e.lah denotes a deity, most often the singular God named in heavenly, covenantal, or worship-related clauses, but also other gods.

The term most often identifies the singular God in possessive and construct expressions such as the God of heaven, the God of Israel, or a person's God; these clauses portray this deity as revealing, giving, delivering, receiving prayer, or connected with the house in Jerusalem. It also occurs for gods in plural references and for an unspecified or alternative god in contrasts about worship and deliverance.

1. The singular God in titles and relationships · dominant

   Singular construct and determined forms identify the deity named by relational expressions. In Daniel 2:18 the APB renders an appeal for mercy from the God of heaven, while Daniel 3:17 speaks of the God whom the speakers serve as able to deliver them. In Ezra 5:11 the same construction identifies the builders as servants of the God of heaven and earth, and Ezra 6:10 places offerings and prayer before the God of heaven.

   Daniel 2:18Daniel 3:17Ezra 5:11Ezra 5:5Ezra 6:10Ezra 6:14
2. Other or unspecified gods · common

   Plural forms occur where several gods are mentioned, as in Daniel 2:11, where the APB renders the speakers' exception as “the gods,” and Daniel 3:12, where the officials accuse the Jews of not serving the king's gods. A singular absolute form can also name an unspecified rival in Daniel 3:15, which asks who is the god able to deliver, while Daniel 3:28 contrasts any god with the speakers' own God.

   Daniel 2:11Daniel 3:12Daniel 3:15Daniel 3:25Daniel 3:28Daniel 5:23

In the Anselm Paraphrase: Across these verses, the APB commonly presents the singular forms as “God,” often within titles such as “God of heaven,” and plural forms as “gods.” Because the APB is a whole-verse paraphrase rather than a word-aligned rendering, its English wording only confirms the clause-level contrast between the singular deity and other gods.