מַעֲלָל41 H4611
deeds, practices — habitual actions or conduct, usually evaluated morally as evil or (rarely) good
Ma'alal occurs only in the plural (ma'alalim) and denotes the habitual practices or characteristic conduct of a person or nation, with a strong tilt toward moral evaluation. Jeremiah uses it 17 times — more than any other book — to indict Judah's 'evil practices' from which God demands repentance (Jer 4:4; 18:11; 25:5; 26:13). The word's moral gravity is captured in its frequent pairing with ra ('evil') or ro'a ('wickedness'): 'the evil of your deeds' (Hos 9:15; Jer 21:12). Yet it is not exclusively negative; Psalm 77:12 recalls God's own deeds, and Psalm 78:7 urges remembering the ma'alale-el ('works of God'). The cross-linguistic glosses confirm the moral-behavioral emphasis: Spanish 'obras,' French 'action,' German 'Taten.'
Senses
1. deeds, acts, practices — Habitual conduct or characteristic deeds of persons or communities, predominantly evaluated morally. Jeremiah's phrase ro'a ma'alelekhem ('the evil of your practices,' Jer 4:4; 21:12) summons repentance. Hosea 5:4 and 7:2 apply it to entrenched waywardness. The positive usage — God's own deeds in worship (Ps 77:12; 78:7) — shows the term is neutral in principle though overwhelmingly negative in prophecy. 42×
AR["أَعمالُهُم","أَعمالِهِم","أَعمَالِهِم","أَعْمَالَكُمْ","أَعْمَالَهُمْ","أَعْمَالِكُمْ","أَعْمَالِهِمْ","أَفعَالِكُم","وَ-أَعْمَالَكُمْ"]·ben["(তোমাদের-কাজগুলির।)","এবং-তোমাদের-কাজগুলি","ও-তোমাদের-কাজগুলি।","কাজ-তাদের","কাজের-তাদের","কাজের-তোমাদের","তাদের-কর্মগুলি","তাদের-কর্মগুলির","তাদের-কাজগুলি","তাদের-কাজগুলির।","তাদের-কাজের","তোমাদের-কাজগুলি","তোমাদের-কাজগুলির","তোমাদের-কাজের"]·DE["Tat","ihre-Taten","und-Tat"]·EN["and-deeds-your","and-your-deeds","deeds-your","their-deeds","your-deeds"]·FR["action","et-action"]·heb["ו-מעלליכם","מעלליהם","מעלליכם"]·HI["अपने-कामों-का","अपने-कामों-की","अपने-कार्य","उनके-कामों","उनके-कामों-की","उनके-कामों-के","और-कामों-अपने","कर्मों-अपने-को","कामों-अपने","कामों-तुम्हारे-की","कामों-तुम्हारे-के","कार्यों-उनके","तुम्हारे-कामों","तुम्हारे-कामों-की"]·ID["dan-perbuatan-perbuatan-kamu","dan-perbuatan-perbuatanmu","perbuatan-mu","perbuatan-perbuatan-mereka","perbuatan-perbuatanmu"]·IT["azione","e-azione"]·jav["lan-tumindak-panjenengan","lan-tumindak-panjenengan!'","tumindak","tumindak-ipun","tumindak-panjenengan","tumindak-panjenengan-sedaya","tumindakipun","tumindaké","tumindhak-panjenengan"]·KO["(너희의-행위들의)","그들의-행위들을","그들의-행위들의","그들의-행위들이","그들의-행위의","그리고-너희의-행위들","그리고-너희의-행위들을","너희-행위의","너희의-행위들을","너희의-행위들의","행위들-그들의","행위들-그들의-를"]·PT["(vossas-obras)","ações-suas","ações-vossas","e-vossas-obras","e-vossas-obras.","obras-deles","obras-vossas","suas-obras","suas-obras.","vossas-obras"]·RU["ваши","дел-ваших","дел-их","дела-ваши","дела-их","деяний-ваших","деяний-их","и-дела-ваши"]·ES["(obras-vuestras)","obras-de-ellos","obras-de-vosotros","obras-sus","obras-vuestras","sus-obras","vuestras-obras","y-obras-vuestras","y-vuestras-obras"]·SW["matendo-yao","matendo-yenu","na-matendo-yenu","wa-matendo-yenu"]·TR["eylemleri","eylemlerini-onların","eylemlerinin","eylemlerinin-onların","eylemlerinizin","işlerini","işlerinin","işlerinizi","işlerinizin","işlerinizin-sizin","ve-işlerinizi","yollarınızın"]·urd["اعمال-ان-کے","اعمال-اپنے","اعمال-تمہارے","ان-کے-کاموں-کا","اور-اعمال-اپنے","اور-کاموں-کو-اپنے","اُن-کے-کام","اُن-کے-کاموں-کے","اپنے-کام","تمہارے-کاموں-کی","کام-اُن-کے","کاموں-اُن-کے","کاموں-تمہارے","کاموں-تمہارے-کی","کاموں-تمہارے-کے","کاموں-کے-تمہارے"]
Deut 28:20, Judg 2:19, 1 Sam 25:3, Neh 9:35, Ps 28:4, Ps 77:11, Ps 78:7, Ps 106:29, Ps 106:39, Prov 20:11, Isa 1:16, Isa 3:8 (+30 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[מַעֲלָל41] n.m. Ne 9:35 deed, practice;—only pl. מַעֲלָלִים 1 S 25:3; cstr. מַעַלְלֵי ψ 77:12; 78:1; sf. מַעֲלָלֶיךָ Dt 28:20, מַעֲלָלָיו Ho 4:9 + מַעַלְלֵיכֶם Is 1:16 +, מַעַלְלֵיהֶם 3:10 +, etc.;— 1. usually (especially Je 17 times) bad practices of men, רַע מַעֲלָלִים 1 S 25:3 he was evil in his practices; Ju 2:19 (‖ דֶּרֶךְ), Ho 5:5; 7:2; Is 3:8; Je 11:18 ψ 106:29, 39 (‖ מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם); מ׳…