עַל
ʻal · H5921 · Hebrew · 5,770 occurrences
Meanings
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A preposition indicating spatial position or location above, upon, over, at, or beside something
Examples1 Kings 7:17 There were lattices of latticework and wreaths of chainwork for the capitals which were on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital and seven for the other capital.
Genesis 1:20 Then God said, 'Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.'
2 Chronicles 24:20 Then the Spirit of God covered Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest like clothing; and he stood above the people and said to them, 'This is what God has said, "Why do you break the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have abandoned the LORD, He has also abandoned you."'
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A preposition indicating authority, jurisdiction, or oversight over someone or something
Examples1 Chronicles 11:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, in accordance with the word of the LORD through Samuel.
1 Chronicles 18:15 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary;
Genesis 41:41 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, 'See, I have placed you over all the land of Egypt.'
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A preposition indicating motion or direction toward a location or person
Examples1 Chronicles 11:15 Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim.
2 Chronicles 30:1 Now Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to the LORD God of Israel.
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A preposition indicating causation or reason, often translated "because of," "on account of," or "concerning."
Examples1 Chronicles 10:13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against the LORD, because of the word of the LORD which he did not keep; and also because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of her,
Jeremiah 16:18 'I will first repay them double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and their abominations.'
1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the LORD wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
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A conjunction or connective word meaning "therefore" or "for that reason," expressing logical consequence
Examples1 Chronicles 11:7 Then David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David.
Isaiah 24:6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.
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A preposition indicating the object or target against which an action is directed
Examples1 Chronicles 10:3 The battle became severe against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was wounded by the archers.
Ezekiel 5:8 therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, I, even I, am against you, and I will execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
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A preposition indicating accompaniment or association, often translated "with."
Examples1 Chronicles 11:42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,
How it’s used In 3 roles
This word is very common, so only how often it takes each role is shown.
- Whose, or of what
- 1
- What it does
- 1
- After prepositions
- 15
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 6 words
- ἐπί epí · G1909 · on, upon, at
- עַל (ʻal, H5921) and ἐπί (epí, G1909) are direct cross-linguistic equivalents, both highly versatile prepositions expressing spatial superimposition ("on, upon, above"), temporal relations, and extended relations such as "against, concerning, according to." The Septuagint translators consistently chose ἐπί to render עַל across its full range, making this the canonical Greek equivalent for Hebrew עַל.
- περί perí · G4012 · around, concerning, about
- Both עַל (ʻal, H5921) and περί (perí, G4012) function as highly versatile prepositions expressing spatial, causal, and temporal relationships. The Hebrew עַל carries core meanings of "upon, above, over, concerning, because of" while the Greek περί denotes "around, concerning, with respect to"—both encompassing similar semantic territory of position (spatial proximity/superiority) and abstract relation (reference, cause). Their shared capacity to express "concerning/about" and their parallel range from concrete spatial to abstract relational uses establishes them as functional cross-linguistic equivalents in the prepositional system.
- ὑπέρ hypér · G5228 · for, on behalf of, for the sake of
- Both עַל (ʻal, H5921) and ὑπέρ (hypér, G5228) share the core spatial concept "above, over" and extend into overlapping relational and causal uses. Hebrew עַל functions as a highly frequent preposition marking spatial elevation ("above"), benefaction/concern ("for the sake of"), and position ("upon, at"), while Greek ὑπέρ similarly expresses spatial superiority ("over, above") and substitutionary or benefactive agency ("for, on behalf of, instead of"). The substantial semantic overlap in both spatial and abstract domains, combined with their prepositional grammar and high occurrence counts, establishes them as cross-linguistic equivalents despite the lack of genetic relationship between Hebrew and Greek.
- ἕνεκα héneka · G1752 · on account of, because of, in order that
- Hebrew עַל encompasses a broad spatial and relational semantic field including 'above,' 'upon,' 'against,' 'concerning,' and causal 'because of'; Greek ἕνεκα specifically expresses causation or reason ('on account of,' 'for the sake of'), corresponding to the subset of עַל's usage where it introduces causal or motivational grounds rather than its spatial or general relational senses.
- ἐπάνω epánō · G1883 · above, over, on
- Hebrew עַל (ʻal, H5921) and Greek ἐπάνω (epánō, G1883) both denote spatial position 'above/over' and can mark hierarchical superiority; ἐπάνω is more narrowly locative and comparative, while עַל encompasses broader prepositional functions (temporal 'after', causal 'because of', relational 'concerning') that Greek renders with other prepositions.
- ὑπεράνω hyperánō · G5231 · above, over, on
- ὑπεράνω (hyperánō, G5231) ὑπεράνω is a specialized intensified form denoting position "far above" or "greatly higher," rendering עַל (ʻal, H5921) עַל specifically in contexts emphasizing elevation or transcendence, whereas עַל (ʻal, H5921) has much broader semantic range including general spatial "upon/above," temporal "after," and relational senses ("concerning," "against") that ὑπεράνω (hyperánō, G5231) does not capture.
Word family 21 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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