אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), in poetry
אֱלֵי (compare
עֲלֵי,
עֲדֵי), but only in Job) †
Job 3:22;
Job 5:26;
Job 15:22;
Job 29:19), with suffix
אֵלַי,
אֵלֶיךָ,
אֵלַיִךְ, etc.
אֵלֵינוּ,
אֲלֵיכֶם & (
5 times)
אֲלֵכֶם,
אֲלֵיהֶם &
אֲלֵהֶם (both very often); once
אֵלֵימוֺ Psalm 2:5,
אֲלֵיהֶן, once
אֲלֵהֶן Exodus 1:19 (Assyrian
ilî, Arabic
إِلَع),
preposition denoting
motion to or
direction towards (whether physical or mental).
1. of motion
to or
unto a person or place
Genesis 2:19,
22;
Genesis 3:19;
Genesis 8:9;
Genesis 14:22;
Genesis 16:9 etc., after every kind of verb expressing motion (
בּוֺא,
הָלַךְ,
יָצָא etc.) So with
נָתַן to give (though
ל is here more common)
Genesis 21:14;
Genesis 35:4;
Deuteronomy 13:2 +;
מָכַר to sell Deut 37:36, etc. Metaph.
Jeremiah 2:19 וְלֹא פַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ and that my fear (cometh) not
unto thee (compare
Job 31:23). — Peculiarly
Genesis 6:16 אֶל אַמָּה unto the length of a cubit, etc. And metaphor in the phrase
אֶל־(אֱלֵי־)גִּיל unto exultation †
Hosea 9:11;
Job 3:22. Once, exceptionally (si vera lectio) =
even: Job 5:5 וְאֶל־מִצִּגִּים יִקָּחֵהוּ and
even out of thorns he taketh it. Sometimes pregnant, as
Isaiah 66:17;
Jeremiah 41:7 זָנָה אֶל commit whoredom (by going)
to Numbers 25:1;
Ezekiel 16:26,
28,
29;
דָּרֵשׁ אֶל seek (by resorting)
to one (that is, for oracles)
Deuteronomy 18:11;
Isaiah 8:19;
Isaiah 11:10 +;
חָבַר אֶל join together (& come)
unto Genesis 14:3;
הִשְׁכִּים אֶל rise early (and go)
to Genesis 19:27;
Genesis 24:11 הִבְרִיח אֶל made to kneel down
at;
Genesis 47:18 תַּם אֶל i.e. has been made over
to;
אֶל פָּחַד to come in fear
to Hosea 3:5;
Micah 7:17. Opposite is
מִן, as
מִן־הַקָּצֶה אֶל־הַקָּצֶה from end
to end
Exodus 26:28;
אל־פֶּה מִפֶּה Ezra 9:11 (synonym
2 Kings 21:16 לָפֶה פֶּה). And of time (rare)
מֵעֵת אֶל־עֵת †
1 Chronicles 9:25;
מִיּוֺם אֶל־יוֺם †
Numbers 30:15 (P)
1 Chronicles 16:23 (in the ||
Psalm 96:2 מִיּוֺם לְיוֺם).
2. Where the limit is actually entered,
into,
Genesis 6:18 and thou shalt enter
into the ark
Genesis 7:1;
Genesis 19:3;
Genesis 41:21;
Genesis 42:17; & so after verbs of throwing, casting, putting
Genesis 37:22 (
הִשְׁלִיךְ)
Genesis 39:20 וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֶל־בֵּית הַסֹּהַר put him
into the prison house,
Exodus 28:30 (
Leviticus 8:8)
Deuteronomy 23:25; so after
קָבַר to bury
Genesis 23:19;
Genesis 25:9;
Genesis 49:29;
שָׂחַט to squeeze
Genesis 40:11;
מָחָה to blot out
Numbers 5:23, etc.; metaphor
Genesis 6:6 was pained
into or
unto his heart,
שָׂם אֶל־לֵב,
הֵשִׁיב to place, bring.
into)= lay
to) heart
Deuteronomy 4:39;
2 Samuel 19:20 and elsewhere In connection with a number or multitude
into which something enters,
in among: 1 Samuel 10:22 behold he had hid himself
אֶל־הַכֵּלִים in among the baggage,
Jeremiah 4:3 sow not
אֶל־קֹצִים in among thorns.
3. Of direction towards anything:
(a) of physical acts or states, as
Genesis 30:40 הַצּאֹן פְּנֵי נָתַן אֶל,
Genesis 39:7 נָשָׂא עֵינָיו אֶל,
Exodus 25:20;
Numbers 6:26,
נָשָׂא פָנָיו אֶל (
2 Kings 9:32 differently),
Numbers 24:1 אֶל פָּנָיו שָׁת,
Joshua 8:18;
Psalm 28:2;
1 Kings 8:29,
30 (to pray
towards)
1 Kings 8:38; pregnantly
חָרֵד אֶל to tremble (turning)
to Genesis 42:28,
תָּמַהּ אֶל to, wonder (turning)
towards Genesis 43:33;
Isaiah 13:8,
פָּחַד אֶל Jeremiah 36:16: without a verb
אֶל־פָּנִים פָּנִים face
to face
Genesis 32:31 +;
אֶל־פֶּה פֶּה Numbers 12:8;
כִּי־אֵינֶנּוּ אֵלַי Genesis 31:5 the face of Laban, that he is not
toward me;
אֶל־פ׳ עֵינֵי י׳ the eyes of
י׳ are
towards...
Psalm 34:16 (compare
Psalm 33:18).
6. Metaphorically
in regard to, concerning, on account of : thus
הִתְאַבֵּל to mourn
concerning 1 Samuel 15:35;
הִנָּחֵם to repent
as regards 2 Samuel 24:16;
דָּרַשׁ to inquire
1 Kings 14:5;
הִתְפַּלֵּל to pray
with regard to 1 Samuel 1:27;
2 Kings 19:20;
צָעַק to cry
2 Kings 8:3 (
2 Kings 8:5 על);
נֶעֳצַב be pained
1 Samuel 20:34;
נִחַם to comfort
2 Samuel 10:2; more generally
1 Kings 16:13;
1 Kings 21:22;
אֶל־נֶפֶשׁ on account of, for the sake of, one's life
1 Kings 19:3;
2 Kings 7:7 (
Genesis 19:17 על). (
עַל is more common in this sense.) And specially with verbs of saying, narrating, telling, etc.
with regard to, as
אָמַר Genesis 20:2;
Isaiah 29:22;
Isaiah 37:21,
33 +;
דִּבֶּר 2 Samuel 7:19;
Jeremiah 40:16b;
סִפֵּר Psalm 2:7;
Psalm 69:27;
צִוָּה Isaiah 23:11;
שָׁמַע Ezekiel 19:4;
הַשְּׁמוּעָה אֶל the report
regarding...
1 Samuel 4:19. (Not frequently, ext. in the case of
אָמַר.)
8. Expressing presence at a spot,
against; at, by, not merely after verbs expressing or implying motion (compare
1,
Genesis 24:11), as
Joshua 11:5 and they came and encamped together
אֶל־מֵי מֵרוֺם at the waters of Merom,
1 Samuel 5:4 cut off (and fallen)
on to the threshold,
2 Samuel 2:23 and elsewhere and smote him
אֶל־הַחֹמֶשׁ in or
on the belly,
Deuteronomy 33:28;
Exodus 29:12;
Leviticus 4:7; but also in other cases, as
Joshua 5:3 and he circumcised the Israelites
אֶל against, at the hill of the foreskins,
Joshua 22:11 have built an altar
אֶל גְּלִילוֺת הַיַּרְדֵּן by the districts of Jordan,
Judges 12:6;
2 Samuel 3:32,
14:30 &
2 Samuel 18:4 אֶל־יַד at the side of (elsewhere
לְיַד,
עַל יַד),
1 Kings 13:20 as they were sitting
אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן at the table,
2 Kings 11:14 אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ by the king,
Jeremiah 41:12 and found him
by the great waters, etc.,
Jeremiah 46:10 פְּרָת אֶל־נְהַר by the Euphrates,
Ezekiel 3:15;
Ezekiel 11:11;
Ezekiel 17:8;
Ezekiel 31:7;
Ezekiel 40:18;
Ezekiel 43:3;
Ezekiel 47:7;
Ezekiel 48:12.
Note 1. — In
Genesis 20:13 אֶל־כָּל־הַמָּקוֺם אֲשֶׁר נָבוֺא שָׁמָּה אִמְרִי־לִי וג׳;
Numbers 33:54 אֶל־אֲשֶׁר וג׳;
Proverbs 17:8 (compare
Deuteronomy 16:6); —
אֶל appears to be used by a species of attraction; the idea of motion involved in the relative clause influencing illogically the beginning of the sentence and causing
אֶל to be used instead of
בְּ. In
Ezekiel 31:14 אֵלֵיהֶם, as pointed, can only be from
אַיִל III or IV (which see); if the word be taken as the pronoun with suffix (Hi Ke),
אֲלֵיהֶם must be read.
Note 2. — There is a tendency in Hebrew, especially manifest in Samuel Kings Jeremiah Ezekiel, to use
אֶל in the sense of
עַל; sometimes
אֶל being used exceptionally in a phrase or construction which regularly, and in accusative with analogy, has
עַל; sometimes, the two prepositions interchanging, apparently without discrimination, in the same or parallel sentences. Thus
Conversely, though not with the same frequency,
עַל occurs where analogy would lead us to expect
אֶל, or even in juxtaposition with
אֶל, as
1 Samuel 1:10 עַל הִתְפַּלֵּל to pray
to (
1 Samuel 1:26 אֶל);
1 Samuel 1:13;
1 Samuel 25:25 עַל ֗֗֗ אֶל;
1 Kings 20:43 וַיֵּלֶךְ עַל־בֵּיתוֺ (
1 Kings 21:4 אֶל);
Isaiah 22:15;
Jeremiah 11:2;
Jeremiah 23:35;
Jeremiah 31:12. compare Dr
Sm i. 13, 13; ii. 8, 7; 15, 4.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com
BLB Scripture Index of Brown-Driver-Briggs
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
