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Exodus 24:15 — Word Study

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WLCוַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־ הָהָ֑ר וַיְכַ֥ס הֶעָנָ֖ן אֶת־ הָהָֽר׃

BSAWhen MosesMôsheh [the Israelite leader] went upʻâlâh [to ascend, to rise] on the mountainhar [a hill] the cloudʻânân covered itkâçâh [to hide from view, to envelop, the mountain, a place of divine encounter]

Word
Listen & take awayExodus 24
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 15 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ha.Har) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Exodus 24:15quick helps
In a sentenceMoses ascended the mountain, and the cloud enveloped it.
Who is speakingMoses, the leader of the Israelites.
Where we areThe moment of Moses' ascent to meet God.
The hard wordעָלָה
Take awayThe mountain is a place of divine encounter.
5 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them › clause subjectמֹשֶׁה verbעָלָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Exodus 24:15

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Divine Encounter on the Mountaingenerated

14And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”
15When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,
16and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
17And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.

Exodus 24:15 describes Moses ascending the mountain to meet with God, a significant moment in the giving of the law. This event is pivotal in the narrative of the Israelites, as it signifies their covenant relationship with God. The cloud covering the mountain indicates God's presence, emphasizing the sacredness of the encounter.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Exodus 19:9–16The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
22 Chronicles 6:1Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud;
3Matthew 17:5While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word עָלָה, vai.Ya.'algenerated

The verb עָלָה (alah) means 'to ascend' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including going up, climbing, and rising in various contexts. It indicates a movement towards a higher place, often associated with spiritual elevation or divine encounters.

In this verse, Moses ascends the mountain, highlighting his role as a mediator between God and the Israelites. The act of going up signifies not just a physical movement but also a spiritual journey towards divine revelation.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

One finite verb governs the whole verse — יַּ֥עַל, he went up — with two phrases hanging off it: a prepositional phrase indicating where he went and a noun phrase describing what happened next. Hebrew word order places emphasis on the action of ascending.

הֶעָנָן is the subject of the second verb יְכַ֥ס, it covered, indicating that the cloud is actively enveloping the mountain, which adds to the sense of divine presence.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates עָלָה as ἀνέβη (anebē), which means 'to ascend' and carries similar connotations of rising. This choice aligns with the Hebrew meaning and emphasizes the spiritual significance of Moses' ascent.

The word ἐκάλυψεν (ekalupsen) is used for כָּסָה, indicating the cloud's action of covering, which also suggests a divine concealment or protection.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Exodus 24:15 tells us that when Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it. This moment is significant as it represents Moses' ascent to meet God, with the cloud symbolizing God's presence.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that Moses went up on the mountain?

Moses' ascent signifies his role as a mediator between God and the Israelites, marking a crucial moment in their covenant relationship.

Why is the cloud significant in this passage?

The cloud represents God's presence and glory, indicating that Moses is entering a sacred space to receive divine instruction.

How does this event relate to the giving of the law?

Moses' ascent is directly connected to the giving of the law, as he goes up to receive God's commandments for the Israelites.

What can we learn from Moses' ascent?

Moses' ascent teaches us about the importance of seeking divine guidance and the significance of approaching God with reverence.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does it mean for me to ascend towards God in my own life?
  2. How can I recognize the presence of God in my daily experiences?
  3. What steps can I take to prepare myself for a deeper encounter with God?
  4. In what ways can I act as a mediator for others, helping them to connect with God?

Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Exodus 24:15 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Moses went up into the mount,.... To the top of it, and as it seems alone, leaving Joshua behind in a lower part of the mountain: and a cloud covered the mount; in which cloud Jehovah was.

Read John Gill on Exodus 24 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. Moses went up into the mount.

Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 24 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Exodus 24:15 And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.Ver. 15. And Moses went up into the mount.] But he went not yet into the cloud, as Exodus 24:18, till the seventh day, that he might, by degrees, be heavenlised, and edged with an earnest expectation of beholding God’ s glory, and understanding his will. This was heaven beforehand.

Read John Trapp on Exodus 24 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(15) A cloud covered the mount.—Heb., the cloud—i.e., the cloud which had accompanied them from Succoth (Exodus 13:21-22).

Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 24 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

12–15a (E). The sequel to vv. 3–8. Moses ascends the mount to receive the two tables of stone.

Read Cambridge on Exodus 24 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,

NETBNew English Translation2006

Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And Moses went up upon the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Then Moses went vp to the mount, and the cloude couered the mountaine,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And Moses goeth up unto the mount, and the cloud covereth the mount;

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And Moses goes up to the mountain, and the cloud covers the mountain;

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And Moses went up to the mount, and the cloud covered the mount.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

So Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And when Moses was gone up, a cloud covered the mount.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

As Moses climbed up on the mountain, the cloud covered it.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And Moses went up into the mountain, and it was covered by the cloud.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbיַּ֥עַלhe.went.upsubjectמֹשֶׁ֖הMosesprepositional phrase · prepositionalאֶלtonoun phraseהָtheהָ֑רmountainוַandclauseverbיְכַ֥סit.coverednoun phrase · subjectהֶtheעָנָ֖ןcloudnoun phrase · objectאֶת(et)noun phraseהָtheהָֽרmountain

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Samaritan Pentateuch agree word for word in this verse, confirming the consistency of the text across these witnesses. The Septuagint aligns closely with the Masoretic Text, maintaining the core elements of the narrative.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־ הָהָ֑ר וַיְכַ֥ס הֶעָנָ֖ן אֶת־ הָהָֽר׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיַּ֥עַלἀνέβηמֹשֶׁ֖הμωυσῆςאֶל־εἰςהָהָ֑רὄροςוַיְכַ֥סἐκάλυψενהֶעָנָ֖ןνεφέληהָהָֽר׃ὄρος

7 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Samaritan Pentateuchthe Torah as the Samaritan community kept it

ויעל משׁה אל ההר ויכס הענן את ההר

Agrees with the Masoretic Text here, word for word.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Exodus 24:15עָלָהand he wentand he went upעָלָהמֹשֶׁהMosesMosesמֹשֶׁהאֶלtotoאֶלהַרthe mountaithe mountainהַרכָּסָהand it coveand it coveredכָּסָהעָנָןthe cloudthe cloudעָנָןאֵתthe object the object markאֵתהַרthe mountaithe mountainהַרמָשָׁהto drawto drawמָשָׁההַרmountainmountainהַרעָנַןto cloudto cloudעָנַןאוֹתsign: mirasign: miraculouאוֹתכָּשָׂהbe satedbe satedכָּשָׂהגִּבְעָהGibeatGibeatגִּבְעָהאֶפְרַ֫יִםEphraimEphraimאֶפְרַ֫יִםעֹלָהburnt offeburnt offeringעֹלָהיְאֹרstreamstreamיְאֹראַהֲרֹןAaronAaronאַהֲרֹןצָוָהto commandto commandצָוָהפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַליִרְמְיָ֫הJeremiahJeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫השַׂקsackclothsackclothשַׂקעָנָןcloudcloudעָנָןיוֹמָםby dayby dayיוֹמָםעַמּוּדpillarpillarעַמּוּדמִגְרָשׁpasturepastureמִגְרָשׁ
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Exodus 24:15

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
וַיַּ֥עַלvai.Ya.'al and he went up H5927 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
890× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To ascend means to go up or rise, like the smoke from an altar going up to God, as described in many Bible passages, including Leviticus and Psalms.
Amplified meaning
to ascend, to rise
Tyndale gloss
to ascend: rise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עָלָה (alah) means 'to ascend' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including going up, climbing, and rising in various contexts such as personal, natural, and spiritual. It can refer to actions involving people, animals, vegetation, and even thoughts, and includes nuances of being exalted or offering sacrifices. The word is built from a primitive root and appears in various grammatical forms, indicating different aspects of ascent or elevation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָלָה 890 vb. go up, ascend, climb

Qal

of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

go up, in personal relations

of animals, go or come up

of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

of natural phenom., go up, rise

of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

of thoughts

come up before God, arrogance

go up, extend, of boundary

excel

Niph.

be brought up

be taken up

pass., be taken up, away

reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

reflex.: take oneself away

be exalted, of God

Hiph.

bring up persons

in personal relations

bring up animals

cause to ascend

mentally

offer a present; bring up tithe to

exalt

cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

Hoph.

be carried away

be taken up into, inserted in

be offered

Hithp. lift oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5927 עָלָה go up, ascend, climb .. of persons, go up, ascend, in local relations

. go up, in personal relations

. of animals, go or come up

. of vegetation, spring up, grow, shoot forth

. of natural phenom., go up, rise

. of inanimate things, instead of passive construction

. of thoughts

. come up before God, arrogance

. go up, extend, of boundary

. excel

. . . be brought up

. be taken up

. . pass., be taken up, away

. reflex., take oneself away from, get up from

. reflex.: take oneself away

. be exalted, of God

. . bring up persons

. in personal relations

. bring up animals

. cause to ascend

. mentally

. offer a present; bring up tithe to

. exalt

. cause to ascend (in flame), offer sacrifice

. . be carried away

. be taken up into, inserted in

. be offered

. lift oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5927 `alah aw-law'

a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or

actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary

and secondary, literal and figurative (as follow):--arise

(up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up),

bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, + shew, climb

(up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart,

exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up);

grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light,

(make) up, X mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, + perfect,

prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise

(up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring

(up), stir up, take away (up), work.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָלָה (a.lah) — to ascend: rise.

: rise/go

1) to go up, ascend, climb

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go up, ascend

1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat

1a3) to go up, come up (of animals)

1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation)

1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon)

1a6) to come up (before God)

1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary)

1a8) to excel, be superior to

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away

1b2) to take oneself away

1b3) to be exalted

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up

1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away

1c3) to bring up, draw up, train

1c4) to cause to ascend

1c5) to rouse, stir up (mentally)

1c6) to offer, bring up (of gifts)

1c7) to exalt

1c8) to cause to ascend, offer

1d) (Hophal)

1d1) to be carried away, be led up

1d2) to be taken up into, be inserted in

1d3) to be offered

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
מֹשֶׁ֖הmo.Sheh Moses H4872 Noun proper masculine
766× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Moses, the Israelite leader, was born to Amram and Jochebed and led the Exodus from Egypt. He received the law from God and is considered a key figure in the Bible. Moses means 'drawn' in Hebrew.
Amplified meaning
the Israelite leader
Tyndale gloss
Moses
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מֹשֶׁה (Mosheh) refers to Moses, the prominent Hebrew leader, prophet, and lawgiver. The name is derived from the root meaning 'drawing out,' indicating his rescue from water. He is a key figure in the Old Testament, first mentioned in Exodus 2:10, and is known for leading the Israelites during the Exodus.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מֹשֶׁה 767 n.pr.m. Moses, the great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4872 מֹשֶׁה Moses, the great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4872 Mosheh mo-sheh'

from 4871; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued; Mosheh,

the Israelite lawgiver:--Moses.

see HEBREW for 04871

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מֹשֶׁה (mo.sheh) — Moses.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.2.10;

son of: Amram (H6019) and Jochebed (H3115);

brother of: Aaron (H0175) and Miriam (H4813); married to Zipporah (H6855);

father of: Gershom (H1647) and Eliezer (H0461H); also called Manasseh at Jdg.18.30(?)

§ Moses = "drawn"

the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mo'-zez, mo'-ziz (mosheh; Egyptian mes, "drawn out," "born"; Septuagint Mouse(s)). The great Hebrew national hero, leader, author, law-giver and prophet.

I. LIFE

1. Son of Levi

2. Foundling Prince

3. Friend of the People

4. Refuge in Midian

5. Leader of Israel

II. WORK AND CHARACTER

1. The Author

2. The Lawgiver

3. The Prophet

LITERATURE

The traditional view of the Jewish church and of the Christian church, that Moses was a person and that the narrative with which his life-story is interwoven is real history, is in the main sustained by commentators and critics of all classes.

It is needless to mention the old writers among whom these questions were hardly under discussion. Among the advocates of the current radical criticism may be mentioned Stade and Renan, who minimize the historicity of the Bible narrative at this point. Renan thinks the narrative "may be very probable." Ewald, Wellhausen…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Moses

Drawn (or Egypt. mesu, “son;” hence Rameses, royal son). On the invitation of Pharaoh (Gen. 45:17-25), Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years before the birth of Moses. Some centuries before Joseph, Egypt had been conquered by a pastoral Semitic race from Asia, the Hyksos, who brought into cruel subjection the native Egyptians, who were an African race. Jacob and his retinue were accustomed to a shepherd’s life, and on their arrival in Egypt were received with favour by the king, who assigned them the “best of the land”, the land of Goshen, to dwell in. The Hyksos or “shepherd” king who thus showed favour to Joseph and his family was in all probability the Pharaoh Apopi (or Apopis).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. Mosheh , "drawn," i.e. from the water; in the Coptic it means "saved from the water"), the legislator of the Jewish people, and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion. The immediate pedigree of Moses is as follows: Levi was the father of: Gershon -- Kohath -- Merari Kohath was the father of: Amram = Jochebed Amram = Jochebed was the father of: Hur = Miriam -- Aaron = Elisheba -- Moses = Zipporah Aaron = Elisheba was the father of: Nadab -- Abihu -- Eleazar -- Ithamar Eleazar was the father of: Phineas Moses = Zipporah was the father of: Gershom -- Eliezer Gershom was the father of: Jonathan The history of Moses naturally divides itself into three periods of 40 years each. Moses was born at Goshen, In Egypt, B.C. 1571. The story of his birth is thoroughly Egyptian in its scene. His mother made extraordinary efforts for his preservation from the general destruction of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The name of the illustrious prophet and legislator of the Hebrews, who led them from Egypt to the Promised Land. Having been originally imposed by a native Egyptian princess, the word is no doubt Egyptian in its origin, and Josephus gives its true derivation—from the two Egyptian words, MO, water, and USE, saved. With this accords the Septuagint form, MOUSES. The Hebrews by a slight change accommodated it to their own language, as they did also in the case of some other foreign words; calling it MOSHIE, from the verb MASHA, to draw. See Ex 2:10. Moses was born about 15.71 B. C., the son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, and the younger brother of Miriam and Aaron. His history is too extensive to permit insertion here, and in general too well known to need it. It is enough simply to remark, that it is divided into three…

and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
אֶל־'el- to H413 Preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR — Preposition
HR
and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
הָהָ֑רha.Har the mountain H2022 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
546× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Amplified meaning
a hill
Tyndale gloss
mountain: mount
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הַר (har) means 'mountain' or 'hill,' and can refer to a range of hills or hill-country. It is derived from a root that suggests elevation and can be used figuratively. The entries consistently highlight its geographical connotations without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הַר 568 n.m. mountain, hill, hill-country

mountain, hill

hill-country, mountain-region

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2022 הַר mountain, hill, hill-country

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2022 har har

a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills

(sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X

promotion.

see HEBREW for 02042

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הַר (har) — mountain: mount.

: mount/hill

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

הַר (har) — mountain: hill country.

: hill_country

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

A sub-meaning of har (הַר ": mount" H2022)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ Melted Ps 97:5; De 4:11; 5:23; Jud 5:5; Isa 64:1-3; Mic 1:4; Na 1:5

→ Overturning and removing of Job 9:5; 14:18; 28:9; Eze 38:20

→ Abraham offers Isaac upon Mount Moriah, afterward called Mount Zion, the site of the temple (later in the time of Solomon) Ge 22:2

→ See ZION

→ Mount Horeb appointed as a place for the Israelites to worship Ex 3:12

and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
וַיְכַ֥סvay.Khas and it covered H3680 Verb · Piel · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
152× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To cover something means to fill up hollows or hide something from view, as seen in many biblical stories. This verb is used in various forms throughout the Bible, such as to cover oneself with clothing or to conceal something for protection. It can also mean to overwhelm or spread over something.
Amplified meaning
to hide from view, to envelop, the mountain, a place of divine encounter
Tyndale gloss
to cover
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word כָּסָה (*kacah*) primarily means to cover or conceal. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to clothe, hide, or overwhelm. The entries describe various forms of the verb, such as being covered or covering oneself, and its use in contexts like protection or sin. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[כָּסָה] vb. cover

Qal

conceal

pass. (cstr.) covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight)

Niph. covered

Pi.

cover, clothe

cover, conceal blood

cover (with covering of protection)

cover, spread over

cover, overwhelm

cover over

Pual.

be covered

be clothed

Hithp. cover, clothe oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3680 כָּסָה cover .. conceal

. pass. (cstr.) covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight)

. covered

. . cover, clothe

. cover, conceal blood

. cover (with covering of protection)

. cover, spread over

. cover, overwhelm

. cover over

. . be covered

. be clothed

. cover, clothe oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3680 kacah kaw-saw'

a primitive root; properly, to plump, i.e. fill up hollows;

by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy):--clad

self, close, clothe, conceal, cover (self), (flee to) hide,

overwhelm. Compare 3780.

see HEBREW for 03780

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּסָה (ka.sah) — to cover.

1) to cover, conceal, hide

1a) (Qal) conceal, covered (participle)

1b) (Niphal) to be covered

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to cover, clothe

1c2) to cover, conceal

1c3) to cover (for protection)

1c4) to cover over, spread over

1c5) to cover, overwhelm

1d) (Pual)

1d1) to be covered

1d2) to be clothed

1e) (Hithpael) to cover oneself, clothe oneself

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Piel-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Piel · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vpw3ms
and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
הֶעָנָ֖ןhe.'a.Nan the cloud H6051 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
87× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means a cloud or cloudy, and is used to describe the cloud that God uses to appear to his people. It appears in the Bible to describe God's presence, and is translated as cloud in the KJV.
Tyndale gloss
cloud
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָנָן (anan) means 'cloud' and can refer to a cloud-mass or a theophanic cloud, which is a divine manifestation. It is derived from the root word עָנָה (anah). The term is used in contexts related to weather and divine presence.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָנָן 87 n.m. cloud-mass, cloud

cloud-mass

cloud of incense

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6051 עָנָן cloud-mass, cloud

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6051 `anan aw-nawn'

from 6049; a cloud (as covering the sky), i.e. the nimbus or

thunder-cloud:--cloud(-y).

see HEBREW for 06049

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָנָן (a.nan) — cloud.

1) cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass

1a) cloud-mass (of theophanic cloud)

1b) cloud

Aramaic equivalent: a.nan (עֲנָן "cloud" H6050)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kloud (`anan, `abh; nephele, nephos):

I. Clouds in Palestine.

In the Bible few references are found of particular clouds or of clouds in connection with the phenomena of the weather conditions. The weather in Palestine is more even and has less variety than that in other lands. It is a long, narrow country with sea on the West and desert on the East. The wind coming from the West is always moist and brings clouds with it. If the temperature over the land is low enough the clouds will be condensed and rain will fall, but if the temperature is high, as in the five months of summer, there can be no rain even though clouds are seen. As a whole the winter is cloudy and the summer clear.

1. Rain Clouds:

In the autumn rain storms often arise suddenly from the sea, and what seems to be a mere haze, "as small as a man's hand," such as Gehazi saw (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The shelter given, and refreshment of rain promised, by clouds give them their peculiar prominence in Oriental imagery. When a cloud appears rain is ordinarily apprehended, and thus the "cloud without rain" becomes a proverb for the man of promise without performance. (Proverbs 16:15; Isaiah 18:4; 25:5; Jude 1:12) comp. Prov 25:14 The cloud is a figure of transitoriness, (Job 30:15; Hosea 6:4) and of whatever intercepts divine favor or human supplication. (Lamentations 2:1; 3:44) A bright cloud at times visited and rested on the mercy-seat. (

PILLAR OF, the miraculous token of the divine presence and care, Ex 14:24 16:10 Nu 12:5, which guided the Israelites in the desert; it was a means of protection and perhaps of shade by day, and gave them light by night, Ex 13:21,22 14:19,20. By it God directed their movements, Nu 9:15-23 14:14 De 1:33. See the beautiful application of the image to the future church in Isa 4:5.

and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
אֶת־'et- the object marker H853 Particle
10,946× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Tyndale gloss
[Obj.]
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֵת (eth) is primarily a grammatical marker in Hebrew, indicating the definite direct object of a verb. It is not translated into English and typically precedes nouns that are definite. The word is derived from a demonstrative sense of entity, related to the Hebrew word for 'self.' Its Aramaic equivalent is יָת (yat).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H853 אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

853 'eth ayth

apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of

entity; properly, self (but generally used to point out more

definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or

namely):--(as such unrepresented in English).

see HEBREW for 0226

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵת (et) — [Obj.].

sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative

Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTo — Particle
HTo
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he went up Moses to the mountain and it covered the cloud the object marker the mountain
הָהָֽר׃ha.Har the mountain H2022 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
546× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Tyndale gloss
mountain: mount
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הַר (har) means 'mountain' or 'hill,' and can refer to a range of hills or hill-country. It is derived from a root that suggests elevation and can be used figuratively. The entries consistently highlight its geographical connotations without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הַר 568 n.m. mountain, hill, hill-country

mountain, hill

hill-country, mountain-region

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2022 הַר mountain, hill, hill-country

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2022 har har

a shortened form of 2042; a mountain or range of hills

(sometimes used figuratively):--hill (country), mount(-ain), X

promotion.

see HEBREW for 02042

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הַר (har) — mountain: mount.

: mount/hill

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

הַר (har) — mountain: hill country.

: hill_country

hill, mountain, hill country, mount

A sub-meaning of har (הַר ": mount" H2022)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTd/Ncmsa — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ Melted Ps 97:5; De 4:11; 5:23; Jud 5:5; Isa 64:1-3; Mic 1:4; Na 1:5

→ Overturning and removing of Job 9:5; 14:18; 28:9; Eze 38:20

→ Abraham offers Isaac upon Mount Moriah, afterward called Mount Zion, the site of the temple (later in the time of Solomon) Ge 22:2

→ See ZION

→ Mount Horeb appointed as a place for the Israelites to worship Ex 3:12

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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