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׳…