א
Aleph
silent / glottal stop
ox, strength, leader
Ancient Pictograph
Head of an ox with two horns. The ancient proto-Sinaitic form depicts a stylized ox head, representing strength and leadership.
Scripture Words
אלהיםElohim
אמתEmet
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From ancient pictographs to modern script -- each letter carries layers of meaning, a numeric value, and connections to scripture.
The Hebrew alphabet, or Aleph-Bet, is the foundation of biblical languages. Every letter began as a pictograph -- a simple drawing of an everyday object like an ox head, a house, or a hand. These origins encode meaning into the very structure of Hebrew words. Below is a sample of the first six letters with their pictographic roots, gematria values, and example words from scripture.
silent / glottal stop
ox, strength, leader
Ancient Pictograph
Head of an ox with two horns. The ancient proto-Sinaitic form depicts a stylized ox head, representing strength and leadership.
Scripture Words
b (with dagesh) / v (without dagesh)
house, dwelling, family
Ancient Pictograph
A floor plan of a tent or house viewed from above, showing an enclosed space with an opening.
Scripture Words
g (hard g as in 'go')
camel, to carry, to nourish
Ancient Pictograph
A foot in motion or a camel walking, representing movement and journeying.
Scripture Words
d
door, pathway, entrance
Ancient Pictograph
A simple door or tent flap, representing the threshold between inside and outside.
Scripture Words
h (soft breath)
window, behold, revelation, breath
Ancient Pictograph
A figure with raised arms, as if calling out or expressing wonder.
Scripture Words
v (modern) / w (ancient)
hook, nail, to connect, to secure
Ancient Pictograph
A tent peg or hook, representing connection and fastening.
Scripture Words
FAQ
The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (also called the Aleph-Bet) are: Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, He, Vav, Zayin, Chet, Tet, Yod, Kaf, Lamed, Mem, Nun, Samekh, Ayin, Pe, Tsade, Qof, Resh, Shin, and Tav. Five of these letters -- Kaf, Mem, Nun, Pe, and Tsade -- have special final forms used when they appear at the end of a word.
Each Hebrew letter carries layers of meaning beyond its phonetic value. Every letter has a pictographic origin (an ancient picture it was derived from), a numeric value (gematria), and a symbolic meaning. Studying these dimensions reveals connections within scripture that translations alone cannot convey. For example, the letter Vav (meaning 'nail' or 'hook') is the conjunction 'and' in Hebrew, connecting heaven and earth -- a powerful symbol of the Atonement.
Gematria is the traditional system of assigning numeric values to Hebrew letters. Aleph through Tet represent 1-9, Yod through Tsade represent 10-90, and Qof through Tav represent 100-400. This system allows every Hebrew word to carry a numerical value, which scholars and students of scripture use to discover connections between words that share the same numeric total. For example, the word 'echad' (one) has the value 13, as does 'ahavah' (love), linking oneness and love at a mathematical level.
Explore all 22 letters with spiritual significance, gematria values, pictographic origins, and scripture connections across all five volumes with 40+ study tools.
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