מַעֲלָה
step
‘step’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms
- Noun, Common, Feminine, Plural, Absolute 38 times (76%)
- Noun, Common, Feminine, Plural, Construct 9 times (18%)
- Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Absolute 2 times (4%)
- Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Construct 1 time (2%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 50 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H4609 appears — 40 distinct verses across 12 books. 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.
Exodus 1 verse
Joshua 1 verse
1 Kings 2 verses
- 1 Kings 10:19 מַעֲל֣וֹת n c fp There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.
- 1 Kings 10:20 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֖וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom.
2 Kings 4 verses
- 2 Kings 9:13 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֑וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Then they hurried, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king.
- 2 Kings 20:9 מַֽעֲל֔וֹת מַעֲלֽוֹת n c fp n c fp Isaiah said, This shall be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do the thing that he has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?
- 2 Kings 20:10 מַעֲל֑וֹת מַעֲלֽוֹת n c fp n c fp Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps.
- 2 Kings 20:11 בַּֽ֠/מַּעֲלוֹת בְּ/מַעֲל֥וֹת מַעֲלֽוֹת prep det + n c fp prep + n c fp cs n c fp Isaiah the prophet cried to Yahweh; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.
1 Chronicles 1 verse
2 Chronicles 2 verses
- 2 Chronicles 9:18 מַעֲל֣וֹת n c fp nd there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.
- 2 Chronicles 9:19 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֖וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom.
Ezra 1 verse
Nehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 3:15 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֔וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp The spring gate repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors of it, the bolts of it, and the bars of it, and the wall of the pool of Shelah by the king's garden, even to the stairs that go down from the city of David.
- Nehemiah 12:37 מַעֲלוֹת֙ n c fp cs By the spring gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water gate eastward.
Psalms 15 verses
- Psalms 120:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. He answered me.
- Psalms 121:1 לַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת prep det + n c fp I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?
- Psalms 122:1 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֗וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp I was glad when they said to me, "Let's go to Yahweh's house!"
- Psalms 123:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp To you I do lift up my eyes, You who sit in the heavens.
- Psalms 124:1 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֗וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, Let Israel now say,
- Psalms 125:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, Which can't be moved, but remains forever.
- Psalms 126:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, We were like those who dream.
- Psalms 127:1 הַֽ/מַּֽעֲל֗וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Unless Yahweh builds the house, They labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, The watchman guards it in vain.
- Psalms 128:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, Who walks in his ways.
- Psalms 129:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,
- Psalms 130:1 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֑וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh.
- Psalms 131:1 הַֽ/מַּֽעֲל֗וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Yahweh, my heart isn't haughty, nor my eyes lofty; Nor do I concern myself with great matters, Or things too wonderful for me.
- Psalms 132:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Yahweh, remember David and all his affliction,
- Psalms 133:1 הַֽ/מַּעֲל֗וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp See how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to live together in unity!
- Psalms 134:1 הַֽ/מַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Look! Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh, Who stand by night in Yahweh's house!
Isaiah 1 verse
Ezekiel 9 verses
- Ezekiel 11:5 וּ/מַעֲל֥וֹת conj + n c fp cs The Spirit of Yahweh fell on me, and he said to me, Speak, Thus says Yahweh: Thus have you said, house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.
- Ezekiel 40:6 ב/מעלות/ו בְּ/מַֽעֲלוֹתָ֑י/ו prep + n c fp cs + sfx pers 3ms prep + n c fp cs + sfx pers 3ms Then came he to the gate which looks toward the east, and went up the steps of it: and he measured the threshold of the gate, one reed broad; and the other threshold, one reed broad.
- Ezekiel 40:22 וּ/בְ/מַעֲל֥וֹת conj + prep + n c fp The windows of it, and the arches of it, and the palm trees of it, were after the measure of the gate whose prospect is toward the east; and they went up to it by seven steps; and the arches of it were before them.
- Ezekiel 40:26 וּ/מַעֲל֤וֹת conj + n c fp There were seven steps to go up to it, and the arches of it were before them; and it had palm trees, one on this side, and another on that side, on the posts of it.
- Ezekiel 40:31 וּ/מַעֲל֥וֹת conj + n c fp The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on the posts of it: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
- Ezekiel 40:34 מַעֲל֖וֹת n c fp The arches of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on the posts of it, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
- Ezekiel 40:37 מַעֲל֖וֹת n c fp The posts of it were toward the outer court; and palm trees were on the posts of it, on this side, and on that side: and the ascent to it had eight steps.
- Ezekiel 40:49 וּ/בַֽ/מַּעֲל֔וֹת conj + prep det + n c fp The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the breadth eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it: and there were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
- Ezekiel 43:17 וּ/מַעֲלֹתֵ֖/הוּ conj + n c fp cs + sfx pers 3ms The ledge shall be fourteen [cubits] long by fourteen broad in the four sides of it; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom of it shall be a cubit round about; and the steps of it shall look toward the east.
Amos 1 verse
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.
“step” is the headline sense of the Hebrew noun מעלה (maʻălâh). Its earliest occurrence is Exodus 20:26. It turns up in 40 verses across 12 books, a moderately common footprint. It concentrates in Psalms, which alone accounts for 38% of its uses. Its meaning spans more than one sense — see its full sense range. See the sense tree, 40-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H4609 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 →
- 40
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 40 distinct verses.
- 12 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 12 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #739
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 739 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 40 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 40 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 21 verses · 53%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 18 verses · 45%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1 verse · 3%
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).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Degrees 24×, Steps 10×, Stairs 5×
- American Standard Version†: Steps 20×, Dial 2×, Stairs 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Steps 21×, Ascents 15×, Stairway 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Steps 23×, Ascents 15×, Stairs 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H4609 across 47† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 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 H4609 across 32† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 8 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 H4609 across 44† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 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 3 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H4609 across 52† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
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 5 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.
מעלה I I, II. מַעֲלָה v. sub עלה.
מעלה II what comes up
מעלה III step, stair
- 1. step, stair of temple Ez 40:6 + 5 times 40, and temple porch 40:49; of altar Ex 20:26 (E) (forbidden, cf. RSOTJC xii, n. 1; 2nd ed. 358) Ez 43:17 (prescribed); of house 2 K 9:13, of throne 1 K 10:19, 20; 2 Ch 9:18, 19; to the city of David Ne 3:15; 12:37. e.g. Ezekiel 40:6
- 2. steps (forming sun-dial, cf. Di Is) 2 K 20:9(×2), 10(×2), 11(×3) = Is 38:8(×5). e.g. 2 Kings 20:9
- 3. stories of heaven Am 9:6. e.g. Amos 9:6
- 4. ascent מִבָּבֶל Ezr 7:9. e.g. Ezra 7:9
- 5. שִׁיר (ל)הַמַּעֲלוֹת song of ascents, to the three great pilgrim feasts, i.e. to be sung on way up to Jerusalem, titles of ψψ 120–134 + 84:6 We al.—כְּתוֹר הארם המעלה 1 Ch 17:17 is crpt., v. Comm.ad loc. (and on ‖ 2 S 7:19). e.g. Psalms 84:6
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
I. I, II. מַעֲלָה v. sub עלה.
I. n.f. what comes up;—pl. cstr. מַעֲלוֹת רוּחֲכֶם Ez 11:5, i.e. your thoughts.
II. n.f. step, stair;—מ׳ Ezr 7:9; 1 Ch 17:17; pl. מַעֲלוֹת Is 38:8 +, sf. מַעֲלֹתָו֯ Am 9:6, etc.;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from מעלה (maʻăleh) (H4608) — ascent.
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.
מַעֲלֶה I
- (part. Hif. of עָלָה); מַעֲלֵה עָשָׁן Smoke-Raiser, name of a plant used as an ingredient of frankincense (Fumitory?). Ker. 6ᵃ. Tosef. Yoma I, 8 (ref. to בענן, Lev. XVI, 2) מלמד שנותן בו מ׳ ע׳ this intimates that he must add maʿăle ʿashan. [Ib. II, 6; Y. ib. III, 41ᵃ היו בקיאין … במ׳ ע׳ understood how to make the smoke of the frankincense rise; Bab. ib. 38ᵃ להעלות ע׳.] e.g. Leviticus 16:2
מַעֲלֶה II
- preced.) ascent.—מַעֲלֵה אֲדוּמִּים (b. h.) pr. n. pl. Maălé Adummim, Maledomim between Jericho and Jerusalem. Tosef. R. Hash. I, 15; Y. ib. II, 57ᵈ bot.; Bab. ib. 22ᵇ
מַעֲלָה
- preced.)
- 1. ascent, step. Midd. II, 3 רום מ׳ the height of every step; a. e.—Pl. מַעֲלוֹת. Ib. Succ. V, 4 חמשה עשר מ׳ היורדות … שיר המ׳ fifteen steps leading down …, corresponding to the fifteen ‘Songs of Steps’ (Ps. CXX to CXXXIV). Ib. 53ᵃ הני חמש עשרה מ׳ those fifteen (Songs of) Steps. Yoma 23ᵃ מ׳ האולם the steps in front of the Temple hall (Tosef. ib. I, 12 פתח); a. fr.
- 2. rise. Num. R. s. 15 מַעֲלָתָן של צדיקים מ׳ וכ׳ the rise of the righteous is a rise without a decline; מַעֲלָתוֹ של עשו מ׳ שכולה וכ׳ Esau’s (a Roman’s) rise is a rise which may lead to degradation; a. e.
- 3. degree, gradation, superiority; preference; advantage. Yoma 44ᵃ; Num. R. s. 7 הוי מה מ׳ יש בין וכ׳ now, there is no gradation of sanctity between the interior of the Temple and the space …, except &c. Keth. 13ᵃ, a. e. מ׳ עשו ביוחסין where priestly descent is concerned, they put up a higher standard (made the law more stringent). Kidd. 70ᵇ זו מ׳ יתירה יש בין וכ׳ this is the distinction of Israelites over converts; a. fr.—Pl. as ab. Yoma 44ᵇ מ׳ דאוריתא the gradations in sanctity are of Biblical origin (v. Kel. I, 8, sq.).—3) height, on high. Mekh. Mishp. s. 15 עין של מ׳ the eye of the Lord. Tanḥ. B’shall. 23 אש של מ׳ (some ed. שֶׁלְּמַ׳), v. מַטָּה.—לְמַעֲלָה a) on high, in heaven. Ḥag. II, 1 (11) מה למ׳ (Ms. M. a. Y. ed. למעלן) what is on high; Gen. R. s. 1; a. fr.—Freq. מַעֲלָן, לְמַעֲלָן, שֶׁלְּמַעֲלָן, מִלְּמַ׳, v. מַטָּה.—b) upward, behind, beyond. Kidd. IV, 5 מן המזבח ולמ׳, v. בָּדַק; a. fr.—c) (of time) further on. Pes. 50ᵇ, a. fr. מן המנחה ולמ׳ from the minḥah time and onward. Ber. 26ᵇ; a. fr.—d) above, of superior rank. Kel. I, 2, sq. למ׳ מהם of a higher rank (in Levitical law); 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 31 distinct written forms H4609 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.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H4609, 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.
Derives from
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
This word appears in 38 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 40 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 20:26
- Joshua 10:10
- 1 Kings 10:19
- 2 Kings 9:13
- 1 Chronicles 17:17
- 2 Chronicles 9:18
- Ezra 7:9
- Psalms 120:1
- Isaiah 38:8
- Ezekiel 11:5
- Amos 9:6
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.
