מַעַל
𐤌𐤏𐤋
maʻal
H4605 adverb
SILEX Entry
Definition
An adverb or preposition of direction or position, meaning 'upwards,' 'above,' or 'on high,' indicating a higher spatial location, direction, or relative status. Used with prefixed prepositions (מִמַּעַל 'from above', עַל מַעַל 'upon, above') to specify locative or figurative height, superiority, or prior position.
Semantic Range
upper part, upward, above, overhead, on high, over, very high, exceedingly, from above, upon, from the top, higher position, figurative superiority
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root עָלָה (עלה), which means 'to go up, ascend, rise.' מַעַל functions as a noun used in adverbial or prepositional phrases, indicating the 'upper part' or 'above.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Primarily found in combination with prepositions, especially in phrases indicating spatial or figurative superiority (מִמַּעַל—'from above' [Exod 25:20]; עַל מַעַל—'over' or 'upon'). Its usage is prominent in ritual and architectural descriptions (e.g., the cherubim over the ark, Genesis 6:16; Exodus 25:20), as well as metaphoric use for being in a position of authority or elevated status. The term is distinct from עַל ('on, upon'), which marks surface contact or support, while מַעַל emphasizes raised position or movement from a superior point. Later, the preposition מֵעָל may be formed by contraction. English translations often render מַעַל as 'above,' 'up,' or 'over,' but the Hebrew term may imply more substantial separation or distinction in status or location than English 'above.' Its occurrences are spread throughout narrative, legal, and poetic texts, with little change in sense over time, retaining the primary spatial or metaphorical sense of higher position or superiority.
Translation Consistency
'Above' is the most natural, flexible English word to cover the adverbial/prepositional sense of מַעַל — spatially 'upwards' or 'on high' and figuratively 'superior' or 'from above.' It fits the common collocations (e.g. 'from above') and will produce idiomatic renderings across the range of occurrences while keeping a single consistent base form.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from עָלָה; properly, the upper part, used only adverbially with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc.; above, exceeding(-ly), forward, on ([idiom] very) high, over, up(-on, -ward), very.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
עלה (Ilay) — to go up, ascend, rise
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4607 | מֹעַל | in hand-raising |
| H4608 | מַעֲלֶה | at the ascent |
| H4609 | מַעֲלָה | in the ascents |
| H5866 | עִילַי | Elevated-one |
| H5920 | עַל | upon, over |
Word Forms
8 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4605-08 |
וָ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above | 51 |
H4605-01 |
לְ/מַ֨עְלָ/ה֙ | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upward | upward | to above | 28 |
H4605-04 |
מִ/מַּ֨עַל֙ | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above | 27 |
H4605-03 |
מִ/לְ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from above | from above | from above | 23 |
H4605-05 |
וּ/לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | ulemaelah | HC/R/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and upward | 6 |
H4605-02 |
מַ֣עְלָ/ה | maelah | HD/Sd |
higher | upward | above | 2 |
H4605-07 |
וּ/מִ/מַּ֗עַל | umimaal | HC/R/D |
and from above | and from above | and from above | 2 |
H4605-06 |
וּ/מִ/לְ/מַ֗עְלָ/ה | umilemaelah | HC/R/R/D/Sd |
and above | and from above | and from above | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
140 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4605-08 |
Numbers 14:29 | וָ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
Numbers 26:2 | וָ/מַ֖עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
Numbers 26:4 | וָ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
Numbers 26:62 | וָ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
Numbers 32:11 | וָ/מַ֔עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-04 |
Deuteronomy 4:39 | מִ/מַּ֔עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
Deuteronomy 5:8 | מִ/מַּ֔עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-01 |
Deuteronomy 28:13 | לְ/מַ֔עְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upward | upward | to above |
H4605-02 |
Deuteronomy 28:43 | מַ֣עְלָ/ה | maelah | HD/Sd |
higher | upward | above |
H4605-02 |
Deuteronomy 28:43 | מָּ֑עְלָ/ה | maelah-2 | HD/Sd |
and higher | upward | above |
H4605-04 |
Joshua 2:11 | מִ/מַּ֔עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Joshua 3:13 | מִ/לְ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Joshua 3:16 | מִ/לְ/מַ֜עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from above | from above | from above |
H4605-08 |
Judges 1:36 | וָ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and-upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-01 |
Judges 7:13 | לְ/מַ֖עְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upside down | upward | to above |
H4605-08 |
1 Samuel 9:2 | וָ/מַ֔עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
1 Samuel 10:23 | וָ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
1 Samuel 16:13 | וָ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and onward | and upward | and above |
H4605-08 |
1 Samuel 30:25 | וָ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and forward | and upward | and above |
H4605-04 |
1 Kings 7:3 | מִ/מַּ֨עַל֙ | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-06 |
1 Kings 7:11 | וּ/מִ/לְ/מַ֗עְלָ/ה | umilemaelah | HC/R/R/D/Sd |
and above | and from above | and from above |
H4605-04 |
1 Kings 7:20 | מִ/מַּ֨עַל֙ | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
1 Kings 7:25 | מִ/לְ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
1 Kings 7:29 | מִ/מָּ֑עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-08 |
1 Kings 7:31 | וָ/מַ֨עְלָ/ה֙ | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and-above-to | and upward | and above |
H4605-03 |
1 Kings 8:7 | מִ/לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
1 Kings 8:23 | מִ/מַּ֔עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-08 |
2 Kings 3:21 | וָ/מַ֔עְלָ/ה | vamaelah | HC/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and above |
H4605-01 |
2 Kings 19:30 | לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upward | upward | to above |
H4605-04 |
Isaiah 6:2 | מִ/מַּ֨עַל֙ | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-01 |
Isaiah 7:11 | לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
above | upward | to above |
H4605-01 |
Isaiah 8:21 | לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upward | upward | to above |
H4605-04 |
Isaiah 14:13 | מִ/מַּ֥עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-01 |
Isaiah 37:31 | לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upward | upward | to above |
H4605-04 |
Isaiah 45:8 | מִ/מַּ֔עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
from above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
Jeremiah 4:28 | מִ/מָּ֑עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Jeremiah 31:37 | מִ/לְ/מַ֔עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from-above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
Jeremiah 35:4 | מִ/מַּ֗עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
Jeremiah 43:10 | מִ/מַּ֛עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-04 |
Jeremiah 52:32 | מִ/מַּ֗עַל | mimaal | HR/D |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Ezekiel 1:11 | מִ/לְ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Ezekiel 1:22 | מִ/לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-07 |
Ezekiel 1:26 | וּ/מִ/מַּ֗עַל | umimaal | HC/R/D |
and-from-above | and from above | and from above |
H4605-03 |
Ezekiel 1:26 | מִ/לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from-above | from above | from above |
H4605-05 |
Ezekiel 1:27 | וּ/לְ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | ulemaelah | HC/R/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and upward |
H4605-05 |
Ezekiel 8:2 | וּ/לְ/מַ֔עְלָ/ה | ulemaelah | HC/R/D/Sd |
and upward | and upward | and upward |
H4605-03 |
Ezekiel 10:19 | מִ/לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Ezekiel 11:22 | מִ/לְ/מָֽעְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
from above | from above | from above |
H4605-03 |
Ezekiel 37:8 | מִ/לְ/מָ֑עְלָ/ה | milemaelah | HR/R/D/Sd |
above | from above | from above |
H4605-01 |
Ezekiel 41:7 | לְ/מַ֨עְלָ/ה | lemaelah | HR/D/Sd |
upward | upward | to above |