with a
verb; so most freq., and nearly always (
a) with the finite tenses, whether pf. (
Breishis 2:5;
Breishis 4:5 etc.) or impf. (
Breishis 3:4;
Breishis 8:21,
Breishis 8:22 etc.); in short circumst. clauses, as
Breishis 44:4 לא הרחיקו,
Yeshaya 40:20 לֹא יִמּוֹט, and with a final force
Yeshaya 41:7 Shemos 28:32 (v. Ges
§ 156. 3 R. b, c Dr
§ 162). Governing two closely connected verbs (Dr
§115, לא)
Shemos 28:43 וְלֹא יִשְׂאוּ עָוֹן וָמֵתוּ,
Vayikra 19:12,
Vayikra 19:29 b
Devarim 7:25,
Devarim 7:26;
Devarim 19:10;
Devarim 22:1 al.; and two parallel clauses (Ges
§ 152. 3)
Yeshaya 23:4 Tehillim 9:19;
Tehillim 44:19 Iyov 3:11 al. With the impf., especially with 2 ps.,
לֹא often expresses (not, like
אַל, a deprecation,
do not …,
let not …, but) a
prohibition, as
Breishis 2:17 לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ thou
shalt not eat of it,
Breishis 3:1,
Breishis 3:3 Shemos 20:3 לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ there
shall not be to thee, etc., v
Breishis 3:13 לא תגנב, etc. With the coh. and juss. moods (which are negatived regularly by
אַל), it occurs only exceptionally (Ges
§109. 1 b R. 1),
Breishis 24:8 Shmuel Alef 14:36 Shmuel Beis 17:12;
Shmuel Beis 18:14 Melachim Alef 2:6 Yechezkel 48:14. (
b) with the inf. (which is negatived by
בִּלְתִּי, q.v.), only once, in
בְּלֹא (
4 a), and with
לְ, in the sense of
cannot, or
must not; †
Shoftim 1:19 כי לא להורושׁ for it
was not (possible)
to dispossess, etc.
Amos 6:10 לא להזכיר בשׁם י׳,
Divrei HaYamim Alef 5:1;
Divrei HaYamim Alef 15:2 (Dr
§ 202. 2); cf. Aramaic
לָא Daniel 6:9 Ezra 6:8. On its use with the ptcp., see
b c. (
c)
לא always negatives properly the word immed. following: hence, in a verbal sentence, where this is not the verb, some special stress rests upon it,
Breishis 32:29 לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד וג׳ not Jacob shall thy name be called any more, but Israel,
Breishis 45:8 לֹא אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי Not ye (in our idiom: It is not ye who) have sent me hither, but God,
Shemos 16:8 Shmuel Alef 8:7 כִּי לֹא אֹתְךָ מָאָסוּ כִּי אֹתִי וג׳,
Tehillim 115:17; without a foll. correcting clause,
Breishis 38:9 Bamidbar 16:29 לֹא י׳ שְׁלָחָנִי ׃ Not י׳ (but another) hath sent me,
Devarim 32:27 לֹא י׳ פָּעַל זֹאת,
Divrei HaYamim Alef 17:4 Devarim 8:9 Yeshaya 28:28 לא לנצח …
not for ever (but only for a while) … (so
Yeshaya 57:16 Tehillim 9:19;
Tehillim 49:20;
Tehillim 103:9; but
Yeshaya 13:20 לא תשׁב לנצח is, will
not be inhabited for ever),
Yeshaya 43:22 Iyov 13:16;
Iyov 32:9; hence rhetorically, insinuating something very different, not named,
Melachim Beis 6:10 not once, and
not twice (but repeatedly),
Ezra 10:13 Yirmiya 4:11 a wind
לֹא לְזָרוֹת וְלוֹא לְהָבַֽר׃ not to winnow, and
not to cleanse (but to exterminate),
Yeshaya 45:13;
Yeshaya 48:1 Yehoshua 24:12 Daniel 11:20,
Daniel 11:29 Iyov 34:20 לֹא בְיָד (but by a Divine agency: cf.
Daniel 2:34; also
Iyov 20:26 אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּ֑ח fire
not blown upon [but kindled from heaven],
Eicha 4:6; and
אין Yeshaya 47:14). (
d) standing alone: (
a)
אִם־לֹא if not,
Breishis 18:21 וְאִם־לֹא אֵדָֽעָה׃,
Breishis 24:49;
Breishis 42:16 Iyov 9:24;
Iyov 24:25; (β)
הֲ …
אִם־לֹא,
or not,
Breishis 24:21 waiting to know
הַהִצְלִיחַ י׳ דַּדְכּוֹ אִם־לֹא,
Breishis 27:21;
Breishis 37:32 Shemos 16:4 Bamidbar 11:23 Devarim 8:2 Shoftim 2:22 (cf.
אִם אַיִן,
אַיִן 2 d β, δ). In answer to a question or request, to deny, or decline,
Nay, No: Shoftim 12:5 ויאמר לא,
Chaggai 2:12;
לא אדני Breishis 23:11;
Breishis 42:10 Shmuel Alef 1:15 +; often sq.
כי,
No: for … =
No: but …,
Breishis 18:15 ויאמר לֹא כִּי צָחָ֑קְתְּ,
Breishis 19:2 Yehoshua 5:14;
Yehoshua 24:21;
Shmuel Alef 2:16 Qr (v. Dr),
Shmuel Alef 10:19 (𝔊 MSS),
Shmuel Beis 16:18;
Shmuel Beis 24:24 Melachim Alef 3:22(×2) +;
Iyov 23:6 (strangely). (Cf., in deprecation,
אַל.) (
e) with an interrog. force, which however does not lie in
לא as such, but (as in other cases) in the contrast with a preceding clause, or in the tone of voice (cf. וְ
1 f; Ew
§ 324 a Ges
§ 150. 1 Dr
Shmuel Alef 11:12):
Yonah 4:11 אַתָּה חַסְתָּ …
וַאֲנִי לֹא אָחוּס וג׳,
Iyov 2:10;
Iyov 22:11;
Shemos 8:22;
Melachim Beis 5:26 Yirmiya 49:9 (‖
Ovadia 1:5 הֲלוֹא),
Malachi 2:15 Eicha 3:38; and in passages, exeg. or text. doubtful (v. Comm.),
Shmuel Alef 20:14 Shmuel Beis 23:5 (but v. Bu),
Hoshea 10:9 (Ew We),
Hoshea 11:5 (Ew),
Iyov 14:16 (but 𝔊 Ew Di
תַעֲבֹר),
Eicha 1:12 (Ew Ke),
Eicha 3:36 (Ke Bä).