אֶל
to
also: toward, unto fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Preposition
- A relational word (e.g. “in,” “to,” “from”) governing a noun.
- Particle
- A short function word — article, negation, interrogative, the sign of the direct object, and the like.
Page 2 of 2 — showing verses 201–273 of 273 distinct verses where H413 appears in the Book of Numbers. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Numbers
- Numbers 23:11 אֶל prep Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have blessed them altogether.
- Numbers 23:13 אֵלָ֜י/ו אֶל prep + sfx pers 3ms prep Balak said to him, Please come with me to another place, from whence you may see them; you shall see but the utmost part of them, and shall not see them all: and curse me them from there.
- Numbers 23:14 אֶל prep He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.
- Numbers 23:15 אֶל prep He said to Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet [Yahweh] yonder.
- Numbers 23:16 אֶל אֶל prep prep Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.
- Numbers 23:17 אֵלָ֗י/ו prep + sfx pers 3ms He came to him, and, behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, What has Yahweh spoken?
- Numbers 23:25 אֶל prep Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
- Numbers 23:26 אֶל אֵלֶ֨י/ךָ֙ prep prep + sfx pers 2ms But Balaam answered Balak, Didn't I tell you, saying, All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do?
- Numbers 23:27 אֶל אֶל prep prep Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take you to another place; peradventure it will please God that you may curse me them from there.
- Numbers 23:29 אֶל prep Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams.
- Numbers 24:1 אֶל prep When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he didn't go, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
- Numbers 24:10 אֶל אֶל prep prep Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
- Numbers 24:11 אֶל prep Therefore now flee you to your place: I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, Yahweh has kept you back from honor.
- Numbers 24:12 אֶל אֶל אֵלַ֖/י prep prep prep + sfx pers 1cs Balaam said to Balak, Didn't I also tell your messengers who you sent to me, saying,
- Numbers 25:1 אֶל prep Israel abode in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab:
- Numbers 25:4 אֶל prep Yahweh said to Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to Yahweh before the sun, that the fierce anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.
- Numbers 25:5 אֶל prep Moses said to the judges of Israel, Kill you everyone his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.
- Numbers 25:6 אֶל prep Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting.
- Numbers 25:8 אֶל אֶל prep prep and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
- Numbers 25:10 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 25:16 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 26:52 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 27:6 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 27:8 וְ/אֶל conj + prep You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.
- Numbers 27:11 אֵלָ֛י/ו prep + sfx pers 3ms If his father have no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman who is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be to the children of Israel a statute [and] ordinance, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Numbers 27:12 אֶל אֶל prep prep Yahweh said to Moses, Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel.
- Numbers 27:13 אֶל prep When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered;
- Numbers 27:15 אֶל prep Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying,
- Numbers 27:18 אֶל prep Yahweh said to Moses, Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;
- Numbers 28:1 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 28:2 אֲלֵ/הֶ֑ם prep + sfx pers 3mp Command the children of Israel, and tell them, My offering, my food for my offerings made by fire, of a sweet savor to me, shall you observe to offer to me in their due season.
- Numbers 29:40 אֶל prep Moses told the children of Israel according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Numbers 30:1 אֶל prep Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded.
- Numbers 30:14 אֶל prep But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows, or all her bonds, which are on her: he has established them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.
- Numbers 31:1 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 31:2 אֶל prep Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward you shall be gathered to your people.
- Numbers 31:3 אֶל prep Moses spoke to the people, saying, Arm you men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute Yahweh's vengeance on Midian.
- Numbers 31:12 אֶל וְ/אֶל וְ/אֶל אֶל אֶל prep conj + prep conj + prep prep prep They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.
- Numbers 31:13 אֶל prep Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp.
- Numbers 31:15 אֲלֵי/הֶ֖ם prep + sfx pers 3mp Moses said to them, Have you saved all the women alive?
- Numbers 31:21 אֶל prep Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded Moses:
- Numbers 31:24 אֶל prep You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp.
- Numbers 31:25 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 31:48 אֶל prep The officers who were over the thousands of the host, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;
- Numbers 31:49 אֶל prep and they said to Moses, Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our charge, and there lacks not one man of us.
- Numbers 31:54 אֶל prep Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before Yahweh.
- Numbers 32:2 אֶל וְ/אֶל וְ/אֶל prep conj + prep conj + prep the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,
- Numbers 32:7 אֶל prep Why discourage you the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them?
- Numbers 32:9 אֶל prep For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Yahweh had given them.
- Numbers 32:14 אֶל prep Behold, you are risen up in your fathers' place, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Yahweh toward Israel.
- Numbers 32:16 אֵלָי/ו֙ prep + sfx pers 3ms They came near to him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
- Numbers 32:17 אֶל prep but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
- Numbers 32:18 אֶל prep We will not return to our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
- Numbers 32:19 אֵלֵ֔י/נוּ prep + sfx pers 1cp For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.
- Numbers 32:20 אֲלֵי/הֶם֙ prep + sfx pers 3mp Moses said to them, If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war,
- Numbers 32:25 אֶל prep The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, Your servants will do as my lord commands.
- Numbers 32:29 אֲלֵ/הֶ֗ם prep + sfx pers 3mp Moses said to them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before Yahweh, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
- Numbers 32:31 אֶל prep The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Yahweh has said to your servants, so will we do.
- Numbers 33:38 אֶל prep Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of Yahweh, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
- Numbers 33:50 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
- Numbers 33:51 אֶל אֲלֵ/הֶ֑ם אֶל prep prep + sfx pers 3mp prep Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
- Numbers 33:54 אֶל֩ prep You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less inheritance: wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall you inherit.
- Numbers 34:1 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 34:2 אֲלֵ/הֶ֔ם אֶל prep + sfx pers 3mp prep Command the children of Israel, and tell them, When you come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan according to the borders of it),
- Numbers 34:16 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 35:1 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
- Numbers 35:9 אֶל prep Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
- Numbers 35:10 אֶל אֲלֵ/הֶ֑ם prep prep + sfx pers 3mp Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
- Numbers 35:25 אֶל prep and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, where he was fled: and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
- Numbers 35:28 אֶל prep because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return into the land of his possession.
- Numbers 35:32 אֶל prep You shall take no ransom for him who is fled to his city of refuge, that he may come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest.
- Numbers 36:7 אֶל prep So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall cleave everyone to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
- Numbers 36:13 אֶל prep These are the commandments and the ordinances which Yahweh commanded by Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“to” is the headline sense of the Hebrew preposition אל (ʼêl). Beyond “to” it also covers “toward” and “unto” — see its full sense range. With 4,204 verses in 38 books, it is one of the most common word in the Hebrew Bible. First canonically at Genesis 1:9, it enters the text early. It clusters with אליהועיני under a shared root. See the sense tree, 4,204-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H413 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 4,204
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 4,204 distinct verses.
- 38 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 38 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #4
- by frequency
- Top 10 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 4 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 4,204 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 4,204 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 2,341 verses · 56%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1,300 verses · 31%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 563 verses · 13%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Because 2×, For 2×, In 2×
- American Standard Version: In 3×, To 3×, Unto 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: To 2,001×, Me 343×, You 214×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: To 2,791×, Him 374×, Me 349×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H413 across 38 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 32 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H413 across 39 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 26 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H413 across 4,199 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 172 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1,299 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H413 across 5,255 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 133 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
7 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 7 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. of motion to or unto a person or place Gn 2:19, 22; 3,19; 8:9; 14:22; 16;9 etc., after every kind of verb expressing motion (בּוֹא, הָלַךְ, יָצָא, etc.) So with נָתַן to give (though ל is here more common) Gn 21:14; 35:4 Dt 13:2 +; מָכַר to sell Gn 37:36, etc. Metaph. Je 2:19 וְלֹאפַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ and that my fear (cometh) not unto thee (cf. Jb 31:23).—Peculiarly Gn 6:16 אֶל אַמָּה unto the length of a cubit, etc. And metaph. in the phrase אֶל־(אֱלֵי־)גִּיל unto exultation †Ho 9:1 Jb 3:22. Once, exceptionally (si vera l.) = even: Jb 5:5 וְאֶל־מִצִּנִּים יִקָּחֵהוּ and even out of thorns he taketh it. Sometimes pregnant, as Is 66:17 Je 41:7 זָנָה אֶל commit whoredom (by going) to Nu 25:1 Ez 16:26, 28, 29; דָּרַשׁ אֶל seek (by resorting) to one (sc. for oracles) Dt 18:11 Is 8:19; 11:10 +; חָבַר אֶל join together (& come) unto Gn 14:3; הִשְׁכִּים אֶל rise early (and go) to 19:27; 24:11 הִבְרִיךְ אֶל made to kneel down at; 47:18 תַּם אֶל i.e. has been made over to; פָּחַד אֶל to come in fear to Hos 3:5 Mi 7:17. Opp. is מִן, as מִן־הַקָּצֶה אֶל־הַקָּצֶה from end to end Ex 26:28; מִפֶּה אֶל־פֶּה Ezr 9:11 (syn. 2 K 21:16 פֶּה לָפֶה). And of time (rare) מֵעֵת אֶל־עֵת †1 Ch 9:25; מִיּוֹם אֶל־יוֹם †Nu 30:15 (P) 1 Ch 16:23 (in the ‖ ψ 96:2 מִיּוֹם לְיוֹם). e.g. Genesis 2:19
- 2. Where the limit is actually entered, into, Gn 6:18 and thou shalt enter into the ark 7:1; 19:3; 41:21; 42:17; & so after verbs of throwing, casting, putting 37:22 (הִשְׁלִיךְ) 39:20 וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֶל־בֵּית הַסֹּהַר put him into the prison house, Ex 28:30 (Lv 8:8) Dt 23:25; so after קָבַר to bury Gn 23:19; 25:9; 49:29; שָׂחַט to squeeze 40:11; מָחָה to blot out Nu 5:23, etc.; metaph. Gn 6:6 was pained into or unto his heart, שָׂם אֶל־לֵב, הֵשִׁיב to place, bring into (= lay to) heart Dt 4:39 2 S 19:20 al. In connexion with a number or multitude into which something enters, in among: 1 S 10:22 behold he had hid himself אֶל־הַכֵּלִים in among the baggage, Je 4:3 sow not אֶל־קֹצִים in among thorns. e.g. Genesis 6:18
- 3. Of direction towards anything: (a) of physical acts or states, as Gn 30:40 נָתַן פְּנֵי הַצֹּאן אֶל, 39:7 נָשָׂא עֵינָיו אֶל, Ex 25:20, Nu 6:26 נָשָׂא פָנָיו אֶל (2 K 9:32 differently), 24:1 שָׁת פָּנָיו אֶל, Jos 8:18 ψ 28:2 1 K 8:29, 30 (to pray towards) v 38; pregn. חָרַד אֶל to tremble (turning) to Gn 42:28, תָּמַהּ אֶל to wonder (turning) towards Gn 43:33; Is 13:8, פָּחַד אֶל Je 36:16: without a vb. פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים face to face Gn 32:31 +; פֶּה אֶל־פֶּה Nu 12:8; כִּי־אֵינֶנּוּ אֵלַי Gn 31:5 the face of Laban, that he is not toward me; עֵינֵי י׳ אֶל־פ׳ the eyes of י׳ are towards … ψ 34:16 (cf. 33:18). (b) with words such as אָמַר to say to Gn 3:1 + often, דִּבֶּר 8:15 + often, קָרָא 19:5, הִחְפַּלֵּל 20:17 etc., שָׁמַע to hearken to 16:11, הִלֵּל to praise to 12:15 (cf. Ez 13:19 חִלֵּל אֶל to profane to), הִזְכִּיר 40:14. (c) with words expressing the direction of the mind, as קִוָּה to wait ψ 27:14 +; יִחַל to hope Is 51:5; נָשָׂא נֶפֶשׁ אֶל to lift up the soul (i.e. set the desire) towards Dt 24:15 ψ 25:1; שָׂם לֵב אֶל, שָׁת to set the heart (mind) to Ex 9:21 al.; לָמַד אֶל to accustom oneself to Je 10:2; חָרַד אֶל to shew thought for 2 K 4:13; Gn 43:30; Dt 28:32 and thy eyes כָּלוֹת אֲלֵיהֶם failing (with longing) towards them, La 4:17; Is 63:15 2 S 3:8 1 K 14:13 ψ 40:6; alone, as predic., directed or disposed towards, Gn 3:16; 4:7 2 K 6:11 who of ours is towards (i.e. favours) the king of Syria? Ho 3:3 וְגַם־אֲנִי אֵלָֽיִךְ׃ Ez 36:9 Ho 2:17 Je 15:1 (אֵין נַפְשִׁי אֶל). e.g. Genesis 30:40
- 4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against: Gn 4:8 וַיָּקָם ק׳ אֶל־הֶבֶל and Cain rose up against Abel (so 1 S 24:8) 22:12 Ex 14:5 Nu 32:14; with נִקְבַּץ Jos 10:6, הָלַךְ Ju 1:10; 20:30; with בָּא of calamity, etc., coming to or upon any one Gn 42:21 Ju 9:57 1 S 2:34 1 K 14:10 +; Is 2:4; 3:8 their tongue and doings are אֶל־י׳ 32:6 (לְדַבֵּר אֶל) Ho 7:15 (cf. Na 1:9) 12:5 וַיָּשַׂר אֶל־מַלְאָךְ and he strove against the angel. Here also belongs in partic. the phrace הִנְנִי אֶל … Behold I am against (thee, you etc.) †Na 2:14; 3:5 Je 21:13 (23:30–32 על) 50:31; 51:25 Ez 13:8, 20; 21:8; 29:10; 30:22; 34:10; 35:3; 38:3; 39:1 (5:8; 26:3; 28:22; 29:3 על: on 36:9 v. supr.) e.g. Genesis 4:8
- 5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to, as Lv 18:18 thou shalt not take אִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחוֹתָהּ a woman to, in addition to, her sister, Jos 13:22 (‖ Nu 31:8 על; 1 S 14:34 to eat אֶל־הַדָּם together with the blood (v 32 & generally עַל); 1 K 10:7 הוֹסִיף אֶל (generally עַל); Je 25:26; Ez 7:26 שְׁמוּעָה אֶל שְׁמוּעָה (‖ על); 44:7; La 3:41 let us lift up לְבָבֵנוּ אֶל־כַּפָּ֑יִם our hearts together with the hands (cf. إِلَى, Qor 4:2; WAG ii. § 51 c). 6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of: thus הִתְאַבֵּל to mourn concerning 1 S 15:35; הִנָּחֵם to repent as regards 2 S 24:16; דָּרַשׁ to inquire 1 K 14:5; הִתְפַּלֵּל to pray with regard to 1 S 1:27 2 K 19:20 Is 37:21; צָעַק to cry 2 K 8:3 (v 5 על); נֶעֱצַב be pained 1 S 20:34; נִחַם to comfort 2 S 10:2; more gen. 1 K 16:13; 21:22; אֶל־נֶפֶשׁ on account of, for the sake of, one’s life 1 K 19:3 2 K 7:7 (Gn 19:17 על). (עַל is more common in this sense.) And specially with verbs of saying, narrating, telling, etc. with regard to, as אָמַר Gn 20:2 Is 29:22; 37:33 +; דִּבֶּר 2 S 7:19 Je 40:16b; סִפֵּר ψ 2:7; 69:27; צִוָּה Is 23:11; שָׁמַע Ez 19:4; הַשְּׁמוּעָה אֶל the report regarding … 1 S 4:19. (Not freq., except in the case of אָמַר.) 7. Of rule or standard, according to (rare): אֶל־פִּי … according to the command of, Jos 15:13; 17:4: 21:3 (generally עַל־פִּי); אֶל־נָכוֹן according to what is fixed = of a certainty †1 S 23:23; 26:4 (v. Dr): perhaps ψ 5:1; 80:1 (45:1 עַל). 8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs expressing or implying motion (cf. 1, Gn 24:11), as Jos 11:5 and they came and encamped together אֶל־מֵי מֵרוֹם at the waters of Merom, 1 S 5:4 cut off (and fallen) on to the threshold, 2 S 2:23 al. and smote him אֶל־הַחֹמֶשׁ in or on the belly, Dt 33:28 Ex 29:12 Lv 4:7; but also in other cases, as Jos 5:3 and he circucmcised the Israelites אֶל against, at the hill of the foreskins, 22:11 have built an altar אֶל־גְּלִילוֹת הַיַּרְדֵּן by the districts of Jordan, Ju 12:6 2 S 3:32, 14:30 & 18:4 אֶל־יַד at the side of (elsewhere לְיַד, עַל יַד), 1 K 13:20 as they were sitting אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן at the table, 2 K 11:14 אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ by the king, Je 41:12 and found him by the great waters, etc., 46:10 אֶל־נְהַר פְּרָת by the Euphrates, Ez 3:15; 11:11; 17:8; 31:7; 40:18; 43:3; 47:7; 48:12. 9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to: thus אֶל־אַחֲרֵי 2 S 5:23 2 K 9:18, 19 סֹב אֶל־אַחֲרַי turn to behind me, Zc 6:6 (where אֶל is pleon., prob. due to clerical error; note יצא אל before & after); אֶל־בֵּין in between Ez 31:10, 14; אֵל־בֵּינוֹת similarly Ez 10:2; אֶל־מִבֵּית לְ׳ to (the part) within (v. sub בַּיִת), in within Lv 16:15, 2 K 11:15 ‖ have her forth in within the ranks; אֶל־מוּל v. מוּל; אֶל־מִנֶּגֶב לְ׳ unto the south of Jos 15:3; אֶל־מִחוּץ לְ׳ to the outside of Lv 4:12, 21 +; אֶל־נֹכַח to the front of Nu 19:4; אֶל־תַּחַת Ju 6:19 1 K 8:6 al. (v. sub תַּחַת). e.g. Leviticus 18:18
- 1. —In Gn 20:13 אֶל־כָּל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר נָבוֹא שָׁמָּה אִמְרִי־לִי וג׳; Nu 33:54 אֶל־אֲשֶׁר וג׳; Pr 17:8 (cf. Dt 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 Ez 31:14 אֵלֵיהֶם, as pointed, can only be from אַיִל iii or iv (q.v.); if the word be taken as the pron. with suff. (Hi Ke), אֲלֵיהֶם must be read. e.g. Genesis 20:13
- 2. —There is a tendency in Hebrew, especially manifest in S K Je Ez, to use אֶל in the sense of עַל; sometimes אֶל being used exceptionally in a phrase or construction which regularly, and in acc. with analogy, has עַל; sometimes, the two preps. interchanging, apparently without discrimination, in the same or parallel sentences. Thus (a) Jos 5:14 וַיִּפֹּל אֶל־פָּנָיו; 1 S 13:13 הֵכִין י׳ אֶת־מַמְלַכְתְּךָ אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵל; 14:34 (v. sub 5); 17:3 עֹמְדִים אֶל־הָהָר (contr. עַל Dt 11:29); 19:16 2 S 6:3; 20:23 (contr. 8:16) 1 K 13:29 18:46 (contr. 2 K 3:15 על) Je 35:15 Ez 7:18. (b) Ju 6:37 and upon (עַל) all the earth let there be dryness, v 39 let there be dryness on (אֶל) the fleece; 1 S 14:10 come up עָלֵינוּ, v 12 come up אֵלֵינוּ; 16:23 & 16; 16:13 & 18:10 צָלַח אֶל, 10:6 al. צָלַח עַל; 25:17 evil is determined אֶל־אֲדֹנֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל־בֵּיתוֹ; v 25; 27:10; 2 S 2:9 וַיַּמְלִכֵהוּ אֶל … וְאֶל … וְאֶל … וְעַל … וְעַל … וְעֶל; 3:29 יָחֻלוּ עַל … וְאֶל …; 2 K 8:3 & 5; 9:6 & 3; Je 19:15; 25:2; 26:15 ye lay innocent blood עֲלֵיכֶם וְאֶל־הָעִיר הַזֹּאת; 27:19; 28:8; 33:14; 34:7; 36:31; 37:13, 14 Ez 2:6; 18:6, 11 & 15; 21:12 etc. ψ 79:6 (Je 10:25) על twice). It is prob. that this interchange, at least in many cases, is not original, but due to transcribers. 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 S 1:10 הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל to pray to (v 26 אֶל); v 13; 25:25 אֶל … עַל; 1 K 20:43 וַיֵּלֶךְ עַל־בֵּיתוֹ (21:4 אֶל); Is 22:15 Je 11:2; 23:35; 31:12(11). Cf. DrSm i. 13(×2); ii. 8, 7; 15, 4. e.g. Joshua 5:14
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
(nearly always followed by Makkeph), poet. אֱלֵי (cf. עֲלֵי, עֲדֵי), but only in Job (†3:22; 5:26; 15:22; 29:19), with suff. אֵלַי, אֵלֶיךָ, אֵלַיִךְ, etc. אֵלֵינוּ, אֲלֵיכֶם & (5 textual) אֲלֵכֶם, אֲלֵיהֶם & אֲלֵהֶם (both very often), once אֵלֵימוֹ ψ 2:5, אֲלֵיהֶן, once אֲלֵהֶן Ex 1:19 (Ar. إِلَى ), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: primitive particle
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
אַל־
- a prefix, = עַל; e.g. אַלְתּוּסְבְּרָאוֹת (= על האוצרות) appointed over treasures, v. אַ־.
אַל
- (b. h.) not, no (according to Talmud a milder form of prohibition than לֹא; v. Y. Pes. VI, 33ᵇ). Aboth I, 3.—אל תקרי (abbr. א"ת), v. אֶלָּא. Taan. 11ᵃ א׳ יראה וכ׳ shall not live to see &c.; a. v. fr.
אֶל
- אול to turn) prep. to, toward. — Pl., with prefix מ a. suffix of pers. pron., of itself, of my (his &c.) own accord, on my (his &c.) authority. Yoma 5ᵇ לא מֵאֵלַי not on my own authority. Orlah I, 2 העולה מֵאֵלָיו growing spontaneously.—Y. Peah VII, 20ᵇ bot. its sacred character מֵאֵלָיו למדו they did derive from itself (i.e. from the wording of the law itself).—Hence מִמֵּילָא, v. מֵילָא.
אֵל
- v. אלל) God. Shebu. 35ᵃ divine names which dare not be erased are El &c. Taan. 6ᵇ bot.; a. fr.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 184 distinct written forms H413 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֶל | Preposition | Amos 2:7 | 3,369 |
| וְ/אֶל | Preposition | Daniel 8:9 | 277 |
| אֶֽל | Preposition | Deuteronomy 31:20 | 139 |
| אֵלַ֔/י | Preposition | Daniel 8:14 | 87 |
| אֵלָי/ו֙ | Preposition | Daniel 8:7 | 77 |
| אֵלַ֥/י | Preposition | Deuteronomy 2:2 | 73 |
| אֵלָ֔י/ו | Preposition | Deuteronomy 28:25 | 73 |
| אֵלָ֗י/ו | Preposition | Deuteronomy 26:3 | 62 |
| אֵלַ֖/י | Preposition | Daniel 8:1 | 56 |
| אֵלָ֖י/ו | Preposition | Daniel 8:6 | 55 |
| אֵלָ֑/י | Preposition | Deuteronomy 2:1 | 46 |
| אֵלַ֗/י | Preposition | Amos 7:8 | 44 |
| אֵלֶ֔י/ךָ | Preposition | Daniel 10:20 | 42 |
| אֵלֶ֖י/ךָ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 5:27 | 40 |
| אֵלַ/י֙ | Preposition | Amos 7:15 | 39 |
| אֲלֵ/הֶ֔ם | Preposition | Exodus 5:21 | 36 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶ֔ם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 18:18 | 36 |
| אֵלָ֜י/ו | Preposition | Deuteronomy 31:7 | 34 |
| אֵלָֽ/י | Preposition | Deuteronomy 5:22 | 33 |
| אֵלָ֑י/ו | Preposition | Deuteronomy 4:7 | 30 |
| וְ/אֶֽל | Preposition | Deuteronomy 23:24 | 29 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶ֗ם | Preposition | Ezekiel 12:23 | 24 |
| אֵלֶֽי/ךָ | Preposition | Exodus 6:29 | 24 |
| אֵלַ֛/י | Preposition | Deuteronomy 3:26 | 23 |
| אֲלֵ/הֶ֑ם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 29:2 | 22 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶ֖ם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 28:32 | 22 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶם֙ | Preposition | Ezekiel 3:6 | 22 |
| אֵלֶ֑י/ךָ | Preposition | Daniel 10:11 | 21 |
| אֵלָ֛י/ו | Preposition | Esther 7:7 | 21 |
| אֵלָֽי/ו | Preposition | Deuteronomy 4:7 | 21 |
| אֲלֵ/הֶ֗ם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 5:1 | 20 |
| אֲלֵ/הֶם֙ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 20:3 | 20 |
| אֵלֶ֨י/ךָ֙ | Preposition | Daniel 10:11 | 20 |
| אֵלֶ֣י/ךָ | Preposition | 2 Samuel 14:32 | 19 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶֽם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 21:18 | 18 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶ֜ם | Preposition | Ezekiel 9:7 | 17 |
| אֵלֶ֗י/ךָ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 5:31 | 16 |
| אֵלֶ֔י/הָ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 22:14 | 15 |
| אֵלָ֣י/ו | Preposition | 2 Chronicles 35:21 | 14 |
| אֲלֵי/הֶ֑ם | Preposition | Esther 3:4 | 13 |
| אֲלֵי/כֶ֔ם | Preposition | Ezekiel 13:8 | 13 |
| אֵלֶ֨י/הָ֙ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 21:13 | 13 |
| אֵלֶ֖י/הָ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 20:10 | 12 |
| אֵלַ֜/י | Preposition | Exodus 11:8 | 12 |
| אֲלֵי/כֶ֑ם | Preposition | Exodus 3:13 | 11 |
| אֲלֵי/כֶֽם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 1:45 | 11 |
| אֵלֶ֛י/ךָ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 13:1 | 11 |
| אֵלַ֣/י | Preposition | Deuteronomy 9:13 | 11 |
| אֲלֵי/כֶ֖ם | Preposition | Deuteronomy 1:43 | 10 |
| אֶ֖ל | Preposition | Ezekiel 9:3 | 10 |
| אֵלֶ֥י/ךָ | Preposition | 2 Kings 9:5 | 9 |
| אֵלָ֥י/ו | Preposition | Exodus 36:3 | 9 |
| אֲלֵ/הֶ֜ם | Preposition | Exodus 16:3 | 8 |
| אֵ֠לָי/ו | Preposition | 1 Samuel 19:4 | 8 |
| אֵלֵ֖י/נוּ | Preposition | Deuteronomy 1:6 | 8 |
| אֲלֵ/הֶ֖ם | Preposition | Ecclesiastes 8:14 | 7 |
| אֵלֵ֔י/נוּ | Preposition | Genesis 19:5 | 7 |
| אֵלֶ֜י/ךָ | Preposition | Exodus 27:20 | 7 |
| אֵלֶֽי/הָ | Preposition | Genesis 20:6 | 7 |
| וְ/אֶ֖ל | Preposition | Daniel 9:6 | 7 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 124 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H413, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
Most of the 4,204 Hebrew verses this word occurs in also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), so the same passages can be read in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:9
- Exodus 1:9
- Leviticus 1:1
- Numbers 1:1
- Deuteronomy 1:1
- Joshua 1:1
- Judges 1:1
- Ruth 1:7
- 1 Samuel 1:14
- 2 Samuel 1:2
- 1 Kings 1:11
- 2 Kings 1:2
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
