Min (מִן) — Meaning & Usage in the Bible

Properly, min denotes a part of something. Used prepositionally, it expresses separation, origin, or source — 'from' or 'out of' in many senses. The KJV renders it in a wide range of English equivalents, including above, after, among, at, because of, by reason of, in, neither, nor, of, over, since, then, through, whether, and with.

In Hebrew, מִן often attaches directly to the following word as a prefix (מִ, מֵ), as seen throughout the early chapters of Genesis. It can mark a starting point in space or time (Genesis 2:10, 'went out of Eden'), source or material (Genesis 2:7, 'formed man of the dust'), or partitive selection (Genesis 2:9, 'out of the ground').

Because it appears so frequently, readers should note that min does not always translate as a single English word. The sense of the passage determines whether the best rendering is 'from,' 'of,' 'out of,' 'among,' or another equivalent.

In the opening chapters of Genesis, מִן marks origin, source, and separation. God divides waters by means of the firmament (Genesis 1:7), gathers the waters so dry land appears (Genesis 1:9), and rests from his completed work on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2, 2:3). A mist rises from the earth to water the ground (Genesis 2:6), and man is formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7).

The word also indicates spatial departure — a river goes out of Eden (Genesis 2:10) — and partitive selection, as when every tree of the garden is permitted for food (Genesis 2:16). These early uses already display the broad range min maintains throughout the Old Testament.