H457 — אֱלִיל (ʼĕlîyl)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H457
Original: אֱלִיל
Transliteration: ʼĕlîyl
Pronunciation: el-eel
Part of Speech: Masculine adjective used substantivally
Occurrences: 21 tokens in 18 unique verses across 9 books
First Occurrence: Lev 19:4
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A term meaning idol, thing of nought, worthless thing, or vanity. Unlike words that emphasize the shape or manufacture of an idol, H457 stresses its emptiness and uselessness.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
idols	7	38.9%
of idols	2	11.1%
the idols	2	11.1%
images	1	5.6%
of no value	1	5.6%
thing of nought / the idol / other forms	5	27.7%

The KJV usually treats the word as a direct idol term, but the lexicon and Job 13:4 preserve its underlying sense of worthlessness.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Habakkuk	1	1.8
Isaiah	8	0.6
Zechariah	1	0.5
Leviticus	2	0.2
Psalms	2	0.1
Jeremiah	1	0.1
Ezekiel	1	0.1

Isaiah dominates the usage, especially in anti-idol passages where the emptiness of false gods is emphasized.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Prohibited idols in covenant law¶

Lev 19:4 — Israel must not turn to idols.
Lev 26:1 — idols are banned alongside graven and standing images.

2. Worthless false gods contrasted with YHWH¶

1Ch 16:26 — all the gods of the peoples are idols, but YHWH made the heavens.
Psa 96:5 — the same creator/false-god contrast.
Isa 2:8, 20 — idol-filled land and discarded idols of silver and gold.

3. Prophetic anti-idol polemic¶

Isa 10:10-11 — idols are linked to Samaria and Jerusalem's rival worship systems.
Isa 19:1, 3 — Egypt's idols shake at YHWH's coming.
Isa 31:7 — every man casts away his idols.

4. Worthlessness extended beyond cult statues¶

Job 13:4 — "physicians of no value."
Zec 11:17 — the "idol shepherd" is a worthless shepherd.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
עָשָׂה	H6213	9x	made idols; human manufacture stressed
יְהֹוָה	H3068	6x	worthless idols contrasted with YHWH
שָׁחָה	H7812	4x	worship given to the worthless object
פֶּסֶל	H6459	3x	image vocabulary overlap
מַסֵּכָה	H4541	2x	worthless idol and molten image paired

Synonyms / Nearby Terms¶

H1544 גִּלּוּל (gillul) — idol term stressing disgusting cultic objects.
H4541 מַסֵּכָה (massekah) — molten image; fabrication-focused.
H6459 פֶּסֶל (pecel) — graven image; carved-object focus.
H6091 עָצָב (atsab) — idol/image term.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
גִּלּוּל	H1544	idols	often more defiling/disgusting in tone
עָצָב	H6091	idols	image term without the strong "worthless" nuance
מַסֵּכָה	H4541	idols/images	cast-metal image, not merely worthless object
פֶּסֶל	H6459	idol/image	carved-object emphasis

Semantic Domains¶

search_relationships.py places H457 in the image/cult-object domain and separately in a "worthless" domain. That combination matches the actual usage: the word names an idol by declaring it empty.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	Note
χειροποίητος	G5499	5	made by hands; emphasizes manufacture
εἴδωλον	G1497	5	standard idol term
προσκυνέω	G4352	4	worship given to the idol

The Greek mapping preserves both main dimensions of the Hebrew word: man-made object and false object of worship.