מַעֲלָה
maʿălāh

Hebrew noun

Last edited: 2025-05-18
Primary meaning step of a sun-dial
Literal translation step
Variants
מַעֲלָה maʿălāh
Edited by
step of a sun-dial astronomical instrument, artefact of astral science

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְשַׁעְיָ֗הוּ זֶה־לְּךָ֤ הָאוֹת֙ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֚י יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֵּ֑ר הָלַ֤ךְ הַצֵּל֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר מַעֲל֔וֹת אִם־יָשׁ֖וּב עֶ֥שֶׂר מַעֲלֽוֹת׃

wayyōʾmer yəšaʿyāhû zeh-lək̲ā hāʾôt̲ mēʾēt̲ YHWH kî yaʿăśeh YHWH ʾet̲-haddāb̲ār ʾăšer dibbēr hālak̲ haṣṣēl ʿeśer maʿălôt̲ ʾim-yāšûb̲ ʿeśer maʿălôt̲.

‘Isaiah replied, “This is the sign for you from GOD that GOD will do the thing that was promised: Shall the shadow advance ten steps or recede ten steps?”’

— 2 Kings 20 9

Genre: religious text
chamber of heaven? cosmological concept

הַבּוֹנֶ֤ה בַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ מַעֲלוֹתָ֔ו וַאֲגֻדָּת֖וֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ יְסָדָ֑הּ הַקֹּרֵ֣א לְמֵֽי־הַיָּ֗ם וַֽיִּשְׁפְּכֵ֛ם עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ יְהֹוָ֥ה שְׁמֽוֹ׃ {פ}

habbôneh b̲aššāmayim maʿălôt̲āw waʾăg̲uddāt̲ô ʿal-ʾereṣ yəsād̲āh haqqōrēʾ ləmê-hayyām wayyišpək̲ēm ʿal-pənê hāʾāreṣ YHWH šəmô.

‘Who built the chambers in heaven And founded the vault on the earth, Who summons the waters of the sea And pours them over the land— Whose name is GOD.’

— Amos 9 6

Genre: religious text
Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Meinhardt, K. (2025). מַעֲלָה (Lemma #2545). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2545/
Chicago (Author-Date)
Meinhardt, K. (2025). מַעֲלָה (Lemma #2545). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2545/
MLA (9th)
Meinhardt, K. (2025). מַעֲלָה (Lemma #2545). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2545/
Harvard
Meinhardt, K. (2025) מַעֲלָה (Lemma #2545), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2545/ (Accessed: February 2, 2026).
BibTeX 
@misc{zodiac2545,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2026-02-02]},
	author = {Meinhardt, Kierán},
	year = {2025},
	title = {מַעֲלָה ({Lemma} #2545)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2545/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/2545/},
}