Summary
A preposition introduces a phrase that describes another word/concept within a sentence, usually a noun or a verb. However, like adverbs and particles, sometimes a prepositional phrase can describe the sentence as a whole. In Biblical Hebrew, prepositions can also be used with an infinitive construct verb to show its relationship to the main verb of a sentence.
Article
Both Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic have four primary prepositions:
the prefix בְּ (in, at, by); the prefix לְ (to, for); the prefix כְּ (as, like); and the prefix מִ
(which is a shortened form of the independent preposition מִן, meaning
"from"). However, there is also a family of other prepositions.
It is common for prepositions to be
combined together or with a noun to form new words that have their own
range of meanings (similar to compound conjunctions)
that may or may not overlap with the meaning of the individual component terms.
Types
In Biblical Hebrew, there are 11 general categories of prepositions: indirect object; spatial; locative; temporal; instrumental;
correlative; comparative; directional; causal; explanatory; and direct object.
However, this are also other types of prepositions in Biblical Hebrew. The specific meanings of individual prepositions can
be found in a dictionary or lexicon.
Spatial
Spatial prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "in", "on", "under", "with", "beside", etc.
This is a common use of the preposition בְּ.
Locative
Locative prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "to" or "from", etc.
This is a common use of the prepositions אֶל and מִן.
Temporal
Temporal prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "in", "at", "until", "before", "after", etc.
This is a common use of the preposition בְּ.
Instrumental
Instrumental prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "by", "with", "by means of", etc.
This is a common use of the preposition בְּ.
Correlative
Correlative prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "like", "as", "according to", etc.
This is the primary use of the preposition כְּ.
Comparative
Comparative prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "more than" or "greater than", etc.
This is a common use of the preposition מִן.
Directional
Directional prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "to", "toward", etc.
This is a common use of the preposition לְ.
Causal
Causal prepositions are translated into English with terms such as "for" or "because", etc.
This is a secondary use of the prepositions לְ and עַל.
Explanatory
Explanatory prepositions are often translated into English with terms such as "as", "for", "to", or it can be left untranslated.
This is a common use of the preposition לְ.
