אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), in poetry 
אֱלֵי (compare 
עֲלֵי, 
עֲדֵי), but only in Job) † 
Job 3:22; 
Job 5:26; 
Job 15:22; 
Job 29:19), with suffix 
אֵלַי, 
אֵלֶיךָ, 
אֵלַיִךְ, etc. 
אֵלֵינוּ, 
אֲלֵיכֶם & (
5 times) 
אֲלֵכֶם, 
אֲלֵיהֶם & 
אֲלֵהֶם (both very often); once 
אֵלֵימוֺ Psalm 2:5, 
אֲלֵיהֶן, once 
אֲלֵהֶן Exodus 1:19 (Assyrian 
ilî, Arabic 
إِلَع), 
preposition denoting 
motion to or 
direction towards (whether physical or mental). 
    1. of motion 
to or 
unto a person or place 
Genesis 2:19, 
22; 
Genesis 3:19; 
Genesis 8:9; 
Genesis 14:22; 
Genesis 16:9 etc., after every kind of verb expressing motion (
בּוֺא, 
הָלַךְ, 
יָצָא etc.) So with 
נָתַן to give (though 
ל is here more common) 
Genesis 21:14; 
Genesis 35:4; 
Deuteronomy 13:2 +; 
מָכַר to sell Deut 37:36, etc. Metaph. 
Jeremiah 2:19 וְלֹא פַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ and that my fear (cometh) not 
unto thee (compare 
Job 31:23). — Peculiarly 
Genesis 6:16 אֶל אַמָּה unto the length of a cubit, etc. And metaphor in the phrase 
אֶל־(אֱלֵי־)גִּיל unto exultation † 
Hosea 9:11; 
Job 3:22. Once, exceptionally (si vera lectio) = 
even: Job 5:5 וְאֶל־מִצִּגִּים יִקָּחֵהוּ and 
even out of thorns he taketh it. Sometimes pregnant, as 
Isaiah 66:17; 
Jeremiah 41:7 זָנָה אֶל commit whoredom (by going) 
to Numbers 25:1; 
Ezekiel 16:26, 
28, 
29; 
דָּרֵשׁ אֶל seek (by resorting) 
to one (that is, for oracles) 
Deuteronomy 18:11; 
Isaiah 8:19; 
Isaiah 11:10 +; 
חָבַר אֶל join together (& come) 
unto Genesis 14:3; 
הִשְׁכִּים אֶל rise early (and go) 
to Genesis 19:27; 
Genesis 24:11 הִבְרִיח אֶל made to kneel down 
at; 
Genesis 47:18 תַּם אֶל i.e. has been made over 
to; 
אֶל פָּחַד to come in fear 
to Hosea 3:5; 
Micah 7:17. Opposite is 
מִן, as 
מִן־הַקָּצֶה אֶל־הַקָּצֶה from end 
to end 
Exodus 26:28; 
אל־פֶּה מִפֶּה Ezra 9:11 (synonym 
2 Kings 21:16 לָפֶה פֶּה). And of time (rare) 
מֵעֵת אֶל־עֵת † 
1 Chronicles 9:25; 
מִיּוֺם אֶל־יוֺם † 
Numbers 30:15 (P) 
1 Chronicles 16:23 (in the || 
Psalm 96:2 מִיּוֺם לְיוֺם).
 
    2. Where the limit is actually entered, 
into, 
Genesis 6:18 and thou shalt enter 
into the ark 
Genesis 7:1; 
Genesis 19:3; 
Genesis 41:21; 
Genesis 42:17; & so after verbs of throwing, casting, putting 
Genesis 37:22 (
הִשְׁלִיךְ) 
Genesis 39:20 וַיִּתְּנֵהוּ אֶל־בֵּית הַסֹּהַר put him 
into the prison house, 
Exodus 28:30 (
Leviticus 8:8) 
Deuteronomy 23:25; so after 
קָבַר to bury 
Genesis 23:19; 
Genesis 25:9; 
Genesis 49:29; 
שָׂחַט to squeeze 
Genesis 40:11; 
מָחָה to blot out 
Numbers 5:23, etc.; metaphor 
Genesis 6:6 was pained 
into or 
unto his heart, 
שָׂם אֶל־לֵב, 
הֵשִׁיב to place, bring. 
into)= lay 
to) heart 
Deuteronomy 4:39; 
2 Samuel 19:20 and elsewhere In connection with a number or multitude 
into which something enters, 
in among: 1 Samuel 10:22 behold he had hid himself 
אֶל־הַכֵּלִים in among the baggage, 
Jeremiah 4:3 sow not 
אֶל־קֹצִים in among thorns.
 
    3. Of direction towards anything:
    (a) of physical acts or states, as 
Genesis 30:40 הַצּאֹן פְּנֵי נָתַן אֶל, 
Genesis 39:7 נָשָׂא עֵינָיו אֶל, 
Exodus 25:20; 
Numbers 6:26, 
נָשָׂא פָנָיו אֶל (
2 Kings 9:32 differently), 
Numbers 24:1 אֶל פָּנָיו שָׁת, 
Joshua 8:18; 
Psalm 28:2; 
1 Kings 8:29, 
30 (to pray 
towards) 
1 Kings 8:38; pregnantly 
חָרֵד אֶל to tremble (turning) 
to Genesis 42:28, 
תָּמַהּ אֶל to, wonder (turning) 
towards Genesis 43:33; 
Isaiah 13:8, 
פָּחַד אֶל Jeremiah 36:16: without a verb 
אֶל־פָּנִים פָּנִים face 
to face 
Genesis 32:31 +; 
אֶל־פֶּה פֶּה Numbers 12:8; 
כִּי־אֵינֶנּוּ אֵלַי Genesis 31:5 the face of Laban, that he is not 
toward me; 
אֶל־פ׳ עֵינֵי י׳ the eyes of 
י׳ are 
towards... 
Psalm 34:16 (compare 
Psalm 33:18).
 
    6. Metaphorically 
in regard to, concerning, on account of : thus 
הִתְאַבֵּל to mourn 
concerning 1 Samuel 15:35; 
הִנָּחֵם to repent 
as regards 2 Samuel 24:16; 
דָּרַשׁ to inquire 
1 Kings 14:5; 
הִתְפַּלֵּל to pray 
with regard to 1 Samuel 1:27; 
2 Kings 19:20; 
צָעַק to cry 
2 Kings 8:3 (
2 Kings 8:5 על); 
נֶעֳצַב be pained 
1 Samuel 20:34; 
נִחַם to comfort 
2 Samuel 10:2; more generally 
1 Kings 16:13; 
1 Kings 21:22; 
אֶל־נֶפֶשׁ on account of, for the sake of, one's life 
1 Kings 19:3; 
2 Kings 7:7 (
Genesis 19:17 על). (
עַל is more common in this sense.) And specially with verbs of saying, narrating, telling, etc. 
with regard to, as 
אָמַר Genesis 20:2; 
Isaiah 29:22; 
Isaiah 37:21, 
33 +; 
דִּבֶּר 2 Samuel 7:19; 
Jeremiah 40:16b; 
סִפֵּר Psalm 2:7; 
Psalm 69:27; 
צִוָּה Isaiah 23:11; 
שָׁמַע Ezekiel 19:4; 
הַשְּׁמוּעָה אֶל the report 
regarding... 
1 Samuel 4:19. (Not frequently, ext. in the case of 
אָמַר.)
 
    8. Expressing presence at a spot, 
against; at, by, not merely after verbs expressing or implying motion (compare 
1, 
Genesis 24:11), as 
Joshua 11:5 and they came and encamped together 
אֶל־מֵי מֵרוֺם at the waters of Merom, 
1 Samuel 5:4 cut off (and fallen) 
on to the threshold, 
2 Samuel 2:23 and elsewhere and smote him 
אֶל־הַחֹמֶשׁ in or 
on the belly, 
Deuteronomy 33:28; 
Exodus 29:12; 
Leviticus 4:7; but also in other cases, as 
Joshua 5:3 and he circumcised the Israelites 
אֶל against, at the hill of the foreskins, 
Joshua 22:11 have built an altar 
אֶל גְּלִילוֺת הַיַּרְדֵּן by the districts of Jordan, 
Judges 12:6; 
2 Samuel 3:32, 
14:30 & 
2 Samuel 18:4 אֶל־יַד at the side of (elsewhere 
לְיַד, 
עַל יַד), 
1 Kings 13:20 as they were sitting 
אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָן at the table, 
2 Kings 11:14 אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ by the king, 
Jeremiah 41:12 and found him 
by the great waters, etc., 
Jeremiah 46:10 פְּרָת אֶל־נְהַר by the Euphrates, 
Ezekiel 3:15; 
Ezekiel 11:11; 
Ezekiel 17:8; 
Ezekiel 31:7; 
Ezekiel 40:18; 
Ezekiel 43:3; 
Ezekiel 47:7; 
Ezekiel 48:12.
 
Note 1. — In 
Genesis 20:13 אֶל־כָּל־הַמָּקוֺם אֲשֶׁר נָבוֺא שָׁמָּה אִמְרִי־לִי וג׳; 
Numbers 33:54 אֶל־אֲשֶׁר וג׳; 
Proverbs 17:8 (compare 
Deuteronomy 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 
Ezekiel 31:14 אֵלֵיהֶם, as pointed, can only be from 
אַיִל III or IV (which see); if the word be taken as the pronoun with suffix (Hi Ke), 
אֲלֵיהֶם must be read. 
Note 2. — There is a tendency in Hebrew, especially manifest in Samuel Kings Jeremiah Ezekiel, to use 
אֶל in the sense of 
עַל; sometimes 
אֶל being used exceptionally in a phrase or construction which regularly, and in accusative with analogy, has 
עַל; sometimes, the two prepositions interchanging, apparently without discrimination, in the same or parallel sentences. Thus 
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 Samuel 1:10 עַל הִתְפַּלֵּל to pray 
to (
1 Samuel 1:26 אֶל); 
1 Samuel 1:13; 
1 Samuel 25:25 עַל ֗֗֗ אֶל; 
1 Kings 20:43 וַיֵּלֶךְ עַל־בֵּיתוֺ (
1 Kings 21:4 אֶל); 
Isaiah 22:15; 
Jeremiah 11:2; 
Jeremiah 23:35; 
Jeremiah 31:12. compare Dr
Sm i. 13, 13; ii. 8, 7; 15, 4.
														
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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