---
title: אֱלִיל — insufficiency · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֱלִיל (457), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 20 times: insufficiency. BDB 1906: n.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֱלִיל

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«אֱלִיל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **insufficiency** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 20 times · **Key:** 457 · **BDB:** אֱלִיל

### Glosses

idols (7); the.idols (5); \[are\].worthless.idols (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

insufficiency [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/457/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/457/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. (etym. uncertain: most prob. akin to Syriac ܐܰܠܻܝܠ weak, feeble, poor; perhaps also in usage \[cf. b.\] felt to suggest אַל not; cf. Che on Is 2:8) insufficiency, worthlessness. Zc 11:17 רֹעִי הָאֱלִיל the shepherd of worthlessness = the worthless shepherd, Jb 13:4 רֹפְאֵי אֱלִל worthless physicians (‖ טֹפְלֵי־שֶׁקֶר), Je 14:14 Qr concr. a thing of nought (uttered by prophets), but here קֶסֶם אֱלִיל a worthless divin. (‖ חֲזוֹן שֶׁקֶר, תַּרְמִית לִבָּם) should perhaps be read (cf. Gf). especially pl. אֱלִילִים concr. worthless gods, idols (cf. הֲבָלִים) (possibly orig. an indep. word = gods, cf. Sab. אלאלת, \& v. NöSBAk 1882, p. 1191, but even if so, associated by the prophets with idea of worthlessness, \& used by them in iron. contrast with אֵלִים, אֱלֹהִים) Lv 19:4 (not to be made) 26:1 (both H), Is 2:8, 18, 20(×2) (of silver \& gold), 10:10 מַמְלְכֹת הָאֱלִיל (coll.) kingdoms of idolatrous worthlessness, v 11; 19:1, 3 (of Egypt) 31:7(×2) Ez 30:13 (Egypt), Hb 2:18 א׳ אִלְּמִים dumb idols, ψ 96:5 (= 1 Ch 16:26) all the gods of the nations are א׳ vain, worthless gods 97:7.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 18 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (6 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אֱלִיל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/457/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Isaiah 2:18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.2.18/)

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וְהָאֱלִילִ֖ים כָּלִ֥יל יַחֲלֹֽף׃

*Word for word:* and the idols entirely it.will.pass.away

*JPS 1917:* And the idols shall utterly pass away.

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[Job 13:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.13.4/)

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וְֽאוּלָ֗ם אַתֶּ֥ם טֹֽפְלֵי־שָׁ֑קֶר רֹפְאֵ֖י אֱלִ֣ל כֻּלְּכֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* and but you \[are.those.who\].smear of.falsehood \[are\].healers of.worthlessness of.you all

*JPS 1917:* But ye are plasterers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

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