H5980 H5980
Close beside, alongside, parallel to; corresponding to, matching; over against in opposition.
Ummah is a feminine noun used almost exclusively in construct with the preposition le- (le'ummat), functioning as a compound preposition meaning 'alongside, corresponding to, opposite.' It is the go-to spatial term for architectural parallelism in Exodus and Ezekiel — describing how one structural element sits flush with or directly across from another. The tabernacle rings are placed le'ummat the border (Exod 25:27); Ezekiel's temple walls run 'alongside' the chambers (Ezek 42:7); and the tribal land allotments sit 'parallel to' one another (Ezek 48:13-21). Occasionally the spatial meaning shifts into abstract correspondence — the elder corresponding to the younger (1 Chr 24:31) or doing something 'in the same manner' (Eccl 5:16). A rare adversarial usage in Ezek 3:8 ('forehead against forehead') shows the word can express confrontation as well as alignment.
Senses
1. corresponding to, parallel with — Spatial correspondence or parallelism — the core sense at 15 occurrences, describing one thing positioned directly matching, parallel to, or corresponding to another. Especially prominent in Ezekiel's temple and land-division visions (Ezek 45:6-7; 48:13, 18, 21) and in Chronicles' organizational lists where one division 'corresponds to' another (1 Chr 24:31; 25:8; 26:12). French correspondant a and Spanish correspondiente a both capture the alignment-matching quality. The emphasis is structural: two things properly lined up or matched, not merely nearby. 15×
AR["بِ-مُقَابِلِ", "بِـ-مُحَاذَاةِ", "مُحَاذِيَةُ", "مُقابِلَ", "مُقَابِلَ"]·ben["-সামনে", "পাশাপাশি", "বরাবর", "সমান", "সমান-ভাবে", "সমানভাবে", "সমান্তরালে"]·DE["[לעמת]", "corresponding-zu", "gegenueber"]·EN["corresponding-to"]·FR["[לעמות]", "[לעמת]", "corresponding-à", "en-face-de"]·heb["ל-עומות", "ל-עומת", "ל-עמת", "ל-עמת ׀"]·HI["के-बराबर", "के-समान", "बारी-बारी-से", "समानांतर", "साथ-साथ", "सामने"]·ID["berhadap-hadapan-dengan", "sama-dengan", "sejajar", "sejajar-dengan", "sesuai-dengan"]·IT["corresponding-a", "di-fronte", "di-fronte-a"]·jav["kangge-tandhing", "nglawan", "nglawan-", "sakngajeng-ipun", "sarujuk-kaliyan", "sejajar-kaliyan"]·KO["맞은편-에", "맞은편에", "맞편에-", "에-나란히", "에-나란히들의", "에-대하여", "에-대한-맞은편", "에-맞은편에"]·PT["correspondendo-a", "correspondente-a", "defronte", "defronte-de", "igualmente", "junto-a", "paralelo-a"]·RU["напротив", "соответственно", "соответствующая"]·ES["correspondiente-a", "frente-a", "igual", "igual-a", "paralelo-a"]·SW["kama", "kuelekeana-na", "mbele-ya", "sambamba-na", "sawa", "sawa-na"]·TR["eşleşen", "karşılıklı", "karşılığında", "karşılığında-", "karşısında"]·urd["برابر", "بمقابلہ", "سامنے"]
Exod 38:18, 1 Chr 24:31, 1 Chr 24:31, 1 Chr 25:8, 1 Chr 26:12, 1 Chr 26:16, Neh 12:24, Ezek 40:18, Ezek 42:7, Ezek 45:6, Ezek 45:7, Ezek 48:13 (+3 more)
2. close beside, adjacent to — Close beside or adjacent to — 13 occurrences emphasizing physical proximity and nearness rather than abstract correspondence. This is the tabernacle-construction sense: the rings are placed 'close by' the border of the frame (Exod 25:27; 37:14), the shoulder-pieces sit 'beside' the ephod (Exod 28:27; 39:20), and the fat is removed 'close by the backbone' (Lev 3:9). Spanish junto a ('next to') and French en face ('facing') capture this spatial adjacency. The suffixed forms le'ummatam ('beside them') and le'ummato ('beside it/him') belong here, as does Neh 3:23's 'beside their house' and 7:2's placement 'beside' the fortress. 13×
AR["بِ-مُحاذاةِ", "بِإِزائِهِ-", "بِـ-إِزاءِ", "تُجاهَ", "تُجَاهَهَا", "عِنْدَ", "مَعَها", "مُقَابِلَ"]·ben["-সামনে-তার", "কাছে", "তাদের-মুখোমুখি", "তাদের-সাথে", "বিপরীতে-", "সমান", "সামনে"]·DE["[לעמת]", "gegenueber", "nahe-zu", "opposite", "opposite-ihn", "schliessen-zu"]·EN["alongside-", "alongside-them", "beside-them", "close-to", "opposite", "opposite-him"]·FR["[לעמתם]", "en-face", "en-face-lui", "fermer-à", "à-à-côté-de"]·heb["ל-עומת", "ל-עומת-", "ל-עומת-ו", "ל-עומתם", "לעומתם"]·HI["उनके-साथ", "उसके-सामने", "के-पास", "के-बराबर", "पास", "साथ-", "सामने", "सामने-की-ओर"]·ID["Berhadapan dengan", "Dekat", "berhadapan-dengannya", "bersama-mereka", "dekat", "di-samping-mereka", "sejajar-dengan"]·IT["chiudere-a", "di-fronte", "di-fronte-a-lui", "opposite", "per-alongside"]·jav["Celak-kaliyan", "Mapag", "celak-kaliyan", "ing-ngarep-ipun", "ing-ngiringipun", "sarujuk-kaliyan", "sesarengan", "sesarengan-"]·KO["가까이-에", "가면서", "그것들과-함께", "그들의-맞은편에서", "그와-나란히", "맞서-", "에-가까이", "에-맞은편에"]·PT["Junto-a", "correspondência-de", "junto-a", "junto-a-eles", "paralelo-a-ele"]·RU["Напротив", "напротив", "напротив-", "напротив-него", "напротив-них", "рядом-с", "у"]·ES["Junto-a", "frente-a", "frente-a-él", "junto-a", "junto-a-ellos"]·SW["kando-yao", "karibu-na", "karibu-nao", "pamoja-na", "pamoja-nao", "sambamba-naye"]·TR["karsisinda", "karşısında", "ve-sesini", "yakınında", "yanlarında", "yanıbaşlarında", "yanında", "çünkü"]·urd["ان-کے-ساتھ", "اُن-کے-ساتھ", "سامنے-اُس-کے", "قریب", "نزدیک", "کے-مقابل"]
Exod 25:27, Exod 28:27, Exod 37:14, Exod 39:20, Lev 3:9, 2 Sam 16:13, 2 Sam 16:13, Eccl 7:14, Ezek 1:20, Ezek 1:21, Ezek 3:13, Ezek 10:19 (+1 more)
3. over against, in opposition — Over against in confrontation or opposition — a sharply distinct sense appearing only twice, both in Ezek 3:8, where God hardens Ezekiel's face 'against' the rebels' faces and his forehead 'against' their foreheads. Spanish contra and German gegenuber both shift to adversarial vocabulary. The doubling within a single verse emphasizes that this is not mere spatial proximity but active, confrontational positioning — face set against face. 2×
AR["مُقابِلَ"]·ben["-সম্মুখে"]·DE["gegenueber"]·EN["against"]·FR["[לעמת]"]·heb["ל-עומת"]·HI["के-सामने"]·ID["menghadapi"]·IT["di-fronte"]·jav["nglawan"]·KO["을-맞서"]·PT["diante-de"]·RU["напротив"]·ES["contra"]·SW["kinyume-na"]·TR["karşı"]·urd["کے-مقابلے-میں"]
4. from beside (with min) — From beside or from a position alongside — a single occurrence at 1 Kgs 7:20 where the preposition min is prefixed, creating me'ummat to indicate source-direction from alongside the belly-shaped protrusion of the pillars. This is a standard spatial extension: the same 'beside/alongside' meaning with directional 'from' added. French de a cote de and Spanish desde junto a both render this as 'from beside.' 1×
AR["مِنْ-مُقَابِلِ"]·ben["সামনে-থেকে"]·DE["von-neben"]·EN["from-beside"]·FR["de-à-côté-de"]·heb["מ-ל-עומת"]·HI["निकट-से"]·ID["dari-samping"]·IT["da-accanto-a"]·jav["saking-sejajar"]·KO["불록한-부분의-반대쪽의"]·PT["junto-a"]·RU["напротив"]·ES["desde-junto-a"]·SW["ambalo"]·TR["karşısında"]·urd["سے-سامنے"]
5. in like manner, same as — In like manner, equivalently — a single occurrence at Eccl 5:16 where the spatial metaphor of 'alongside' has been abstracted into qualitative comparison: 'just as he came, so shall he go.' The Qoheleth passage uses the bare ummat (without le-) in what BDB identifies as the only such form, meaning 'agreeing with, corresponding to' in manner rather than position. German in-gleicher-Weise and Spanish de la misma manera show the shift from spatial to modal correspondence. 1×
AR["وَغَمٌّ"]·ben["ঠিক-যেমন"]·DE["[עמת]"]·EN["same-as"]·FR["à-côté-de"]·heb["עומת"]·HI["उसी-तरह"]·ID["tepat-seperti"]·IT["same-as"]·jav["kados"]·KO["같이-"]·PT["correspondência-de"]·RU["как"]·ES["manera-que"]·SW["jinsi"]·TR["aynisi"]·urd["طرح"]
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
† I. [עֻמָּה] n.f. juxtaposition, but only in st. c. with force of a prep. close by, side by side with, parallel to, agreeing with, corresponding to;—st. c. עֻמַּת, except Ec 5:15 always c. לְ, sf. לְעֻמָּתוֹ, once pl. cstr. לְעֻמּוֹת Ez 45:7;— a. close by, side by side with: Ex 25:27 (37:14), 28:27 (39:20), Lv 3:9 לְעֻמַּת הֶעָצֶה יְסִירֶנָּה shall take it away close by the backbone; especially…