אֵל (H413) — Hebrew Lexicon — Scattered Israelites

אֵל

𐤀𐤋

ʼêl

H413 preposition

SILEX Entry

Definition

A prepositional particle primarily expressing direction toward a person, place, or thing. Its primary sense is 'to' or 'toward,' indicating motion or orientation in the direction of an object, target, or goal. In broader usage, it can mean 'into,' 'onto,' 'upon,' or, by extension, proximity ('near,' 'beside'). Furthermore, it is commonly used to introduce indirect objects ('to, for'), and in some constructions, it can signify situation 'with' or 'among,' or purpose or relation ('about, concerning, regarding').

Semantic Range

to, toward, unto, into, at, upon, for (indirect object), among, near, with, concerning, regarding, against

Root / Etymology

Root: אל (ʼ-l, aleph-lamed). Traditionally related to the root associated with 'strength' or 'might,' but as a particle, its etymology is debated and possibly distinct from the nominal root 'El' (god). In function, אֵל operates as an independent prepositional element, and some linguists link it with Proto-West-Semitic prepositional forms. The root meaning of 'strength' does not directly inform the particle's usage.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אֵל as a prepositional particle is most often vocalized as אֶל ('el) and introduces direction, motion, or relationship. It is distinct from the nominal use אֵל ('El, 'god' or 'deity'). The preposition occurs throughout all periods of biblical Hebrew, from earliest texts (e.g., Genesis narratives) through exilic and post-exilic writings. Its function overlaps with other prepositions like לְ (le-, 'to, for') and עַל ('al, 'upon, over'), but אֵל specifically emphasizes direct motion or relation toward an object or person. In some poetic or archaic contexts, אֵל may appear to indicate position rather than motion (e.g., 'beside'), though this is secondary to its primary directional sense. English translations often render it as 'to,' 'toward,' or 'unto,' but must sometimes adjust to 'at,' 'with,' 'near,' or 'against' based on idiomatic Hebrew constructions. Do not confuse this functional use with the divine title or name אֵל (God), which represents a completely different lexical item despite being spelled identically.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.; near, with or among; often in general, to; about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

אל (Lael) — to, for, belonging to (prepositional prefix); god, mighty one (El)

Root אל to go toward, to approach, to direct oneself toward, to be near, to be with

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H3815	לָאֵל	Belonging to El
H410	אֵל	among mighty ones
H428	אֵלֶּה	in these
H431	אֲלוּ	and look!

Word Forms

27 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`H413-08`	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to	3539
`H413-10`	אֵלַ/י֙	elay	`HR/Sp1cs`	to me	toward me	to me	448
`H413-12`	אֵלָ֖י/ו	elayv	`HR/Sp3ms`	to him	toward him	to him	431
`H413-23`	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	and to	and toward	and to	334
`H413-15`	אֵלֶ֖י/ךָ	eleykha	`HR/Sp2ms`	to you	toward you	to you	226
`H413-05`	אֲ֠לֵי/הֶם	aleyhem	`HR/Sp3mp`	to them	toward them	to them	165
`H413-02`	אֲלֵ/הֶ֔ם	alehem	`HR/Sp3mp`	to them	toward them	to them	129
`H413-14`	אֵלֶ֑י/הָ	eleyha	`HR/Sp3fs`	to her	to her	to her	79
`H413-07`	אֲלֵי/כֶֽם	aleykhem	`HR/Sp2mp`	to you	toward you (mp)	to you	64
`H413-17`	אֵלֵֽי/נוּ	eleynu	`HR/Sp1cp`	to us	toward us	to us	41
`H413-11`	אֵלָ֑יִ/ךְ	elayikhe	`HR/Sp2fs`	to you	toward you (feminine singular)	to you	27
`H413-04`	אֲלֵ/כֶ֔ם	alekhem	`HR/Sp2mp`	to you	toward you (mp)	to you	6
`H413-06`	אֲלֵי/הֶֽן	aleyhen	`HR/Sp3fp`	to them	toward them (feminine)	toward them (feminine)	4
`H413-13`	אֱלֵי	eley	`HR`	to	toward	toward	4
`H413-24`	וְ/אֵלַ֣/י	veelay	`HC/R/Sp1cs`	and-to-me	and toward me	and toward me	3
`H413-27`	וְ/אֵלֶ֨י/ךָ֙	veeleykha	`HC/R/Sp2ms`	and to you	and toward you	and to you	3
`H413-01`	אַל	al	`HTn`	cease	upon / over	to	2
`H413-19`	אל/ו	lv	`HR/Sp3ms`	to him	toward him	to him	2
`H413-03`	אֲלֵ/הֶ֛ן	alehen	`HR/Sp3fp`	to them	toward them (feminine)	to them	1
`H413-09`	אֵלָ֔/ו	elav	`HR/Sp3ms`	to him	toward him	to him	1
`H413-16`	אֵלֵ֣י/מוֹ	eleymo	`HR/Sp3mp`	to them	toward them	to them	1
`H413-18`	הַ/אֶ֨ל	hael	`HTi/R`	to	the Mighty One	to	1
`H413-20`	וַ/אֲלֵ/הֶ֣ם	vaalehem	`HC/R/Sp3mp`	And to them	and toward them	and to them	1
`H413-21`	וַ/אֲלֵי/הֶ֖ם	vaaleyhem	`HC/R/Sp3mp`	and-to-them	and toward them	and to them	1
`H413-22`	וְ/אַֽל	veal	`HC/Tn`	and spare not	and upon	and do not	1
`H413-25`	וְ/אֵלַ֤יִ/ךְ	veelayikhe	`HC/R/Sp2fs`	and-to-you	and toward you	and toward you	1
`H413-26`	וְ/אֵלָ֕י/ו	veelayv	`HC/R/Sp3ms`	and to it	and toward him	and towards him	1

Occurrences in Scripture

5516 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`H413-08`	Genesis 1:9	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 2:19	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 2:22	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:1	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:2	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:4	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:9	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:14	אֶֽל	el	`HR`	to	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:16	אֶֽל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-23`	Genesis 3:16	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	and to	and toward	and to
`H413-08`	Genesis 3:19	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-23`	Genesis 3:19	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	and to	and toward	and to
`H413-08`	Genesis 4:4	אֶל	el	`HR`	for	toward	for
`H413-23`	Genesis 4:4	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	and for	and toward	and for
`H413-23`	Genesis 4:5	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	but to	and toward	and toward
`H413-23`	Genesis 4:5	וְ/אֶל	veel-2	`HC/R`	and to	and toward	and toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 4:6	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-27`	Genesis 4:7	וְ/אֵלֶ֨י/ךָ֙	veeleykha	`HC/R/Sp2ms`	toward you	and toward you	and toward you
`H413-08`	Genesis 4:8	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 4:8	אֶל	el-2	`HR`	against	toward	against
`H413-08`	Genesis 4:9	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-10`	Genesis 4:10	אֵלַ֖/י	elay	`HR/Sp1cs`	to Me	toward me	toward me
`H413-08`	Genesis 4:13	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 6:4	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 6:6	אֶל	el	`HR`	at	toward	toward
`H413-23`	Genesis 6:16	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	and to	and toward	and toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 6:18	אֶל	el	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-08`	Genesis 6:19	אֶל	el	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-15`	Genesis 6:20	אֵלֶ֖י/ךָ	eleykha	`HR/Sp2ms`	to you	toward you	toward you
`H413-15`	Genesis 6:21	אֵלֶ֑י/ךָ	eleykha	`HR/Sp2ms`	to yourself	toward you	to yourself
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:1	אֶל	el	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:7	אֶל	el	`HR`	into	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:9	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:9	אֶל	el-2	`HR`	into	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:13	אֶל	el	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:15	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	toward
`H413-08`	Genesis 7:15	אֶל	el-2	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-12`	Genesis 8:9	אֵלָי/ו֙	elayv	`HR/Sp3ms`	to him	toward him	to him
`H413-08`	Genesis 8:9	אֶל	el	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-12`	Genesis 8:9	אֵלָ֖י/ו	elayv-2	`HR/Sp3ms`	to himself	toward him	to him
`H413-08`	Genesis 8:9	אֶל	el-2	`HR`	into	toward	into
`H413-12`	Genesis 8:11	אֵלָ֤י/ו	elayv	`HR/Sp3ms`	to him	toward him	to him
`H413-12`	Genesis 8:12	אֵלָ֖י/ו	elayv	`HR/Sp3ms`	to him	toward him	to him
`H413-08`	Genesis 8:15	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 8:21	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 9:8	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-23`	Genesis 9:8	וְ/אֶל	veel	`HC/R`	and to	and toward	and to
`H413-08`	Genesis 9:17	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 11:3	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to
`H413-08`	Genesis 12:1	אֶל	el	`HR`	to	toward	to

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