עַל (al) is
a Hebrew preposition
meaning forasmuch as. It appears
5781 times
in 39 books of the Hebrew Bible
(Strong's H5921).
Also rendered
above
upon
Same Hebrew root (TWOT 1624p)
Range of meaning (TWOT 1624p)forasmuch as; height; upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, on to, towards, against, excess, elevation, pre-eminence, addition…
Full entry: Brown-Driver-Briggs and Strong's
כִּי עַל כֵּן: forasmuch as
עַל
I.substantive height
II.As preposition upon, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1.Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
a.
(a)of clothing, which any one wears
(b)With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered
b.Of what rests heavily upon a person
c.Of a duty, payment, care, imposed upon a person
d.על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who
e.חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
f.Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done
2.It expresses excess
3.It denotes elevation or pre-eminence
4.It expresses addition
5.It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over
6.From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, by, on
7.In connection with verbs of motion (actual or figuratively)
8.By writers of the silver age
9.With other particles
III.As conjunction
a.עַל אֲשֶׁר because that
b.עַל כִּי similar in meaning
c.עַל alone
(a)because
(b)notwithstanding that, although
IV.Compounds
1.with כְּ (rare and late)
a.as concerning, as upon
2.מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by
Strong's H5921עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications KJV:above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.
Strong's H5920עַל: properly, the top; specifically, the Highest (i.e. God); also (adverb) aloft, to Jehovah KJV:above, high, most High.
Meanings: Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Hebrew Dictionary (1890), public domain, via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project (CC BY 4.0). TWOT numbers for reference only.
Root family 1624: עָלָהʿālâ — go up, ascend, climb; go, come up, spring up, grow, shoot forth, rise, extend, excel; be brought up, be taken up, away, take oneself away from, get up from, take oneself away, be exalted; bring up, cause to ascend, offer…