---
title: מַעַל — unfaithful · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מַעַל (4604), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 29 times: unfaithful. BDB 1906: n.m. unfaithful, treacherous act. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מַעַל

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«מַעַל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **unfaithful** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 29 times · **Key:** 4604 · **BDB:** מַ֫עַל

### Glosses

unfaithfulness (27); the.unfaithfulness (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

unfaithful [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4604/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. unfaithful, treacherous act [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4604/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Ezr 9:2 unfaithful, treacherous act (NH מְעִילָה);—מ׳ Lv 5:15 + 16 times; מָ֑עַל Nu 5:12 + 2 times; sf. מַעֲלוֹ Ez 17:20 + 4 times; מַעֲלָם Ez 39:26 + 3 times;— ag. man: נשׁאר מעל Jb 21:34 faithlessness remains (cf. Nu 5:12, 27 Pr 16:10 under מָעַל). elsewhere ag. God, c. בְּ, Jos 22:22 (P); without בְּ, 1 Ch 9:1 2 Ch 29:19; 33:19 Ezr 9:2, 4; 10:6.—מַעַל elsewhere only c. מָעַל q.v. (1; all cited).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 13 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (9 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (5 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מַעַל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4604/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 21:34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.21.34/)

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וְ֭אֵיךְ תְּנַחֲמ֣וּנִי הָ֑בֶל וּ֝תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם נִשְׁאַר־מָֽעַל׃ס

*Word for word:* and how? will you.comfort.me vanity and answers your it.remains unfaithfulness

*JPS 1917:* How then comfort ye me in vain? And as for your answers, there remaineth only faithlessness?

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[Ezekiel 15:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/EZK.15.8/)

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וְנָתַתִּ֥י אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ שְׁמָמָ֑ה יַ֚עַן מָ֣עֲלוּ מַ֔עַל נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִֽה׃פ

*Word for word:* and I.will.make (et) the land a.desolation because they.have.acted.unfaithfully unfaithfulness the.utterance Lord of.\[the\] Yahweh

*JPS 1917:* And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted treacherously, saith the Lord GOD.'

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