The significance of aleph as the 1st letter in the Hebrew alphabet

This is one of those posts that has much more to do with linguistic significance than possible theological relevance, but since some readers might find this subject interesting, I'll go forward. From what I've read, the majority of religiously oriented Classical Hebrew scholars believe that the language is inherently divine, or at a minimum divinely inspired in its orthography (use of written symbols to depict sounds) and its phonology (system of sounds represented by graphemes). I don't know that I completely by into that view, but what I do know is that the language must be especially significant to God since (1) He revealed Himself to the Patriarchs under various Hebrew name-titles and, (2) in Mormon theology, He continues to refer to Himself to modern-day prophets by those same names in many cases.

Aleph - First Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet (click link to view video)

The video that I've imbedded gives some detailed information on the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet א (aleph) and its preeminent significance as the initial letter in the majority of God’s titles. The commentator, Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman, didn’t cite any examples, so I’ve listed the most obvious ones here. (Note to beginning Hebrew students: Hebrew is written from right to left, so in reading the examples I’ve provided below you’ll notice the initial alephs are at the far right of each word.)

Titles of Deity

God (The Father, Eloheem) אלוהים
God (Eloh, El [abbreviated form]) אֱלוֹהַ, אֵל
Lord God (Adonai ) אֲדוֹנָיִ

In addition to what the Rabbi details in the video, it's interesting to note that the letter aleph seems to be associated with all living beings, both Supreme and mortal, since it initializes many references to humanity in general in the Hebrew language. I don’t know why this is, but perhaps, as Rabbi Trugman alluded to, placing the 1^st letter at the head of this class of words is a way of emphasizing the preeminent place of God and his offspring in the Universe, above all other kinds of creation. He mentions the fact that a common word for “man” (adam) also begins with aleph. There are more examples that he didn’t mention, so please refer to the list below.

Titles for Humankind

man (adam) אָדָם

people (anasheem) אֲנָשִׁים

humanity (enosheeyoot) אֶנוֹשִׁיוּת  

race, people (eem) אֹם

(a) man (ish) אִישׁ
(a) woman (isha) אִשָׁה

One omission from the video that ties into the commentator's observations is that fact that an initial aleph also begins all 1^st and 2^nd person personal pronouns. However, 3^rd person pronouns (he, she, they, and it) all begin with the letter ה (heh). I can’t speculate as to why the initial aleph was abandoned in favor of heh when the person(s) speaking (1st person) or the person(s) addressed (2nd person) aren't being referenced in the language, but it’s interesting to note that only interpersonal communication can only take place when an "I" and a "you" are involved. Again, an emphasizing of interpersonal relationships may be at play here.

1st and 2nd Person Personal Pronouns
I (anee) אֲנִי
I, archaic form (anokhee) אָנוֹכִי
We (anakhnu, anu [abbreviated form]) אֲנַחנוּ, אָנוּ
you, masc. singular (ata) אַתָה
you, fem. singular (at) אַת
you, masc. plural (atem) אַתֶם
you, fem. plural (aten) אַתֶן

3^rd Person Personal and Object Pronouns
he/it, masc. (hu) הוא
she/it, fem. (hee) היא
they, masc. (hem) הֵם
they, fem. (hen) הֵן

One final observation: The key role of parents in the family also seems to be emphasized in the language since the titles mother and father both begin with aleph. In contrast, the titles of son and daughter both begin with ב (bet), the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet, perhaps illustrating that in the family order children are subject to their parents.

Family Members

father (av) אָב 

dad, daddy (ahbah) אַבָּא 

mother (em) אֵם

mom, mommy (eema) אִמָא

son (ben) בֵּן

daughter (bat) בַּת

Western singular nouns that have plural endings in Hebrew

One interesting difference between Semitic languages (like Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician, etc.) and Western ones is how some of our singular nouns are inherently plural in Semitic languages, ending in the plural suffix “-im (eem)” in Hebrew. Some examples include: water (mayeem, מַיִם), sky (shamayeem, שָׁמַיִם), and life (khayeem, חַיִים). That’s why the scriptures, which are mostly translated literally where these Semitic/Western differences occur, include foreign-sounding constructions like; “the waters of…”, “crossed the great waters”, “looked towards the heavens (sky)”, etc. (See Mosiah 18:8 and Ether 4:9 in the Book of Mormon, and the Biblical references of Genesis 1:2, Exodus 7:20, and 2 Kings 2:8 as examples.) These are all Semitic-origin constructions that became part of the English language translation of the scriptures. Some even sound almost commonplace to people who’ve grown up reading the King James Version of the Bible.

For me, the most interesting plural-ending noun in Hebrew that's singular in English is the word “life”, which in Hebrew literally means “lives”. One possible interpretation is that within each of us lies an innumerable potential posterity. This is significant on many levels. The taking of an innocent life is obviously considered a terrible act in any culture, but in the Semitic tradition it appears to be an even more severe offense against God and one’s community since the sin not only ends the victim's individual life prematurely, but it also prevents “lives” (generations of progeny) from coming into physical being on Earth. Along the same line, the English term “eternal life” is literally translated “eternal lives” in Hebrew (khayeh olam), a phrase that has wonderful implications for the hereafter.

Introduction to my blog

I’ve been self-studying modern and Biblical Hebrew off and on for almost 20 years. While at Brigham Young University I formally studied Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Arabic, and Vulgar (Common) Latin. I have a deep interest in language studies and etymology (the study of word origins and the development of language over time) coupled with a love of studying the scriptures, so I now read the Talmud in the original Hebrew to gain added insights into these scriptural passages. This blog serves as a place to document this personal journey.

For the record, I don't consider myself an expert in Biblical Hebrew. Just the opposite is true. I’m very much a novice, but hopefully my meager beginnings might inspire others, including my children in their later years, to make the attempt to learn Biblical Hebrew as a means of deepening their understanding of scriptural teachings.

Being a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what I blog will naturally be influenced by my own religious background. At the same time, the personal views and thoughts that I record here obviously don't represent official teachings or doctrine of the Church. In my blog I’ll often reference the Standard Works of the LDS Church – the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price – but these references aren’t intended to present my ideas as official doctrine. Instead my purpose will be to present examples of Semitic language grammar, figures of speech, and vocabulary that exist throughout all these books of scripture.