heifer
eg.lah denotes a female bovine animal, used both for actual animals and for vivid comparisons or designations.
The term most often identifies an actual female bovine animal, including one taken for sacrifice, one used in the elders’ rite, and one kept with sheep. It also appears in animal imagery for Ephraim and Egypt, in a comparison of leaping, and in the designation “heifers of Beth-aven.”
Senses in use
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An actual female bovine animal · dominant
Singular construct and absolute forms identify an animal selected or kept in concrete settings: in 1 Samuel 16:2 the APB renders the instruction to take “a heifer of cattle” for sacrifice, and in Genesis 15:9 it renders an animal specified as three years old. In Deuteronomy 21:3, Deuteronomy 21:4, and Deuteronomy 21:6, the animal is taken by city elders, brought to a torrent, has its neck broken, and is the setting for their hand-washing; Isaiah 7:21 similarly places it among livestock kept alive.
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Female-bovine imagery and designation · common
Absolute singular forms are used in comparisons or descriptions of larger subjects: in Hosea 10:11 the APB renders Ephraim as “a trained heifer,” and in Jeremiah 46:20 it calls Egypt “a beautiful heifer.” Jeremiah 50:11 compares leaping to a heifer, while Judges 14:18 uses the construct phrase rendered “my heifer” within Samson’s statement about the riddle; Hosea 10:5 has the plural construct in the phrase “heifers of Beth-aven,” without further identifying the referent.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as “heifer,” including the ritual and figurative clauses; it also uses “young cow” in Isaiah 7:21 and “heifers” in Hosea 10:5. These English choices confirm the verse-level presentation rather than establish separate lexical meanings.