Elyown, “Most High,” Strong’s H5945

The first occurrence.

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the Most High God. Gen 14:18

The primitive root.

Strong’s H5945 Elyown, a concrete noun meaning, “Most High,” from Strong’s H5927 עלה alah, a primitive root meaning, “to go up, to ascend.” The 3-letter root is ayin + lamed + hey.

ayin ע = the eye, thus watch, know, shade
lamed ל = the shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind
hey ה = man w/ raised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath

In ancient times when captives were taken as a spoil of war, they were first closely watched (ayin) to prevent their free movement or escape. To take them into exile, they were bound together by a yoke (lamed, as the yoke is a specialized staff) which was lifted up (hey, in the context of the upraised arms) on their shoulders. The primitive root then, is to go up or ascend, as the yoke ascends onto the shoulder of the captive.

THE ANCIENT HEBREW LEXICON | INDEX OF HEBREW ROOTS