Hebrew word · H436

אֵלוֹן

'elon

terebinth

A large, impressive tree. The word is related to ʾēl ('god, mighty one') and to ʾēlāh/ʾallôn. The exact species is uncertain: the terebinth (Pistacia, a long-lived, spreading tree of the hill country) and the evergreen oak (Quercus) are both proposed. HALOT and BDB both note the uncertainty.

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) tree, great tree, terebinth

2) plain

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Genesis 18:1

Range of meaning

A large, impressive tree. The word is related to ʾēl ('god, mighty one') and to ʾēlāh/ʾallôn. The exact species is uncertain: the terebinth (Pistacia, a long-lived, spreading tree of the hill country) and the evergreen oak (Quercus) are both proposed. HALOT and BDB both note the uncertainty. Such trees served as landmarks and often as sacred sites.

Against the English

KJV 'plains' is a different reading altogether (see textual notes). 'Oaks' (WEB, ESV, BSB) and 'great trees' (NIV) are both defensible. 'Terebinths' is the choice of several scholars and of NJPS-type renderings.

How it drifted

KJV's 'plains' follows the ancient Aramaic paraphrase (Targum Onkelos), which turned the trees into a plain. The likely reason is unease about the sacred-tree associations.

Used elsewhere in the period

'The ʾēlôn of Moreh' at Shechem (12:6) and 'the ʾēlōnê of Mamre at Hebron', where Abram built an altar (13:18). Josephus mentions a very ancient terebinth near Hebron (War 4.533) and an oak 'Ogyges' where Abraham lived (Ant. 1.186). Eusebius records that in his day a mixed pagan, Jewish and Christian cult still gathered at the tree of Mamre, which Constantine replaced with a basilica (Life of Constantine 3.51–53).

From the study of Genesis 12:6

Range of meaning

A large, conspicuous tree. It is related to ʾelah and ʾallon, which are words for oak and terebinth (a sturdy Mediterranean tree in the pistachio family). The Hebrew words do not separate the species cleanly. HALOT glosses it as a "big tree," often one with religious significance. Named great trees served as landmarks, meeting places and shrines.

Against the English

Most modern versions say "oak," some say "terebinth," and NIV says "great tree." The KJV's "plain of Moreh" is the outlier. It comes from the Aramaic Targum's "plain" and the Latin Vulgate's "valley," not from the Hebrew word.

How it drifted

Ancient Jewish and Christian translators may have softened "tree" to "plain" or "valley" because the law of Moses condemned worship "under every green tree" (Deut 12:2; Hos 4:13), and a patriarch at a sacred tree was uncomfortable. The KJV inherited that choice.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Septuagint has "the lofty oak" (tēn drun tēn hypsēlēn). Shechem's great tree reappears several times. Jacob buries the household's foreign gods "under the oak near Shechem" (Gen 35:4). Moses directs Israel to "the oaks of Moreh" beside Gerizim and Ebal (Deut 11:30). Joshua sets up a great stone "under the oak by the sanctuary of the LORD" at Shechem (Josh 24:26). Abimelech is made king "by the oak of the pillar" at Shechem (Judg 9:6). A "diviners' oak" stands near the town (Judg 9:37). The Mamre trees at Hebron (Gen 13:18; 18:1) are a parallel.

From the study of Genesis 13:18

Range of meaning

A large, prominent tree. Probably an oak in most cases, possibly a terebinth (a large tree of the pistachio family). Hebrew has several closely related tree words ('elah, 'elon, 'allon), and ancient translators already mixed them up. All of them refer to big, long-lived trees that served as landmarks, meeting places, burial sites and worship sites (Genesis 12:6; 35:4, 8; Judges 4:11; 9:6, 37).

Against the English

BSB, ESV, NASB and WEB have 'oaks'. NIV has 'great trees', which avoids choosing a species. The KJV has 'plain', which loses the tree altogether.

How it drifted

The KJV's 'plain' does not come from the Hebrew. It comes from the ancient Aramaic paraphrase (Targum Onkelos, 'plains of Mamre') and the Latin Vulgate ('valley of Mamre'). Some scholars think these renderings were meant to steer readers away from the patriarchs worshipping at sacred trees, which later law condemned (Deuteronomy 16:21; Hosea 4:13). That motive is a likely suggestion, not something we can prove.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek Septuagint has 'by the oak (drys) of Mamre', in the singular. Josephus knew a huge terebinth near Hebron that local tradition said had stood since creation (Jewish War 4.533), and he calls Abram's tree near Hebron 'the oak called Ogyges' (Antiquities 1.186). At Ramat el-Khalil, about 3 km north of Hebron, there was a walled sacred enclosure in Herod's time. Constantine later built a church there after reports that pagans were sacrificing at the tree (Eusebius, Life of Constantine 3.51–53). The 5th-century historian Sozomen describes a yearly festival there attended by Jews, Christians and pagans (Church History 2.4).

Where it appears

Genesis · 4

  1. Genesis 12:6 אֵל֣וֹן [the] great tree of

    Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.

    Here: A large, prominent tree, usually translated "oak" or "terebinth" (the exact species is uncertain). It is not a "plain." Large named trees in Canaan were often sacred landmarks.

  2. Genesis 13:18 בְּאֵלֹנֵ֥י at [the] great trees of

    So Abram moved his tent and went to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD.

    Here: 'Among / by the great trees of'. The word means a large, prominent tree: an oak or a terebinth. Such trees were landmarks and often places of worship. It is plural here, 'the trees of Mamre', perhaps a grove.

  3. Genesis 14:13 בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֜י at [the] great trees of

    Then an escapee came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were bound by treaty to Abram.

    Here: 'Among the great trees of'. These were large landmark trees, probably terebinths or oaks, that belonged to Mamre. It was the same grove where Abram had built an altar (13:18).

  4. Genesis 18:1 בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י at [the] great trees of

    Then the LORD appeared to Abraham by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.

    Here: 'Among / by the great trees of'. These are large, notable trees that marked a known site. Abraham had settled here and built an altar to YHWH (13:18), so this is a place already tied to worship.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 11:30 אֵלוֹנֵ֥י [the] great trees of

    Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?

Judges · 3

  1. Judges 4:11 אֵל֥וֹן [the] great tree

    Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.

  2. Judges 9:6 אֵל֥וֹן [the] great tree

    Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo gathered beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.

  3. Judges 9:37 אֵל֥וֹן [the] great tree of

    Then Gaal spoke up again, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming by way of the Diviners’ Oak.”

    Here: A large, prominent tree. Such trees often marked holy sites and meeting places in Canaan. It is not a 'plain', as the KJV has it.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 10:3 אֵל֣וֹן [the] great tree of

    Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.