Alu (אֲלוּ) is an Aramaic interjection meaning "behold," "lo," or "look!" It appears in the Aramaic portions of the Old Testament (Daniel, Ezra) as an attention-drawing particle, equivalent to the Hebrew hinneh. The word calls the reader or listener to direct their gaze toward something remarkable or significant that is about to be stated.
The biblical word "behold" is not decorative filler — it is a divine exclamation mark. When Aramaic-speaking peoples in Daniel's world heard the angel say "behold," they were being commanded to look at something beyond ordinary vision: a statue, a tree, a mysterious writing on a wall. These moments reveal that God speaks into the cultures and languages of every nation (Daniel 4–5). The Aramaic interjection underscores a recurring biblical truth: God interrupts human complacency with prophetic sight. He makes invisible realities visible so that kings and exiles alike must reckon with His sovereignty.