מעל

[Le Bélier]

Another case of two sources with two different answers. Which of these is correct:

המטוס מעל לקרקה.
המטוס מעל הקרקה.

The English sentence is The plane is above the ground.

תודה.

 

[ks20495]

המטוס מעל לקרקה.
המטוס מעל הקרקה.

"מעל ה" is definitely correct. "מעל ל" and "מעל ה" sound almost the same in the average Israeli's speech.

I have just been looking at the Biblical Concordance, and I can't find an instance of "מעל ל".

The use of "מעל ל" in writing probably comes from analogy to "מתחת ל" (which is correct). This analogy would be confirmed in the writer's mind by the similarity in pronunciation between "מעל ל" ו"מעל ה"

Also, "קרקה" should be "קרקע".

 

[Ali Smith]

What does מעל mean in the following?

וַיַּ֩עַן֩ רְאוּבֵ֨ן אֹתָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲלוֹא֩ אָמַ֨רְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶ֧ם ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר אַל־תֶּחֶטְא֥וּ בַיֶּ֖לֶד וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וְגַם־דָּמ֖וֹ הִנֵּ֥ה נִדְרָֽשׁ׃
וְהֵם֙ לֹ֣א יָֽדְע֔וּ כִּ֥י שֹׁמֵ֖עַ יוֹסֵ֑ף כִּ֥י הַמֵּלִ֖יץ בֵּינֹתָֽם׃
וַיִּסֹּ֥ב מֵֽעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם וַיֵּ֑בְךְּ וַיָּ֤שׇׁב אֲלֵהֶם֙ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֵֽאִתָּם֙ אֶת־שִׁמְע֔וֹן וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃

בראשית מב כד

My translation: And then he turned from above them and then he wept and then he went back to them and then he spoke to them and then he took from with them Simon and then he bound him before their eyes.

 

[Haskol]

My translation: And then he turned from above them

מעל has an additional meaning in Biblical Hebrew, with little connection to "above". It can usually be translated as a simple "from". Here perhaps it should be translated as something like "and he left their presence".