice in his upper chamber that [was] in Samaria,
INT: through the lattice his upper which Samaria

2 Kings 4:10
HEB: נַֽעֲשֶׂה־ נָּ֤א עֲלִיַּת־ קִיר֙ קְטַנָּ֔ה
NAS: walled upper chamber and let us set
KJV: a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall;
INT: make Please upper walled A little

2 Kings 4:11
HEB: וַיָּ֥סַר אֶל־ הָעֲלִיָּ֖ה וַיִּשְׁכַּב־ שָֽׁמָּה׃
NAS: and turned in to the upper chamber and rested.
KJV: thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay
INT: and turned to the upper and lay there

2 Kings 23:12
HEB: עַל־ הַגָּג֩ עֲלִיַּ֨ת אָחָ֜ז אֲשֶׁר־
NAS: [were] on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz,
KJV: that [were] on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz,
INT: on the roof the upper of Ahaz which

1 Chronicles 28:11
HEB: בָּ֨תָּ֜יו וְגַנְזַכָּ֧יו וַעֲלִיֹּתָ֛יו וַחֲדָרָ֥יו הַפְּנִימִ֖ים
NAS: its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner
KJV: thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner
INT: buildings storehouses upper rooms inner

2 Chronicles 3:9
HEB: חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים זָהָ֑ב וְהָעֲלִיּ֖וֹת חִפָּ֥ה זָהָֽב׃
NAS: He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.
KJV: And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.
INT: was fifty of gold the upper overlaid gold

Nehemiah 3:31
HEB: הַמִּפְקָ֔ד וְעַ֖ד עֲלִיַּ֥ת הַפִּנָּֽה׃
NAS: and as far as the upper room of the corner.
KJV: Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.
INT: of the Inspection far as the upper of the corner

Nehemiah 3:32
HEB: וּבֵ֨ין עֲלִיַּ֤ת הַפִּנָּה֙ לְשַׁ֣עַר
NAS: Between the upper room of the corner
KJV: And between the going up of the corner
INT: Between the upper of the corner Gate

Psalm 104:3
HEB: הַ֥מְקָרֶֽה בַמַּ֗יִם עֲ‍ֽלִיּ֫וֹתָ֥יו הַשָּׂם־ עָבִ֥ים
NAS: He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
KJV: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters:
INT: lays the waters of his upper makes the clouds

Psalm 104:13
HEB: מַשְׁקֶ֣ה הָ֭רִים מֵעֲלִיּוֹתָ֑יו מִפְּרִ֥י מַ֝עֲשֶׂ֗יךָ
NAS: the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth
KJV: the hills from his chambers: the earth
INT: waters the mountains his upper the fruit of his works

Jeremiah 22:13
HEB: בְּֽלֹא־ צֶ֔דֶק וַעֲלִיּוֹתָ֖יו בְּלֹ֣א מִשְׁפָּ֑ט
NAS: righteousness And his upper rooms without
KJV: unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong;
INT: without righteousness and his upper without justice

Jeremiah 22:14
HEB: בֵּ֣ית מִדּ֔וֹת וַעֲלִיּ֖וֹת מְרֻוָּחִ֑ים וְקָ֤רַֽע
NAS: With spacious upper rooms, And cut
KJV: and large chambers, and cutteth him out
INT: house A roomy upper spacious and cut

19 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5944
19 Occurrences


‘ă·lî·yaṯ — 5 Occ.
‘ălî·yō·w·ṯāw — 1 Occ.
ba·‘ă·lî·yaṯ — 1 Occ.
ba·‘ă·lî·yā·ṯōw — 1 Occ.
hā·‘a·lî·yāh — 6 Occ.
mê·‘ă·lî·yō·w·ṯāw — 1 Occ.
wa·‘ă·lî·yō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
wa·‘ă·lî·yō·ṯāw — 2 Occ.
wə·hā·‘ă·lî·yō·wṯ — 1 Occ.

5943
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