Strong's Number: H504
Original Word: ’elep
Usage Notes: "cattle; thousand; group." The first word, "cattle," signifies the domesticated animal or the herd animal. It has cognates in Aramaic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, and Phoenician. It appears only 8 times in the Bible, first in Deut 7:13: "He will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine [nasb, "herd"], and the flocks of thy sheep…." This noun is probably related to the verb ’alap, "to get familiar with, teach, instruct." This verb occurs 4 times, only in Job and Proverbs.
The related noun ’allûp usually means "familiar; confident." It, too, occurs only in biblical poetry. In Psa 144:14, ’allûp signifies a tame domesticated animal: "That our oxen may be strong to labor; that there be no breaking in, nor going out…."
The second word, "thousand," occurs about 490 times and in all periods of biblical Hebrew. It first appears in Gen 20:16: "Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver…."
The third word, "group," first occurs in Num 1:16: "These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers. heads of thousands [divisions] in Israel." It appears to be related to the word ’ellûp, "leader of a large group," which is applied almost exclusively to non-Israelite tribal leaders (exceptions: Zech 9:7; Zech 12:5-6). ’Allûp first occurs in Gen 36:15: "These were [chiefs] of the sons of Esau…."
