Allah (אַלָּה) is a variant spelling of elah (H425), referring to the oak or terebinth tree. It appears in Joshua 24:26, where Joshua sets up a stone pillar under a great oak (allah) as a witness to Israel's covenant renewal at Shechem. The word is closely related to el (strength, God), suggesting the tree's towering strength made it a natural covenant symbol.
The oak at Shechem in Joshua 24 is one of the most theologically loaded trees in the Old Testament. Abraham first camped near the great trees of Moreh at Shechem (Genesis 12:6). Jacob buried foreign gods under the oak at Shechem (Genesis 35:4). And Joshua chose this same location for the climactic covenant renewal of his generation. The allah tree was the witness: "This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us" (Joshua 24:27). Sacred trees marked the geography of covenant. When God makes promises, He often marks the spot with something that endures — a stone, an altar, a tree — to call future generations back to the moment of commitment.