A step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke)
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עֹלָה (olah) is the Hebrew noun for a burnt offering, also called an ascent offering in view of its relationship to going up. Genesis 8:20 says Noah presents burnt offerings after the flood, Exodus 24:5 includes them in Israel's covenant ceremony, and Leviticus 1:3-9 gives detailed instructions for an individual offering from the herd.
Reader summary
Full entry for עֹלָה (H5930) · Open the biblical lexicon
עֹלָה (olah) is the Hebrew noun for a burnt offering, also called an ascent offering in view of its relationship to going up. Genesis 8:20 says Noah presents burnt offerings after the flood, Exodus 24:5 includes them in Israel's covenant ceremony, and Leviticus 1:3-9 gives detailed instructions for an individual offering from the herd.
The BSB source-word alignment has 287 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include burnt offerings (50), the burnt offering (33), burnt offering (24), for a burnt offering (22), as a burnt offering (18).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 8:20. Its strongest book concentrations include Leviticus (62), Numbers (56), 2 Chronicles (30), Ezekiel (20).
עֹלָה (olah) is the Hebrew noun for a burnt offering, also called an ascent offering in view of its relationship to going up. Genesis 8:20 says Noah presents burnt offerings after the flood, Exodus 24:5 includes them in Israel's covenant ceremony, and Leviticus 1:3-9 gives detailed instructions for an individual offering from the herd. The animal is slaughtered and its prescribed portions are burned on the altar. The noun identifies this offering type rather than sacrifice in general.
Burnt offerings can be individual or required, occasional or regular. Genesis 22:2 records God's command concerning Isaac as a burnt offering, but the narrative stops Abraham and provides a ram in Isaac's place; Isaac is not actually sacrificed. Numbers 28:3 commands two lambs each day as a regular burnt offering, and Deuteronomy 12:13 restricts where Israel may offer them. First Samuel 7:9 narrates Samuel offering a nursing lamb wholly to the Lord while crying out for Israel. These settings prevent the offering from being reduced to one private feeling of total consecration or voluntary generosity.
Prophets and psalms expose sacrifice detached from obedience, mercy, justice, and contrition. First Samuel 15:22 says obedience is better than sacrifice and listening better than the fat of rams. Psalm 51:16 says God does not delight in a burnt offering offered as a substitute for the broken and contrite heart named next, yet verse 19 anticipates righteous sacrifices after restoration. Isaiah 1:11 rejects abundant offerings from bloodstained worshipers, and Hosea 6:6 says God desires steadfast love and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. These texts critique corrupted worship and disordered priority; they do not make God's own sacrificial instructions meaningless.
Olah names a specific altar offering burned according to prescribed practice. It appears after deliverance, in covenant ceremony, in regular worship, during crisis, and in prophetic critiques of ritual detached from faithful life.
Noah builds an altar and offers clean animals and birds as burnt offerings after leaving the ark.
Abraham is commanded to offer Isaac, but the narrative halts the act and supplies a ram in the son's place.
Young Israelite men offer burnt offerings and peace offerings during the covenant ceremony at Sinai.
Leviticus opens its burnt-offering instruction with an unblemished male from the herd brought at the tent entrance.
Israel is commanded to present two unblemished year-old lambs every day as the regular burnt offering.
Samuel offers a nursing lamb as a whole burnt offering and cries to the Lord for Israel during Philistine threat.
Samuel rejects Saul's appeal to sacrifice by declaring obedience and listening better than burnt offerings and animal fat.
At Carmel, divine fire consumes Elijah's burnt offering, altar, water, and surrounding materials before the people confess the Lord.
God desires steadfast love rather than sacrifice and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings amid covenant unfaithfulness.
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How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Burnt offering where the entire animal ascends in smoke, symbolizing complete devotion and the upward movement toward God.
Burnt offering where the entire animal ascends in smoke, symbolizing complete devotion and the upward movement toward God.
a step or (collectively, stairs, as ascending); usually a holocaust (as going up in smoke) BDB: whole burnt-offering Usage: ascent, burnt offering (sacrifice), go up to. See also 5766.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 289 lexical occurrence verses.
Symbol of comprehensive worship rendered hollow without covenant love. Hosea 6:4-6
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Olah can help congregations hold form and faithfulness together. God gives Israel actual worship practices, locations, times, priests, and offerings, so devotion is not merely subjective. Yet Saul, Isaiah's audience, and Hosea's audience show that correct ritual can coexist with disobedience, violence, and lack of covenant love. Psalm 51 does not discard sacrifice; it refuses sacrifice as concealment and anticipates righteous offerings after contrition and restoration.
Genesis 22 must be told with the divine interruption and provided ram fully visible. Christian preaching may connect sacrifice to Christ, but it should not describe human suffering, coerced giving, abuse, or unquestioning loyalty as a burnt offering God requires from vulnerable people.
Hos.6.6
H5930 is a specific offering noun related to H5927's go-up or offer-up verb. It should not be used as a generic label for every sacrifice or act of devotion.
The New Testament describes Jesus' death through multiple sacrificial, covenantal, Passover, priestly, and representative patterns. Olah contributes to that background, but Christian atonement should not be collapsed into the details of one Hebrew offering category.
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