Lexical Definition

‎מַעַל‎ maʻal (mah'al) above ^H:A
from ‎עָלָה‎

above, exceeding(-ly), forward, on ([idiom] very) high, over, up(-on, -ward), very.

• properly, the upper part, used only adverbially with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc.

subst
1) higher part, upper part
adv
1a) above
prep
1b) on the top of, above, on higher ground than
with locative
1c) upwards, higher, above

See Greek: ἐπέκεινα · κύκλῳ · ὕψος

Extended Information

• subst
• adv
• prep
• with locative

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎מַ֫עַל‎₁₄₀ substantive, higher part, only in adverb and preposition phrases, above, upwards (Phoenician ‎מעל‎, see below ‎מַ֫טּה‎ p. 641: abbreviated from ‎מַעֲלֶה‎; compare ‎מַ֫עַן‎ in ‎לְמַ֫עַן‎ from ‎׃עָנָה‎ Kö^{ii. 116}): —

1. ‎מִמַּ֫עַל‎ = above (see ‎מִן‎ 1 c)
a. as adverb Amos 2:9 ‎וָאַשְׁמִיד‎ ‎פִּרְיוֺ מִמֵּעַל‎ his fruit above (opposed to ‎שָׁרָשָׁיו מִתָּ֑חַת‎), Job 18:16; 1Kgs 7:3; 1Kgs 7:20; 1Kgs 7:29 often in the phrase ‎הַשָּׁמַמַיִם מִמַּעַל‎ Deut 4:39; Deut 5:8 ( = Exod 20:4), Josh 2:11; 1Kgs 8:23; Isa 45:8; Jer 4:28 compare ‎׳‎‎שְׁחָקִים מ‎ Ps 78:23; Prov 8:28, ‎׳‎‎אֱלוֺהַּ מ‎ Job 3:4; Job 31:2, ‎׳‎‎אֵל מ‎ Job 31:28.
b. ‎מִמַּעַל לְ‎, as preposition (‎מן‎ 1 c), on the top of, above, Gen 22:9 ‎ממעל לָעֵצִים‎ above the wood, Exod 28:27 = Exod 39:20, Lev 11:21 ‎כְּרָעַיִם מִמַּעַל לְרַגְלָיו‎, Isa 6:2 ‎שְׁרָפִים עֹמדים מִמַּעַל לוֺ‎, Isa 14:13; Jer 43:10; Ezek 1:26; Dan 12:6; Dan 12:7 = on higher ground than, Jer 35:4 figurative Jer 52:32 (|| 2Kgs 25:28 ‎מֵעַל‎).

2. With ‎ָ  ה‎ locative ‎מַ֫עְלָה‎, ‎מָ֑עְלָה‎ upwards (opposed to ‎מַ֫טָּה‎ p. 641) :
a. figurative Deut 28:43 ‎יַעֲלֶה עֶלֶיךָ מַ֫עְלָה‎ ‎מָ֫עְלָה‎ upwards, upwards, i.e. higher and higher (opposed to ‎מַ֫טָּה מָֽטָה‎).
b. ‎וָמַ֫עְלָה‎
(a) of direction in space, Judg 1:36 ‎מֵהַסֶּלַע וָמַ֫עְלָה‎ from the rock and upwards (compare Bu), 1Kgs 7:31 (corrupt: see Sta VB Benz), 1Sam 9:2 = 1Sam 10:23 ‎מִשִּׁכְמוֺ וָמַ֫עְלָה‎ from his shoulder and upwards: so ‎׳‎‎וּלְמ‎, Ezek 1:27 ‎מִמַּרְאֵה‎ ‎מָתְנָיו וּלְמָ֑עְלָה‎ Ezek 8:2; Ezek 43:5.
(b) of direction in time, or age: —
(a) ‎מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמָ֑עְלָה‎ Exod 30:14; Num 1:3 + 19 t. P, ‎׳‎‎מִבֶּן חֹדֶשׁ חֹדֶשׁ וָמ‎ Num 3:15; Num 3:22 + 6 t. P, simil. Num 4:3; Num 8:24 + 7 t. P; elsewhere only 1Chr 23:3; 1Chr 23:24; Ezra 3:8, and with ‎וּלְמַעְלָה‎ 1Chr 23:17; 2Chr 31:16; 2Chr 31:17 ‎׳‎‎לְמִבֶּן ֗֗֗ וָמ‎ 2Chr 25:5 and 2Kgs 3:21 ‎מִכֹּל חֹגֵר חֲגֹרָה‎ ‎׳‎‎וָמ‎. (β) ‎׳‎‎מהיום ההוא וָמ‎ from that day and onwards, 1Sam 16:13; 1Sam 30:25. (γ) ‎׳‎‎מן היום הזִה וָמ‎ from this day and upwards (i.e. and back), Hag 2:15; Hag 2:18 **and onwards (as β) is more probably: see Now We^{Kl. Proph. ed. 8 {1898}} Marti Dr.
c. ‎לְמַ֫עְלָךְ‎ upwards, more common than ‎׳‎‎מ‎ alone (a):
(a) Exod 25:20 (= Exod 37:9) ‎ֹ˜פּרְשֵׂי‎ ‎׳‎‎כְנָפַיִם למ‎ Judg 7:13 ‎׳‎‎ויהפכחו למ‎ overthrew it upwards, i.e. turned it downside up, Isa 7:11 ‎׳‎‎אוֺ הַגְבֵּהַּ למ‎ or make it (the request) high upwards, Isa 8:21 ‎׳‎‎וּפָנָה למ‎, Isa 37:31 (2Kgs 19:30) ‎ועשׂה פרי‎ ‎׳‎‎למ‎ (compare Amos 2:9, 1 a), Ezek 41:7 a β (v:a α bis ‎׳‎‎למ‎ ‎׳‎‎למ‎ = higher and higher), Ps 74:5 figurative ‎׳‎‎וְהָיִיתָ רַק למ‎ Deut 28:13 (comparea), Prov 15:24 ‎׳‎‎אֹרַח חַיִּים למ‎ (opposed to ‎שְׁאוֺל‎ ‎מָֽטָּה ׃‎), compare Eccl 3:21 followed by a noun, Ezra 9:6 ‎רּאשׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎למ‎ over the head, followed by ‎מֵעַל‎ (compare Aboth Ezra 2:1 ‎לְמַעְלָה מִן‎) = above, 2Chr 34:4: see also b a, b a. (b) metaphor = exceedingly, only in Chronicles: 1Chr 14:2; 1Chr 22:5 the house must be built to J. ‎׳‎‎לְהַגְדִּיל למ‎ so as to shew greatness exceedingly, 1Chr 23:17 ‎׳‎‎רָבוּ למ‎ ‎׳‎‎וּבְנֵי ר‎, 1Chr 29:3 (followed by ‎מִ ן‎; = over and above ...), v1Chr 29:25; 2Chr 1:1 ‎׳‎‎וַיְגַדְּלֵהוּ למ‎, 2Chr 20:19 ‎עַד לְמַ֫עְלָה‎, 2Chr 16:12; 2Chr 17:12; 2Chr 26:8.
d. ‎מִלְמַ֫עְלָה‎ (see ‎מִן‎ 9 a), adverb, above (the more usual prose synonym of ‎מִמַּעַל‎): Gen 6:16 ‎אֶלאַֿמָּה תְּכַלֶּנָּה‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ Gen 7:20 15 cubits ‎׳‎‎מ‎ (i.e. above the mountain-tops), Exod 25:21 (Exod 40:20) ‎׳‎‎וְנָתַתָּ֫ה אֶתהַֿכַּפֹּרֶת על הארון מ‎ upon the ark above, Exod 26:14 (Exod 36:19; Exod 40:19; Num 4:25) a covering of skins on the tent ‎׳‎‎מ‎ above, Num 39:31; Num 4:6; 1Kgs 7:11; 1Kgs 7:25; 1Kgs 8:7 (2Chr 4:4; 2Chr 5:8), Jer 31:37 ‎׳‎‎אִם יִמַּדּוּ שָׁמַיִם מ‎ (compare 1 a), Ezek 1:11 ‎׳‎‎פְּרֻדוֺת מ‎ separate above, vEzek 1:22 vEzek 1:26; Ezek 10:19; Ezek 11:22; Ezek 37:8 from above, Josh 3:13; Josh 3:16 ‎׳‎‎הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מ‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References