Entity · Concept

Semitic il

A reference page linking a name, group, or concept to the materials that discuss it.

An ancient Semitic word for a deity; its linguistic use does not alone identify a particular divine figure.

Modern written comparison of examples of Semitic divine vocabulary: ʾēl, ilu, and ʾilāh. The lines mark comparison, not direct borrowing or identical divine figures
Modern written comparison of examples of Semitic divine vocabulary: ʾēl, ilu, and ʾilāh. The lines mark comparison, not direct borrowing or identical divine figuresIL Archive · CC BYLicense · Image source

Text

Related divine terms occur in several Semitic languagesSemitic languagesA language family including Akkadian, Ugaritic, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic.Glossary · Click to read the explanation. El may function as a common nounCommon nounA word naming a class of things, such as “god”, rather than one particular individual.Glossary · Click to read the explanation meaning “god” or as a proper nameProper nameA name identifying a particular individual, place or other entity.Glossary · Click to read the explanation, depending on language, text and context. This is the linguistic entry; El as a divine figure in Ugaritic texts has a separate record. Related vocabulary does not alone establish identical beliefs or the transfer of a particular deity. [1] [2]

References and notes

  1. Heath D. Dewrell & Andrew M. Garbarino, Names of God in the Hebrew Bible, Oxford Bibliographies (2023) Available introduction: El as common noun or proper name, and Elohim and Yahweh. The cited literature was not read in full. Return to the text ↑
  2. Celene Ibrahim, Islam and Monotheism, Cambridge University Press (2022) The God in Islamic Theology excerpt consulted while preparing the article; link to the book, which was not read in full. Return to the text ↑

Research history

Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.

  1. Edition 2 · 10 October 2026 · editor:aladmin

    Substantive record update

    Read this revision in its original language (Arabic)

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Cite this record

IL Archive, «Semitic il», Edition 2, https://ilarchive.com/en/entities/semitic-il