Biblica Analytica
H5921A Hebrew

עַל

al

upon

Lexicon Entry

Definition
upon
Transliteration
al
Strong's Number
H5921A
Occurrences
5,764

Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

What Original Readers Understood

Supported

# עַל (al): A Foundation Word in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew word *al*, occurring 5,764 times throughout the Bible, is one of the most frequently used terms in the language. Its primary definition—"upon"—establishes it as a spatial preposition indicating placement or position on top of something. This core meaning provides the linguistic foundation for understanding how biblical writers describe physical relationships, from objects resting on surfaces to people standing on ground. The sheer frequency of occurrence demonstrates that spatial relationships are central to how biblical Hebrew expresses meaning. Beyond its literal spatial sense, the abundance of *al* in the biblical text suggests it carries considerable semantic weight across multiple contexts and registers. A word appearing nearly 5,800 times necessarily extends beyond a single, narrow function; it likely serves as a foundational building block for expressing not only physical placement but also relational, temporal, and abstract concepts. This prevalence indicates that *al* functions as one of the essential connective elements through which biblical writers construct meaning, much as prepositions do in modern languages. Without the specific usage data provided here, however, we cannot determine the full range of its figurative applications or how its meaning shifts across different biblical books and genres.

Source data & methodology
Strong's
H5921A
Lemma
עַל
Transliteration
al
Definition
upon
Occurrences
5,764
Model
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
Prompt version
1

AI synthesis uses only the lexicon data above as context — never training knowledge.

Occurrences in Scripture

5,764 total occurrences across the text — showing 50

2 Chronicles 19:10

Whenever any controversy comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you must warn them, that they not be guilty toward Yahweh, and so wrath come on you and on your brothers. Do this, and you will not be guilty.

2 Chronicles 19:10

Whenever any controversy comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you must warn them, that they not be guilty toward Yahweh, and so wrath come on you and on your brothers. Do this, and you will not be guilty.

2 Chronicles 19:11

Behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Yahweh; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters. Also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and may Yahweh be with the good.”

2 Chronicles 20:1

After this, the children of Moab, the children of Ammon, and with them some of the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

2 Chronicles 20:2

Then some came who told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea from Syria. Behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).

2 Chronicles 20:3

Jehoshaphat was alarmed, and set himself to seek to Yahweh. He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

2 Chronicles 20:9

‘If evil comes on us—the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’

2 Chronicles 20:10

Now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned away from them, and didn’t destroy them;

2 Chronicles 20:11

behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit.

2 Chronicles 20:12

Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:12

Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:14

Then Yahweh’s Spirit came on Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, in the middle of the assembly;

2 Chronicles 20:16

Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

2 Chronicles 20:22

When they began to sing and to praise, Yahweh set ambushers against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were struck.

2 Chronicles 20:23

For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. When they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy each other.

2 Chronicles 20:24

When Judah came to the place overlooking the wilderness, they looked at the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none who escaped.

2 Chronicles 20:26

On the fourth day, they assembled themselves in Beracah Valley, for there they blessed Yahweh. Therefore the name of that place was called “Beracah Valley” to this day.

2 Chronicles 20:29

The fear of God was on all the kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Yahweh fought against the enemies of Israel.

2 Chronicles 20:31

Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

2 Chronicles 20:34

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the history of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is included in the book of the kings of Israel.

2 Chronicles 20:37

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” The ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

2 Chronicles 21:4

Now when Jehoram had risen up over the kingdom of his father, and had strengthened himself, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel.

2 Chronicles 21:8

In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.

2 Chronicles 21:15

and you will have great sickness with a disease of your bowels, until your bowels fall out by reason of the sickness, day by day.’ ”

2 Chronicles 21:16

Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians who are beside the Ethiopians;

2 Chronicles 21:16

Yahweh stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians who are beside the Ethiopians;

2 Chronicles 22:5

He also followed their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead, and the Syrians wounded Joram.

2 Chronicles 22:12

He was with them hidden in God’s house six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

2 Chronicles 23:3

All the assembly made a covenant with the king in God’s house. He said to them, “Behold, the king’s son must reign, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the sons of David.

2 Chronicles 23:10

He set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, near the altar and the house, around the king.

2 Chronicles 23:11

Then they brought out the king’s son, and put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant, and made him king. Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they said, “Long live the king!”

2 Chronicles 23:13

Then she looked, and, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpets by the king. All the people of the land rejoiced, and blew trumpets. The singers also played musical instruments, and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes, and said, “Treason! treason!”

2 Chronicles 23:13

Then she looked, and, behold, the king stood by his pillar at the entrance, and the captains and the trumpets by the king. All the people of the land rejoiced, and blew trumpets. The singers also played musical instruments, and led the singing of praise. Then Athaliah tore her clothes, and said, “Treason! treason!”

2 Chronicles 23:18

Jehoiada appointed the officers of Yahweh’s house under the hand of the Levitical priests, whom David had distributed in Yahweh’s house, to offer the burnt offerings of Yahweh, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as David had ordered.

2 Chronicles 23:18

Jehoiada appointed the officers of Yahweh’s house under the hand of the Levitical priests, whom David had distributed in Yahweh’s house, to offer the burnt offerings of Yahweh, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as David had ordered.

2 Chronicles 23:19

He set the gatekeepers at the gates of Yahweh’s house, that no one who was unclean in anything should enter in.

2 Chronicles 23:20

He took the captains of hundreds, the nobles, the governors of the people, and all the people of the land, and brought the king down from Yahweh’s house. They came through the upper gate to the king’s house, and set the king on the throne of the kingdom.

2 Chronicles 24:6

The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, “Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of Jerusalem, for the Tent of the Testimony?”

2 Chronicles 24:9

They made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness.

2 Chronicles 24:13

So the workmen worked, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands. They set up God’s house as it was designed, and strengthened it.

2 Chronicles 24:18

They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the idols, so wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.

2 Chronicles 24:20

The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’ ”

2 Chronicles 24:21

They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of Yahweh’s house.

2 Chronicles 24:23

At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus.

2 Chronicles 24:25

When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles 24:25

When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings.

Nehemiah 4:9

But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night because of them.

2 Chronicles 24:26

These are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess.

2 Chronicles 24:27

Now concerning his sons, the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of God’s house, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 24:27

Now concerning his sons, the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of God’s house, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place.