A CURSE — specifically an oath-curse, a formal imprecation invoked to enforce a covenant or an accusation. Spelled with an alef, and no relation at all to the unrelated alah spelled with an ayin, 'to go up' (the ALIYAH word, already met elsewhere in this project) — two different Hebrew roots that happen to romanize identically. The sworn curse of a covenant-breaker (Deuteronomy 29:19-20, not yet on these pages) and, at Zechariah 5:3, an entire flying scroll's worth of it, unrolled over the whole land against thieves and false swearers alike. → first discussed at Zechariah 5:3