Hebrew word · Strong's H5921

עַל

ʻal · al · preposition · “upon, against, concerning”

In a sentence

Al is a small preposition meaning upon, against, or concerning. It carries big weight in covenant and atonement language: “upon them I will pour out my Spirit.”

Al is one of Hebrew’s common prepositions — upon, against, over, concerning. Tiny, but it lives in many of the Bible’s most weighty lines.

God says he will pour out his Spirit al “all flesh”; he will write his law al “their hearts”; the iniquity of us all was placed al the Servant. Salvation often comes prepositionally — God’s work landing on his people.

Strong's reference

Definition: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

KJV usage: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, [idiom] with.

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Joel 2:28 “And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Jeremiah 31:33 ““But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” Isaiah 53:6 “We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.