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אֵצֶל

𐤀𐤑𐤋

ʼêtsel

H681 preposition

SILEX Entry

Definition

A location or position beside, alongside, or by the side of something or someone; used in both literal and figurative contexts to indicate proximity or adjacency. As a preposition, it communicates nearness, presence at or by an object, person, or place, sometimes with connotations of affiliation, togetherness, or association.

Semantic Range

by, beside, next to, at the side of, near, at, toward, in the presence of, alongside, with (esp. in close proximity or association)

Root / Etymology

Root אצל, core meaning: to reserve, set aside, or possibly join closely. The noun אֵצֶל is derived from this root, though its primary lexical usage is as a preposition denoting proximity; etymology points toward a concept of being 'at the side of' or 'in close association with.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

The preposition אֵצֶל appears throughout the Hebrew Bible to designate nearness or adjacency, often in narrative, legal, or genealogical settings. It is used spatially, e.g., describing someone standing beside another or an object located next to another object. Figuratively, it can denote social or legal association ('together with,' 'among'), but unlike עִם ('with'), it emphasizes position rather than relationship. The sense captured by later English translations (by, beside, near, at) broadly covers its range, but can sometimes obscure the distinction between mere proximity (אֵצֶל) and more intimate or participatory involvement (עִם). In post-biblical Hebrew, אֵצֶל comes to mean 'with' even more closely, but in the Bible it nearly always retains its sense of locational nearness. The phrase בֵּית הָאֵצֶל ('the house beside,' Micah 1:11) illustrates the toponymic use. Its usage does not clearly distinguish between Israelite or later periods, as its function is primarily grammatical and spatial rather than tied to specific evolving socio-religious contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָצַל (in the sense of joining); a side; (as a preposition) near; at, (hard) by, (from) (beside), near (unto), toward, with. See also בֵּית הָאֵצֶל.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

אצל (Atsel) — to reserve, to set apart, to separate

Root אצל to set aside, to join closely, to reserve
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H678 אָצִיל set-apart ones of
H679 אַצִּיל projecting forearm
H680 אָצַל you set apart
H682 אָצֵל Atsel (Set-Apart One/Place)
H683 אֲצַלְיָהוּ Yahweh-has-reserved

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H681-01 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside 39
H681-05 אֶצְל֖/וֹ etselo HR/Sp3ms beside him at his side at his side 5
H681-04 אֶצְלִֽ/י etseli HR/Sp1cs beside me at my side beside me 4
H681-02 אֶצְלָ֔/הּ etselah HR/Sp3fs by her at her side at her side 3
H681-03 אֶצְלָ֑/ם etselam HR/Sp3mp beside them alongside them alongside them 3
H681-06 מֵ/אֵ֣צֶל meetsel HR/R by from beside from beside 2
H681-09 מֵֽ/אֶצְל֔/וֹ meetselo HR/R/Sp3ms from him from beside him from beside him 2
H681-07 מֵ/אֶצְלָֽ/ם meetselam HR/R/Sp3mp from-beside-them from beside them from beside them 1
H681-08 מֵֽ/אֶצְלִ֗/י meetseli HR/R/Sp1cs from beside me from beside me from beside me 1
H681-10 וְ/אֵ֖צֶל veetsel HC/R and at and beside and beside 1

Occurrences in Scripture

61 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H681-02 Genesis 39:10 אֶצְלָ֖/הּ etselah HR/Sp3fs beside her at her side at her side
H681-04 Genesis 39:15 אֶצְלִ֔/י etseli HR/Sp1cs beside me at my side at my side
H681-02 Genesis 39:16 אֶצְלָ֑/הּ etselah HR/Sp3fs by her at her side by her
H681-04 Genesis 39:18 אֶצְלִ֖/י etseli HR/Sp1cs beside me at my side beside me
H681-01 Genesis 41:3 אֵ֥צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Leviticus 1:16 אֵ֤צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Leviticus 6:3 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Leviticus 10:12 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Deuteronomy 11:30 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Deuteronomy 16:21 אֵ֗צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Judges 19:14 אֵ֥צֶל etsel HR near alongside alongside
H681-01 1 Samuel 5:2 אֵ֥צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-09 1 Samuel 17:30 מֵֽ/אֶצְל/וֹ֙ meetselo HR/R/Sp3ms from him from beside him from beside him
H681-01 1 Samuel 20:19 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-06 1 Samuel 20:41 מֵ/אֵ֣צֶל meetsel HR/R from beside from beside from beside
H681-01 1 Kings 1:9 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-01 1 Kings 2:29 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-08 1 Kings 3:20 מֵֽ/אֶצְלִ֗/י meetseli HR/R/Sp1cs from beside me from beside me from beside me
H681-01 1 Kings 4:12 אֵ֨צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 1 Kings 10:19 אֵ֥צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-02 1 Kings 13:24 אֶצְלָ֔/הּ etselah HR/Sp3fs beside it at her side at her side
H681-01 1 Kings 13:24 אֵ֥צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-01 1 Kings 13:25 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 1 Kings 13:28 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-01 1 Kings 13:31 אֵ֚צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-09 1 Kings 20:36 מֵֽ/אֶצְל֔/וֹ meetselo HR/R/Sp3ms from him from beside him from him
H681-01 1 Kings 21:1 אֵ֚צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 1 Kings 21:2 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 2 Kings 12:10 אֵ֨צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Isaiah 19:19 אֵֽצֶל etsel HR at alongside alongside
H681-01 Jeremiah 35:4 אֵ֨צֶל֙ etsel HR near alongside beside
H681-01 Jeremiah 41:17 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR is near alongside alongside
H681-01 Ezekiel 1:15 אֵ֥צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-03 Ezekiel 1:19 אֶצְלָ֑/ם etselam HR/Sp3mp beside them alongside them alongside them
H681-01 Ezekiel 9:2 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-01 Ezekiel 10:6 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Ezekiel 10:9 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside alongside
H681-01 Ezekiel 10:9 אֵ֚צֶל etsel-2 HR beside alongside alongside
H681-01 Ezekiel 10:9 אֵ֖צֶל etsel-3 HR beside alongside alongside
H681-03 Ezekiel 10:16 אֶצְלָ֑/ם etselam HR/Sp3mp beside-them alongside them alongside them
H681-07 Ezekiel 10:16 מֵ/אֶצְלָֽ/ם meetselam HR/R/Sp3mp from-beside-them from beside them from beside them
H681-01 Ezekiel 33:30 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR by alongside beside
H681-05 Ezekiel 39:15 אֶצְל֖/וֹ etselo HR/Sp3ms beside it at his side beside it
H681-06 Ezekiel 40:7 מֵ/אֵ֨צֶל meetsel HR/R by from beside from beside
H681-04 Ezekiel 43:6 אֶצְלִֽ/י etseli HR/Sp1cs beside-me at my side beside me
H681-01 Ezekiel 43:8 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Amos 2:8 אֵ֖צֶל etsel HR beside alongside beside
H681-01 Proverbs 7:8 אֵ֣צֶל etsel HR near alongside alongside
H681-10 Proverbs 7:12 וְ/אֵ֖צֶל veetsel HC/R and at and beside and beside
H681-05 Proverbs 8:30 אֶצְל֗/וֹ etselo HR/Sp3ms beside him at his side beside him
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