עַל
al
height
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# עַל (al) – Height in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew word עַל (al) appears only four times in the biblical text and carries the fundamental meaning of "height." This limited occurrence suggests it represents a specialized term rather than a common everyday word, possibly used in contexts where vertical elevation or superior position required precise expression. The rarity of this particular lemma indicates that biblical writers had other, more frequently used vocabulary available for discussing height and elevation. The specific definition "height" points to a concrete physical concept—the measurable distance upward from a base or ground level. While the lexicon data provided does not detail the specific biblical passages where this word appears, the narrow occurrence pattern (only 4 instances) and singular meaning suggest it functioned as a technical or literary term. Its presence in the biblical corpus indicates that Hebrew speakers distinguished this word semantically, even if they employed other synonyms more regularly in everyday discourse. Understanding עַל as "height" provides readers with access to moments where biblical authors chose this particular vocabulary to convey ideas of elevation or vertical dimension.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences across the text
He calls to the heavens above, to the earth, that he may judge his people:
Hosea 7:16They return, but not to the Most High. They are like a faulty bow. Their princes will fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue. This will be their derision in the land of Egypt.
Hosea 11:7My people are determined to turn from me. Though they call to the Most High, he certainly won’t exalt them.
2 Samuel 23:1Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse says, the man who was raised on high says, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: