3884. luwle'

Lexicon

luwle': "if not," "unless"

Original Word: לוּלֵא
Part of Speech: Preposition; Conjunction
Transliteration: luwle'
Pronunciation: loo-LAY
Phonetic Spelling: (loo-lay')
Definition: "if not," "unless"
Meaning: if not

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

except, had not, if

Or luwley {loo lay'}; from luw' and lo'; if not -- except, had not, if (...not), unless, were it not that.

see HEBREW luw'

see HEBREW lo'

Brown-Driver-Briggs

לוּלֵא Genesis 43:10; Judges 14:18; 2 Samuel 2:27; Psalm 27:13, elsewhere לוּלֵי₁₀ if not, unless (from לוּ if, and לֵא, by dissimilation (Kö^{ii. 236, 489}) for לֹא not; compare Arabic ), the negative of לוּ, and used similarly: —

a. followed by perfect, Judges 14:18 לולא חרשׁתם ֗֗֗ לא מצאתם unless ye had ploughed with my heifer, ye would not have found out my riddle, 1 Samuel 25:34 (second כי resumptive: כִּי 1d), Psalm 106:23; with apod, introd. by כִּי עַתָּה Genesis 31:42; Genesis 43:10; by אָז 2 Samuel 2:27 (כי resumptive); by כִּמְעַט Isaiah 1:9; with an aposiop. Psalm 27:13 if I had not believed ...!

b. followed by imperfect Deuteronomy 32:27 אמרתי ֗֗֗ לולי אגור I should have said, &c . . . . except I dreaded, &c.

c. followed by participle, 2 Kings 3:14.

d. without a verb, Psalm 94:17 (apodosis כמעט), Psalm 119:92 (apodosis אָז). In the later language, Psalm 124:1; Psalm 124:2 -שֶׁ ׳לוּלֵי י (apodosis אֲזַי except that ... (compare Aramaic, Psalm 106:23, אִילּוּלֵי ֗֗֗ דִּי Psalm 27:13 ᵑ7). — Read also לוּלֵי for אוּלַי in Numbers 22:33 (apodosis כִּי עַתָּה). See further on לוּ and לוּלֵא Dr^{§§ 139-145} Kö^{iii. 487f; 565}.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Hebrew root לוּ (lu), which is a conditional particle often used to express a hypothetical situation or condition.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • While there is no direct one-to-one correspondence between Hebrew and Greek particles, the concept of expressing a negative condition or hypothetical situation can be found in Greek particles such as εἰ μή (ei mē), which also means "if not" or "unless." This Greek particle is used in similar contexts in the New Testament to express conditions contrary to fact or to introduce exceptions.

Usage: The word לוּלֵא appears in various contexts within the Hebrew Bible, often to denote a hypothetical situation that did not occur due to a specific reason or condition. It is used to express a contrast between what could have happened and what actually did happen.

Context: • The particle לוּלֵא (lule) is used in the Hebrew Bible to introduce clauses that describe conditions contrary to fact. It is often employed in narrative and poetic texts to highlight the significance of divine intervention or human action that prevented a potential outcome.
• For example, in Genesis 31:42, Jacob uses לוּלֵא to express that if not for God's intervention, he would have been sent away empty-handed: "If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac had not been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed."
• In Psalm 27:13, the psalmist uses לוּלֵא to convey trust in God's goodness: "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
• The particle is also found in contexts where it underscores the importance of a particular action or decision, as seen in Genesis 43:10, where Judah speaks to his father Jacob about their need to return to Egypt: "If we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice by now."

Forms and Transliterations

לׅׄוּלֵׅ֗ׄאׅׄ לוּלֵ֖א לוּלֵ֗י לוּלֵ֛י לוּלֵ֡י לוּלֵ֣א לוּלֵ֣י לוּלֵא֙ לוּלֵי֙ לולא לולי lū·lê luLe lūlê luLei

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 31:42
HEB: לוּלֵ֡י אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִי֩
NAS: If the God of my father,
KJV: Except the God of my father,
INT: If the God of my father

Genesis 43:10
HEB: כִּ֖י לוּלֵ֣א הִתְמַהְמָ֑הְנוּ כִּֽי־
NAS: For if we had not delayed, surely
KJV: For except we had lingered,
INT: surely if delayed surely

Deuteronomy 32:27
HEB: לוּלֵ֗י כַּ֤עַס אוֹיֵב֙
KJV: Were it not that I feared the wrath
INT: not the provocation of the enemy

Judges 14:18
HEB: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לוּלֵא֙ חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י
NAS: And he said to them, If you had not plowed
KJV: And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed
INT: lion said If plowed my heifer

1 Samuel 25:34
HEB: אֹתָ֑ךְ כִּ֣י ׀ לוּלֵ֣י מִהַ֗רְתְּ [וַתָּבֹאתִי
KJV: from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted
INT: harming thee except quickly abide

2 Samuel 2:27
HEB: הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים כִּ֥י לוּלֵ֖א דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ כִּ֣י
KJV: liveth, unless thou hadst spoken,
INT: God surely unless spoken surely

2 Kings 3:14
HEB: לְפָנָ֔יו כִּ֗י לוּלֵ֛י פְּנֵ֛י יְהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט
KJV: whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard
INT: before for that the presence of Jehoshaphat

Psalm 27:13
HEB: לׅׄוּלֵׅ֗ׄאׅׄ הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת
NAS: [I would have despaired] unless I had believed
KJV: [I had fainted], unless I had believed
INT: unless had believed see

Psalm 94:17
HEB: לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה עֶזְרָ֣תָה
NAS: If the LORD had not been
KJV: Unless the LORD [had been] my help,
INT: If the LORD my help

Psalm 106:23
HEB: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לְֽהַשְׁמִ֫ידָ֥ם לוּלֵ֡י מֹ֘שֶׁ֤ה בְחִיר֗וֹ
KJV: that he would destroy them, had not Moses
INT: said destroy had not Moses his chosen

Psalm 119:92
HEB: לוּלֵ֣י ת֭וֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָ֑י
NAS: If Your law had not been my delight,
KJV: Unless thy law [had been] my delights,
INT: If your law been my delight

Psalm 124:1
HEB: הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה שֶׁהָ֣יָה
KJV: If [it had not been] the LORD
INT: of degrees of David If the LORD been

Psalm 124:2
HEB: לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה שֶׁהָ֣יָה
KJV: If [it had not been] the LORD
INT: If the LORD been

Isaiah 1:9
HEB: לוּלֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת
NAS: Unless the LORD of hosts
KJV: Except the LORD of hosts
INT: Unless the LORD of hosts

14 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3884
14 Occurrences

lū·lê — 4 Occ.
lū·lê — 10 Occ.