3884. luwle'
Strong's Lexicon
luwle': "if not," "unless"

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

Word Origin: Derived from a combination of the Hebrew preposition לּוּ (lu) meaning "if" and the negative particle לֹא (lo) meaning "not."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: While there is no direct Greek equivalent for לּוּלֵא (luwle'), similar conditional expressions can be found in Greek using words like εἰ μή (ei mē), which also means "if not" or "unless."

Usage: The Hebrew word לּוּלֵא (luwle') is used as a conjunction to express a conditional negation. It is often translated as "if not" or "unless," indicating a hypothetical situation or condition that is contrary to fact. It is used to introduce a clause that describes what would have happened if the stated condition were not true.

Cultural and Historical Background: In ancient Hebrew culture, language was deeply intertwined with covenantal and relational thinking. The use of conditional statements like those introduced by לּוּלֵא (luwle') reflects the Hebrew mindset of understanding reality in terms of relationships and divine providence. Such expressions often highlight the dependency of human actions and outcomes on God's will and intervention.

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 (Köii. 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§§ 139-145iii. 487f; 565.

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'

Forms and Transliterations
לׅׄוּלֵׅ֗ׄאׅׄ לוּלֵ֖א לוּלֵ֗י לוּלֵ֛י לוּלֵ֡י לוּלֵ֣א לוּלֵ֣י לוּלֵא֙ לוּלֵי֙ לולא לולי lū·lê luLe lūlê luLei
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
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.
















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