H4603 — מָעַל (maʻal)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4603
Original: מָעַל
Transliteration: maʻal
Pronunciation: maw-al'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: Properly "to cover up"; used only figuratively — to act covertly, treacherously
Occurrences: 35 unique verses (38 tokens) across 11 books
First Occurrence: Lev 5:15 — "If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD..."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; properly, to cover up; used only figuratively, to act covertly, i.e. treacherously: — transgress, (commit, do a) trespass(-ing).

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	38	be unfaithful, act treacherously, trespass

All 38 tokens are Qal. Forms attested: Perfect (3ms, 3fs, 3p, 2mp), Imperfect (3fs), Wayyiqtol (3fs, 3mp), Infinitive Construct. No Niphal, Piel, Hiphil, or other stems are attested.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
trespass / trespassed / trespassing	14	40%
transgress / transgressed	10	29%
commit / committed	10	29%
done (a trespass)	1	3%

Note: KJV renders the verb variably as "trespass," "transgress," or "commit" (always with a trespass-object), with no consistent distinction between these renderings.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Chronicles	8	1.0
Ezekiel	7	0.5
Joshua	4	0.6
Leviticus	3	0.3
Numbers	3	0.2
1 Chronicles	3	0.3
Ezra	2	0.7
Nehemiah	2	0.5
Deuteronomy	1	0.1
Daniel	1	0.3
Proverbs	1	0.1

Heaviest concentration is in Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah (15 of 35 verses, 43%), reflecting the Chronicler's concern with covenant faithfulness. Ezekiel accounts for another 20%. Entirely absent from the Psalms, the Pentateuchal narrative outside Leviticus-Numbers-Deuteronomy, and all prophets except Ezekiel and Daniel. The word is predominantly a priestly-legal and historical-theological term rather than a prophetic or wisdom term.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Trespass Against the LORD's Holy Things (Sacrilege)¶

Lev 5:15 — "If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD"
2 Chr 26:16 — "he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense"
2 Chr 26:18 — "thou hast trespassed" (Uzziah's unauthorized priestly act)

2. Trespass Against the LORD in the Accursed/Devoted Thing (cherem)¶

Josh 7:1 — "the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan... took of the accursed thing"
Josh 22:20 — "Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel?"
1 Chr 2:7 — "Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed"

3. Covenant Unfaithfulness (National/Corporate)¶

2 Chr 36:14 — "all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen"
Eze 39:23 — "the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me"
Dan 9:7 — "because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee"
2 Chr 29:6 — "our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God"
Lev 26:40 — "If they shall confess their iniquity... with their trespass which they trespassed against me"

4. Interpersonal Treachery (Against a Neighbor or Spouse)¶

Lev 6:2 — "commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep"
Num 5:12 — "If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him"
Num 5:27 — "if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband"

5. Trespass by Specific Leaders/Kings¶

1 Chr 10:13 — "Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD"
2 Chr 28:22 — "in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz"
Deu 32:51 — "ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of MeribahKadesh" (Moses and Aaron)

6. Foreign Marriage as Trespass¶

Ezr 10:2 — "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives"
Neh 13:27 — "to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives"

7. Wisdom Application¶

Pro 16:10 — "his mouth transgresseth not in judgment" (the only non-theological usage — a king's faithful speech)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
מַעַל (maʻal)	H4604	20x (57%)	cognate accusative: "commit a trespass" (מָעַל מַעַל)
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	15x (43%)	"trespass against the LORD"
יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisrael)	H3478	14x (40%)	Israel as the corporate trespasser
אֱלֹהִים (elohim)	H430	8x (23%)	"against the God of Israel"
אִשָּׁה (ishshah)	H802	6x (17%)	wife in marital-unfaithfulness context (Num 5) or foreign wives (Ezra)
חָטָא (chata)	H2398	4x (11%)	paired with general sin: "commit a trespass, and sin"

The cognate accusative construction מָעַל מַעַל (maʻal maʻal) — verb + cognate noun — appears in 57% of all verses, making it the dominant syntactic pattern. This intensifying construction emphasizes the gravity of the act.

Word Family / Cognates¶

H4604 מַעַל (maʻal) — cognate noun: treachery, trespass, unfaithfulness (29 occurrences)

Synonyms (SDBH)¶

H2398 חָטָא (chataʼ) — to miss, to sin (broad term for sin/moral failure; 238v)

Semantic Domain: Unfaithfulness [002001002027]¶

H898 בָּגַד (bagad) — to deal treacherously, act unfaithfully (49v) — covers with a garment; figurative: covert betrayal. Overlaps significantly but bagad emphasizes personal betrayal/broken trust (often marital or relational), while maʻal emphasizes violation of sacred obligation
H2181 זָנָה (zanah) — to commit fornication, go whoring (84v) — unfaithfulness through idolatry metaphor
H4878 מְשׁוּבָה (meshuwbah) — backsliding, apostasy (12v) — turning away from previous commitment

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
עָבַר (ʻabar)	H5674	"transgressed"	ʻabar = to cross over a boundary; general border-violation; maʻal = specifically covert treachery against sacred trust
פָּשַׁע (pashaʻ)	H6586	"transgressed"	pashaʻ = rebellion, revolt against authority; conscious defiance; maʻal = covert unfaithfulness, breach of trust
אָשַׁם (ʼasham)	H816	"trespassed"	asham = to be/become guilty (state of guilt/liability); maʻal = the act of treachery itself
חָטָא (chataʼ)	H2398	"sin, trespass"	chataʼ = miss the mark, the broadest sin term; maʻal = specific: covert betrayal of sacred obligation
עָשָׂה (ʻasah)	H6213	"commit"	ʻasah = generic "do/make"; shares "commit" translation only in KJV phrasing

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
παραπίπτω (parapipto) G3895	4	14.09	"fall aside" — highest PMI; captures the covert deviation sense
παράπτωμα (paraptoma) G3900	4	11.81	noun form "side-slip, trespass"
ἀθετέω (atheteo) G114	5	11.17	"set aside, nullify" — annulling covenant obligations
ἀνάθεμα (anathema) G331	3	9.73	"devoted thing, curse" — specifically for the cherem/Achan context
ἀφίστημι (aphistemi) G868	5	8.20	"depart, withdraw" — apostasy sense
ἁμαρτάνω (hamartano) G264	5	7.47	generic "to sin" — less specific rendering

No single Greek word dominates. The LXX translators chose context-specific equivalents rather than a consistent mapping, reflecting maʻal's specialized semantic range that no single Greek word covers.