The Hebrew alluph (אַלּוּף) carries two related meanings: (1) a chief or leader of a clan or tribe (used frequently for Edomite chiefs), and (2) a tame, familiar animal or trusted companion. The word shares a root with eleph (H505, thousand), suggesting one who is pre-eminent or leads a thousand.
Alluph appears predominantly in Genesis 36 to describe the chiefs of Esau's descendants in Edom. The word's dual sense — chief and tame companion — is theologically rich: true leadership in the biblical framework involves familiarity, trustworthiness, and servanthood as much as authority. The Edomite chiefs of Genesis 36 stand as a foil to the delayed fulfillment of God's promise to Jacob — the worldly kingdom rises first, but the covenant kingdom endures.