מִן־ H4480a
From, out of, away from; also comparative 'more than,' partitive 'some of,' and causal 'because of, on account of.'
The preposition min is one of the most fundamental function words in Biblical Hebrew, expressing the core idea of separation or origin — 'from,' 'out of,' 'away from.' With over 1,200 occurrences in this inflectional subset alone, it is the primary marker of source and departure in the language. But min is far more than a spatial preposition: its semantic range extends into comparison ('greater than,' the so-called min of comparison), partition ('some of,' the partitive min), and even causation ('because of'). These secondary senses are not mere contextual shading but genuine grammatical functions recognized by every Hebrew grammar since the medieval grammarians. The cognates across Semitic — Arabic min, Aramaic min, Ethiopic 'em — confirm that this polysemy is ancient and inherited.
1. source or separation — The dominant ablative sense expressing source, origin, or separation: 'from,' 'out of,' 'away from' — accounting for approximately 1,198 of 1,226 occurrences. This is the bedrock spatial meaning: Adam is formed 'from' the dust (Gen 2:7), Eve is taken 'from' Adam's side (Gen 2:22), Cain's offering rises 'from' the ground (Gen 4:10). The preposition governs both physical departure ('he went out from the city') and figurative origin ('from the mouth of the LORD'). Arabic min, Spanish de/desde, French de, German von/aus, and Korean -에서 (-eseo) all map consistently to this ablative function. The first-person singular suffix form (mimmenni, 'from me') is included in this lemma subset. 1198×
AR["مِنَ","مِنَ-","مِنْ","مِنْ-"]·ben["-থেকে","থেকে","থেকে-"]·DE["aus-","vom-","von","von-"]·EN["from","from-"]·FR["de","de-"]·heb["מן"]·HI["-से","से","से-"]·ID["dari","dari-"]·IT["da","da-"]·jav["saking","saking-"]·KO["~에서","로부터-","에서"]·PT["de","de-"]·RU["из","из-","от-","с","с-"]·ES["de","de-","desde"]·SW["kutoka","kutoka-","kwa","kwa-sababu-ya"]·TR["-dan","-dan-","-den","-den-","kırdan"]·urd["سے"]
Gen 2:6, Gen 2:9, Gen 2:22, Gen 3:17, Gen 4:10, Gen 5:29, Gen 7:23, Gen 8:10, Gen 8:19, Gen 9:21, Gen 13:14, Gen 19:14 (+38 more)
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
2. comparative (more than) — The comparative use, known traditionally as the min of comparison: 'more than,' 'greater than' — approximately 22 occurrences. In Gen 26:16 Abimelech tells Isaac 'you are mightier than we'; in Exod 1:9 Pharaoh warns that the Israelites are 'more numerous and mightier than we'; in Deut 1:28 the Anakim are 'greater than we.' Spanish de ('que nosotros'), French plus que, and German als all shift to explicit comparative markers. Korean -보다 (-boda, 'compared to') and Arabic akthara min ('more than') both deploy dedicated comparative morphology. This is a fully grammaticalized secondary function of min, not merely a contextual nuance. 22×
AR["أَكْثَرَ-مِنَ-","أَكْثَرَ-مِنِّي","أَكْثَرَ-مِنْ","عَلَى-","عَلَيها-","عَلَيْنا","مِنَ","مِنَ-","مِنَّا","مِنّا","مِنْ","مِنْ-"]·ben["-চেয়ে","-চেয়ে-","-থেকে","-থেকে-","-মধ্যে-","আমাদের-চেয়ে","আমাদের-থেকে","আমাদের-থেকে।","আমার-চেয়ে","চেয়ে-","তার-চেয়ে","থেকে","থেকে-"]·DE["als-","als-uns","für-uns","ihr","mehr-als","mehr-als-","mehr-als-Me","von","wer"]·EN["her","more-than","more-than-","more-than-Me","of-","than-","than-us"]·FR["de","plus-que","plus-que-","plus-que-Moi","que-","que-nous","sa"]·heb["ממ-נה","ממנו","ממני","מן","מן-","מן-נו","מני"]·HI["उस-से","मिन-","मुझसे","में-से","से","से-","से-अधिक","हम-से","हमसे"]·ID["dari","dari-","dari-kami","dari-kita","dari-padanya","lebih-dari-","lebih-dari-Ku"]·IT["che-","da","di-noi","lei","più-di","più-di-","più-di-Me"]·jav["bangsa-bangsa","katimbang","langkung-saking","langkung-saking-Aku","saking","saking-","saking-kita","saking-piyambakipun","tinimbang-","tinimbang-kita","tinimbang-kita-sadaya","tinimbang-kula"]·KO["-보다-","-에서-","-에서-나","보다","보다-","보다-그녀","보다-더-","보다-에서","에서-","우리-보다","우리보다"]·PT["de-","de-nós","do-que-","do-que-ela","mais-que","mais-que-","mais-que-mim","que","que-"]·RU["-","более-нас","более-чем-","больше-Меня","больше-чем-","её","из","нас","нежели-","от-нас","чем","чем-","чем-мы"]·ES["de","de-","de-nosotros","más-que","más-que-","más-que-a-mí","más-que-nosotros","que","que-","que-ella"]·SW["kati-ya","kuliko","kuliko-","kuliko-mimi","kuliko-sisi","kuliko-yeye","kutoka","zaidi-ya"]·TR["-dan","-den","-den-","-den-bizden","benden","bizden","den-","icinden","min-den","ondan"]·urd["اُس-پر","جلاہے-سے-زیادہ","زیادہ","سے","سے-","سے-بڑھ-کر","سے-زیادہ","مجھ-سے-زیادہ","ہزار-میں-سے","ہم-سے"]
Gen 26:16, Exod 1:9, Num 13:31, Deut 1:28, Deut 11:23, Josh 10:2, Ruth 1:13, 1 Sam 2:29, 2 Sam 13:14, 2 Sam 20:6, 1 Kgs 20:23, 2 Kgs 21:9 (+10 more)
3. partitive (some of) — The partitive use meaning 'some of,' 'part of,' 'one of' — approximately 3 occurrences in this inflectional subset (Deut 9:14; 2 Chr 25:13; Job 4:12). In Deut 9:14 God declares he will make Moses 'a nation mightier than they' — but the construction implies selection from among nations. In Job 4:12 Eliphaz says 'a word was brought to me stealthily, and my ear caught a whisper of it' — partitive 'some portion of.' Spanish de ellos, French d'eux, and German von ihnen all use partitive constructions. The small count reflects how infrequently the partitive function is unambiguously foregrounded in these particular inflected forms, though the partitive min is more common across the full lemma. 3×
AR["مِنْها","مِنْهُمْ"]·ben["তাদের-চেয়ে","তাদের-থেকে","তার"]·DE["als-ihnen","von","von-sie"]·EN["of-it","of-them","than-them"]·FR["de-lui","que-eux","von-ils"]·heb["מ-מנו","ממנו","מן-ם"]·HI["उनमें-से","उसमें-से","उससे"]·ID["dari-mereka","daripadanya"]·IT["da-essi","da-suo","di-loro"]·jav["saking-piyambakipun"]·KO["그들-보다","로부터-그들","에서-그것"]·PT["dela","dentre-eles","mais-do-que-ele"]·RU["его","из-них","чем-он"]·ES["de-ella","de-ellos","que-ellos"]·SW["kuliko-wao","kutoka-kwao","wake"]·TR["onlardan","onun"]·urd["اُس-کا","اُن-سے"]
4. causal or concerning — The causal or thematic use meaning 'because of,' 'on account of,' 'concerning' — approximately 3 occurrences (1 Sam 17:50; 2 Kgs 6:1; Ps 65:3). In 1 Sam 17:50 David prevails 'without a sword in his hand' (the min here expresses means/source-of-action); in 2 Kgs 6:1 the prophets say the place 'is too narrow for us' (min expressing cause of constraint); in Ps 65:3 'iniquities prevail over me' — the min marking the overwhelming cause. Spanish sobre/para, French au-dessus/pour, and German ueber/fuer all shift away from ablative vocabulary toward causal or thematic prepositions, confirming a genuine sense boundary. This usage shades into instrumental and circumstantial territory. 3×
AR["عَلَيَّ","عَلَيْنا","مِنْ-"]·ben["আমাদের-কাছে","আমার-উপরে","উপর"]·DE["fuer-uns","ueber","zu-von"]·EN["for-me","for-us","over"]·FR["au-dessus","de-de","pour-nous"]·heb["מ-מנו","ממני","מן"]·HI["मिमेन्नू","मुझ-पर","से-"]·ID["atas","bagi-kami","bagiku"]·IT["da","per-noi","sopra"]·jav["kawula","saking-","tumrap-kita"]·KO["나-보다","에서-","우리-에게서"]·PT["contra-mim","de-nós","sobre-"]·RU["-","меня","от-него"]·ES["para-nosotros","sobre-","sobre-mí"]·SW["juu-ya","kwetu","mimi"]·TR["-den","bana-","den-biz"]·urd["مجھ-پر","پر","ہم-سے"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מִן־ and מִ·, before יְ (except Dn 12:2 2 Ch 20:11) contr. to מִי (as מִידֵי from מִיְּדֵי), before gutt. and ר, mostly מֵ, occasionally מִ (Ges§ 102, 1 R.; more fully Köii. 291 ff.), מִן before art. in all books much commoner than מֵ-; מִן before other words most freq. in Ch [51 times: elsewhere 47 times (Kö 292)]; poet. also מִנִּי, with the old י of the gen. (Ges§ 90. 3 a) †Ju 5:14(×2) Is…