4606. meal

Lexical Summary

meal: Meal, offering, ascent

Original Word: מֵעָל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: me`al
Pronunciation: mah-ah-lah
Phonetic Spelling: (may-awl')
KJV: going down
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) from H595 (אָנוֹכִי - myself)4]

1. (only in plural as singular) the setting (of the sun)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

going down

(Aramaic) from alal; (only in plural as singular) the setting (of the sun) -- going down.

see HEBREW alal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) from alal
Definition
a going in
NASB Translation
sunset* (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[מֶעָל] noun [masculine] going in (Syriac, ᵑ7^J; ᵑ7^Onk, etc., מַעֲלָנָא); — plural construct מֶעָלֵי שִׁמְשָׁא Daniel 6:15 i.e. sunset (so read Nö^{GGA, 1884, 1020 Str M} Bev, compare Syriac , ; > van d. H. Gi מֵעָלֵי, Baer מַעֲלֵי; compare K^{§, Beisp.} b)).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

מֵעָל (Strong’s 4606) is a compact preposition that conveys position “upward,” “above,” or “over and beyond.” Although it appears only once in the Hebrew canon, its lone setting—Daniel 6:14—captures the nuance of struggling to rise above fixed earthly constraints, pointing the reader to the ultimate sovereignty of God whose authority truly stands “over” every human law.

Usage in Daniel 6:14

“When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he set his mind on saving Daniel, and he worked until the sun went down to rescue him.” (Daniel 6:14)

The phrase וְעַד־מֵעַל שִׁמְשָׁא (“until the going down of the sun”) marks the span of Darius’s desperate effort to place Daniel “above” the irreversible edict. The verbal picture is one of human limitation: the king labors upward against a legal ceiling he cannot breach. The preposition underscores the tension between what lies under man’s rule and what stands above it.

Semantic Emphasis: Elevation Versus Constraint

1. Spatial Elevation: The primary sense is literal height—“beyond the setting of the sun.”
2. Juridical Elevation: By extension, it signals authority that overarches human decree. Darius tries to lift Daniel “above” the penalty; yet only the Most High, who inhabits the highest place, can truly accomplish such deliverance.
3. Moral Elevation: Daniel’s innocence is tacitly contrasted with the malicious scheming of the satraps. His character is “above” reproach, mirroring the ethical elevation suggested by מֵעָל.

Historical Setting

The Persian maxim that no royal statute can be altered (Daniel 6:8, 12) forms the backdrop. Mֵעָל conveys the temporal deadline—sunset—after which the lions’ den sentence must be executed. Ancient Near-Eastern monarchs were viewed as semi-divine, yet even Darius is shown subordinate to an irrevocable code. Scripture thus strips away misplaced awe for human rulers and directs reverence toward the God who alone is truly “above.”

Theological Significance

• Sovereignty of God: The narrative demonstrates that God’s power towers above both monarch and mandate.
• Foreshadowing Redemption: Darius’s futile attempts anticipate the need for a greater Deliverer who can raise His people above judgment.
• Integrity Under Trial: Daniel’s steadfastness illustrates that holy living remains spiritually elevated even when earthly circumstances press downward.

Connections to New Testament Themes

• Christ’s Authority From Above: “He who comes from above is above all.” (John 3:31)
• Believers Seated With Christ: “God raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6) Both passages echo the upward orientation implied by מֵעָל, showing fulfilled elevation in the Messiah.
• Triumph Over Legal Condemnation: As Darius could not annul Medo-Persian law, so the Law’s righteous demands stood unaltered—yet Jesus satisfied them, lifting believers “from under” condemnation (Romans 8:1-4).

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Encouragement in Governance: Leaders today can learn humility; they serve under a higher throne.
2. Pastoral Counseling: Congregants facing “unchangeable” circumstances may be pointed to the God who operates above visible limits.
3. Faith Formation: Teach that obedience and integrity, like Daniel’s, position the believer for divine vindication that transcends human systems.

Conclusion

Though appearing but once, מֵעָל quietly bears witness to the vertical dimension of biblical faith: God reigns above, intervenes from above, and raises His people above every earthly chain. Daniel 6:14 is a window into that reality—a king’s futile striving below contrasted with the sure deliverance that descends from on high.

Forms and Transliterations

מֶֽעָלֵ֣י מעלי me‘ālê me·‘ā·lê meaLei

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 6:14
HEB: לְשֵׁיזָבוּתֵ֑הּ וְעַד֙ מֶֽעָלֵ֣י שִׁמְשָׁ֔א הֲוָ֥א
NAS: and even until sunset he kept exerting
KJV: till the going down of the sun
INT: delivering until down of the sun kept

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4606
1 Occurrence

me·‘ā·lê — 1 Occ.