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בַּל

𐤁𐤋

bal

H1077 particle

SILEX Entry

Root בלה to wear out, decay, fail

Definition

An adverb or particle signifying absolute negation, used to express the total absence or exclusion of something. Its primary lexical meaning is 'not,' 'none,' 'nothing,' or 'lest.' Bal is used to strongly negate a statement, often with an emphasis on total or categorical exclusion. It sometimes introduces clauses expressing a warning or prohibition ('lest'), and occasionally negates an entire phrase or concept, especially in poetic or legal contexts.

Semantic Range

not at all, none, neither, nothing, lest (expressing warning or negative purpose), absolute negation

Root / Etymology

From the root ב־ל־ה (b-l-h), which means 'to be worn out' or 'to fail.' The form בַּל (bal) is likely derived by semantic extension to signify 'failure, nothingness, lack,' and ultimately used as a strong negative particle; however, some consider its etymology uncertain and see it as a fixed negation particle not transparently related to its root in all usages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בַּל appears primarily in poetic, liturgical, and wisdom literature (such as Psalms, Proverbs, Job), whereas standard prose more often uses לֹא (loʼ) for simple negation or אַל (ʼal) for prohibitions. בַּל usually adds emphasis or totality to the negation, marking something as utterly absent, void, or inadmissible. In post-biblical Hebrew, the form is rare and mostly survives in scriptural quotations. English translations often render בַּל as 'not at all,' 'none,' or 'lest,' but may not fully capture its emphatic or categorical negating force. Its use can be idiomatic, especially introducing warnings ('lest something happen'), and should not be confused with לֹא, which simply negates a verb. The nuance of 'failure' is vestigial and does not occur in regular lexical usage for בַּל itself; rather, it conveys the absolute negation of a state, object, or action.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בָּלָה; properly, a failure; by implication nothing; usually (adverb) not at all; also lest; lest, neither, no, none (that...), not (any), nothing.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בלה (b-l-h) — to wear out, decay, fail

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1079 בָּל not at all
H1080 בְּלָא he will wear down
H1086 בָּלָה they wore out
H1087 בָּלֶה worn-out ones
H1088 בָּלָה and Balah

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1077-01 בַּל bal HTn not not at all 59
H1077-02 וּ/בַל uval HC/Tn nor and not at all 9
H1077-03 בַֽל val HTn not not at all 4

Occurrences in Scripture

72 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1077-01 Isaiah 14:21 בַּל bal HTn lest not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 26:10 בַּל bal HTn not not at all
H1077-02 Isaiah 26:10 וּ/בַל uval HC/Tn and not and not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 26:11 בַּל bal HTn not not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 26:14 בַּל bal HTn not not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 26:14 בַּל bal-2 HTn not not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 26:18 בַּל bal HTn not not at all
H1077-02 Isaiah 26:18 וּ/בַֽל uval HC/Tn nor and not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 33:20 בַּל bal HTn not not at all
H1077-01 Isaiah 33:20 בַּל bal-2 HTn not not at all
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