Illeyn (אִלֵּין) is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew elleh (H429), meaning "these" — referring to a specific plural group of persons or things. It appears in the Aramaic sections of Daniel and Ezra, functioning as a demonstrative pointer in the same way as its Hebrew counterpart. The Aramaic portions of Scripture (Daniel 2:4–7:28; Ezra 4:8–6:18; 7:12–26) were written in the lingua franca of the ancient Near East.
The presence of Aramaic in the Bible is itself theologically significant. God did not restrict His revelation to one language. When He spoke through Daniel to Babylonian kings and their courts, He spoke in their language. Illeyn — "these" — pointed to specific visions, beasts, kingdoms, and decrees that God was making known in real time to real rulers. The book of Daniel insists that the God of Israel is not a tribal deity but the Sovereign over every empire and language. The Aramaic sections demonstrate that divine revelation transcends ethnic and linguistic boundaries — anticipating the Pentecost moment when God's word went out in the tongues of every nation (Acts 2:4–11).