לְמוֹ
𐤋𐤌𐤅
lᵉmôw
H3926 preposition
SILEX Entry
Definition
A prepositional particle functioning as a variant of the preposition לְ ('to, for, belonging to'), typically used in poetic and elevated literary style. It indicates direction, purpose, possession, or relationship, and in some rare occurrences, marks the object or recipient of an action more emphatically. Sometimes used in coordination with pronominal suffixes, but generally stands independently or before proper nouns.
Semantic Range
to, toward (direction); for, on behalf of (benefaction, purpose); belonging to (possession); upon (with verbs of action); in relationship with (dat. of interest)
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew prepositional root ל (lamed), meaning 'to, for, belonging to.' לְמוֹ is considered a lengthened, poetic, or archaic form, occasionally functioning as an emphatic or dialectal variant. Not derived from a distinct root, but rather an expansion of לְ.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, לְמוֹ occurs almost exclusively in poetry and elevated narrative style (e.g., Psalms, Job, Deuteronomy 32), seldom in prose. It appears primarily before proper nouns, especially divine names (e.g., לְמוֹ יָקָר 'to him is precious'), and sometimes in idiomatic expressions. Its use conveys a sense of archaism, solemnity, or heightened style, without substantial change in core meaning compared to לְ. The form does not attach pronominal suffixes, unlike לּוֹ (lo, 'to him'), yet it can function where one might expect a suffixed preposition, blurring distinctions in some poetic contexts. Later Hebrew and standard Biblical prose almost exclusively use לְ (le) and its suffixed forms for these functions. English translations often do not differentiate לְמוֹ from regular prepositions and rarely capture its stylistic nuance.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a prolonged and separable form of the prepositional prefix; to or for; at, for, to, upon.
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
ל (l) — to, for, toward, belonging to
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3212 | יָלַךְ | to you |
| H3772 | כָּרַת | to you |
| H3885 | לוּן | and to us |
| H433 | אֱלוֹהַּ | to her |
| H5545 | סָלַח | to you |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3926-01 |
לְמוֹ | lemo | HR |
for them | to, for | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences