Hebrew word · H5763

עוּל

alot

to nurse

To give suck, to nurse. The participle ʿālôt means "those giving suck": nursing mothers among cattle or flocks. The related noun ʿûl / ʿōlēl means a nursing infant (Isa 49:15; 65:20).

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 15, 2026

What it means

1) to give suck, suckle, nurse

1a) (Qal) giving suck (participle)

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 Isaiah 40:11

Range of meaning: To give suck, to nurse. The participle ʿālôt means "those giving suck": nursing mothers among cattle or flocks. The related noun ʿûl / ʿōlēl means a nursing infant (Isa 49:15; 65:20).
Against the English: KJV and ESV "those that are with young" today sounds like "pregnant". NIV "those that have young" and NLT "the mother sheep with their young" are closer. NASB and BSB "nursing ewes" are exact.
How it drifted: The ancient Greek ("those having in the womb") and Latin (fetas) translations took the word as pregnant or newly delivered animals. The KJV phrase "with young", which in modern English means pregnant, kept that line of interpretation alive.
Used elsewhere in the period: Gen 33:13: Jacob tells Esau "the flocks and herds that are nursing (ʿālôt) are with me; if they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die", and in v. 14 he will "lead on slowly" (ʾetnahălâ, from the same verb nāhal as in our verse). 1 Sam 6:7, 10: "two nursing cows (pārôt ʿālôt)... and shut up their calves at home", which clearly means animals with calves already born. Ps 78:71: David "from following the nursing ewes (ʿālôt)".

From the study of Psalm 78:71

Range of meaning: To give suck, to nurse young. The participle (ʿālôt, "ones giving suck") names nursing ewes or cows, meaning mothers with young still dependent on their milk. A related noun, ʿûl or ʿăwîl, means a suckling child (Isaiah 49:15; 65:20).
Against the English: KJV has "ewes great with young" and WEB "ewes that have their young." BSB ("the ewes") and NIV ("the sheep") flatten the word to sheep in general. ESV ("nursing ewes") and NASB ("ewes with suckling lambs") keep the exact sense.
How it drifted: KJV's "great with young" (pregnant) probably follows the Greek and Latin tradition. The Septuagint has "those giving birth" and the Vulgate "fetantes", "those bearing young." The Hebrew word is about nursing, not pregnancy. Versions that just say "sheep" lose the detail entirely.
Used elsewhere in the period: Genesis 33:13: Jacob tells Esau the nursing flocks (ʿālôt) are in his care, and "if they are driven hard for one day, all the flock will die." Isaiah 40:11: God as shepherd "gently leads those that are nursing (ʿālôt)." 1 Samuel 6:7, 10: "milch cows" (pārôt ʿālôt) that have calves.

From the study of 1 Samuel 6:7

Range of meaning: A participle of the verb ʿûl, 'to give suck, nurse'. It is used of animals with young (Gen 33:13, Isa 40:11, Ps 78:71), and related nouns mean 'suckling child' (ʿûl, ʿôlēl).
Against the English: KJV 'milch kine', BSB 'milk cows', YLT 'suckling kine'. 'Milk cow' can sound like a dairy breed, but the Hebrew stresses that these cows are nursing calves right now. NIV and NLT ('cows that have calved' / 'just given birth') get closer to the point.
How it drifted: 'Milch cow' once meant any cow giving milk. Today 'milk cow' suggests a farm category, not a mother with a suckling calf.
Used elsewhere in the period: The same verb describes Jacob's 'nursing' flocks and herds that would die if overdriven (Gen 33:13), and the shepherd gently leading 'those with young' (Isa 40:11). The Greek translation of 1 Samuel (the Septuagint, made by Jews before Jesus' time) renders the idea as cows that have calved. The Latin Vulgate has 'vaccas fetas', cows that have given birth.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

Genesis 33:13 עָל֣וֹת [are] nursing

But Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a day, all the animals will die.

Here: Females that are suckling their young. Ewes and cows in milk with lambs and calves at their side, the most fragile part of any herd on the move. The same form is used in Isaiah 40:11 of the ewes the divine shepherd 'gently leads'.

1 Samuel · 2

1 Samuel 6:7 עָל֔וֹת nursing

Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

Here: The cows are suckling calves right now, so the strongest animal instinct they have ties them to their young. It also starts a chain of near-identical sounds: ʿālôt … ʿālāh … ʿălêhem … ʿōl.
1 Samuel 6:10 עָל֔וֹת nursing

So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.

Psalms · 1

Psalm 78:71 עָל֗וֹת nursing [sheep]

from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.

Here: A feminine plural participle, "the ones giving suck", meaning ewes with lambs still at the teat. These were the most vulnerable part of a flock and had to be moved gently and slowly.

Isaiah · 1

Isaiah 40:11 עָל֖וֹת nursing [ewes]

He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

Here: A feminine plural participle, "those giving suck": mother ewes still nursing their lambs. They tire easily and die if driven hard (Gen 33:13). It does not mean pregnant ewes.

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