ma.a.leh denotes an upward route or rise, including an approach marked by steps.

The term most often identifies an upward route or elevated approach, frequently specified by a place name or used as a point along travel, pursuit, boundaries, or mourning. In the architectural descriptions of Ezekiel, it denotes an ascent consisting of eight steps.

1. An upward route or named rise · dominant

   The construct-form noun marks identifiable routes or rises: in 1 Samuel 9:11 the APB renders people going up into the city, and in 2 Samuel 15:30 it renders David going up while weeping. It also locates movement or landmarks at named ascents, as in 2 Chronicles 20:16, Joshua 15:7, Joshua 18:17, and Jeremiah 48:5.

   1 Samuel 9:112 Samuel 15:302 Chronicles 20:16Joshua 15:7Joshua 18:17Jeremiah 48:5
2. A stepped architectural approach · occasional

   In the gate descriptions, the construct-form noun is associated with an approach whose extent is stated as eight steps. In Ezekiel 40:31, Ezekiel 40:34, and Ezekiel 40:37 the APB renders the clause, "its ascent consisted of eight steps."

   Ezekiel 40:31Ezekiel 40:34Ezekiel 40:37Nehemiah 12:37

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term as "ascent," especially in named locations and travel scenes, and describes it as eight steps in Ezekiel 40:31, Ezekiel 40:34, and Ezekiel 40:37. These renderings confirm the clauses' settings rather than establish a separate English equivalent in every verse.