עֲלַע
a.la (H6763)
rib
AI Word Study
# The Hebrew Word עֲלַע (rib) The Hebrew word *ala* appears 40 times in the biblical text and refers to a rib—the bone structure that forms the cage protecting vital organs in the human and animal body. This straightforward anatomical term carries no abstract or metaphorical layers in its basic definition, making it one of the more concrete and literal words in biblical vocabulary. The frequency of occurrence (40 times across the biblical corpus) suggests that ribs held consistent importance in biblical narratives and descriptions, likely appearing in accounts of human anatomy, animal sacrifice, and architectural imagery where the structural function of ribs provided a useful comparison. The word's consistent definition across these occurrences indicates it was understood with precision by biblical writers and audiences alike. Beyond its literal anatomical meaning, the significance of this word lies primarily in specific biblical narratives—most notably the account of human creation—where a rib becomes the material for forming a companion figure. The word's technical precision and repeated use in biblical text underscore how ancient Hebrew writers employed concrete physical vocabulary to convey theological and narrative meaning.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it.
You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards,
“You shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward.
You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lamp stand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south. You shall put the table on the north side.
Its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it.
You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it.
For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards
He made bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward.
He cast four rings of gold for it, in its four feet—two rings on its one side, and two rings on its other side.
He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.
He made two golden rings for it under its molding crown, on its two ribs, on its two sides, for places for poles with which to carry it.
He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made it hollow with planks.
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him, and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.
Against the wall of the house, he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, both of the temple and of the inner sanctuary; and he made side rooms all around.
The door for the middle side rooms was in the right side of the house. They went up by winding stairs into the middle floor, and out of the middle into the third.
He built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar: from the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the house with cypress boards.
He built twenty cubits on the back part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling. He built them for it within, for an inner sanctuary, even for the most holy place.
and two doors of cypress wood. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
It was covered with cedar above over the forty-five beams, that were on the pillars, fifteen in a row.
Then he measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the width of every side room, four cubits, all around the house on every side.
The side rooms were in three stories, one over another, and thirty in order. They entered into the wall which belonged to the house for the side rooms all around, that they might be supported, and not penetrate the wall of the house.
The side rooms were wider on the higher levels, because the walls were narrower at the higher levels. Therefore the width of the house increased upward; and so one went up from the lowest level to the highest through the middle level.
I saw also that the house had a raised base all around. The foundations of the side rooms were a full reed of six great cubits.
The thickness of the wall, which was for the side rooms, on the outside, was five cubits. That which was left was the place of the side rooms that belonged to the house.
The doors of the side rooms were toward an open area that was left, one door toward the north, and another door toward the south. The width of the open area was five cubits all around.
There were closed windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch. This is how the side rooms of the house and the thresholds were arranged.