H1097 H1097
Without, not, for lack of; rarely as substantive: nothingness, destruction
A poetic particle of negation and privation, used chiefly in elevated Hebrew to mean 'without' or 'for lack of.' It negates verbs, adjectives, and participles, and frequently combines with prefixed prepositions (מִבְּלִי, לִבְלִי) to express cause or consequence of absence. In one striking instance (Isa 38:17), it functions as a noun in the phrase שַׁחַת בְּלִי 'pit of nothingness,' where Hezekiah reflects on deliverance from Sheol. The Spanish and French translations consistently render privative senses with 'sin' and 'sans,' confirming the core meaning of absence or lack.
Senses
1. without, not, for lack of — The dominant usage across 57 occurrences, functioning as a preposition or adverb meaning 'without,' 'not,' or 'for lack of.' In Gen 31:20 it negates a finite verb in prose (בְּלִי הִגִּיד 'without telling'), while in Job it frequently governs nouns to express privation (Job 8:11 בְּלִי־מַיִם 'without water'). Multilingual glosses converge on 'without/sin/sans/ohne,' underscoring the universal privative reading. Compounds with מִן and לְ intensify causal force, as in Deut 28:55. 57×
AR["بِغَيْرِ","بِغَيْرِ-","بِلا","بِلَا","بِلَا-","لِعَدَمِ-"]·ben["ছাড়া","ছাড়া-","নামহীন-","বিনা","বিনা-","বিনা-জ্ঞান"]·DE["in-mir","ohne"]·EN["for-lack-of","for-lack-of-","without","without-"]·FR["comme-sans","dans-sans","de-sans","sans","à-sans"]·heb["ב-בלי","בלי","ל-בלי","מ-בלי"]·HI["बिना","बिना-"]·ID["karena-tidak-ada","tanpa","tanpa-"]·IT["come-senza","da-senza","in-senza","per-senza","senza"]·jav["mboten","tanpa","tanpa-"]·KO["없음에서-의","없이","없이-","없이-에서","없이-의","이름-없는"]·PT["por-falta-de","sem","sem-"]·RU["без","без-"]·ES["para-no-","por-falta-de-","sin","sin-"]·SW["bila","bila-","kwa-kukosa","wasio-na"]·TR["bilmeden-","isimsiz-","olmadan","olmadan-","olmaksızın"]·urd["بغیر","بغیر-","زمین سے"]
Gen 31:20, Exod 14:11, Deut 4:42, Deut 19:4, Deut 28:55, Josh 20:3, Josh 20:5, 2 Sam 1:21, 2 Kgs 1:3, 2 Kgs 1:6, 2 Kgs 1:16, Job 4:11 (+38 more)
2. nothingness, destruction — A rare substantival use (1x) in Isa 38:17, where בְּלִי carries concrete force as 'nothingness' or 'destruction' in the phrase שַׁחַת בְּלִי 'pit of annihilation.' Spanish 'de-nada' captures the nihilistic sense. This usage draws on the etymological root meaning 'wearing out' (cf. Arabic بِلًى), treating the destination of Sheol not as mere absence but as active dissolution. 1×
AR["الفَنَاءِ"]·ben["ধ্বংসের"]·DE["ohne"]·EN["of-destruction"]·FR["sans"]·heb["בלי"]·HI["शून्यता"]·ID["kebinasaan"]·IT["in-a-me"]·jav["karusakan"]·KO["없음의"]·PT["destruição"]·RU["гибели"]·ES["de-nada"]·SW["la-maangamizo"]·TR["yoklugun"]·urd["تباہی-کے"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בְּלִי subst. wearing out (بِلًى, ܒܠܳܝ wearing out of a garment), hence 1. fig. destruction Is 38:17 שַׁחַת בְּלִי pit of destruction (of She’ôl). 2. defect, failure, hence adv. of negation (cf. אֶפֶס), chiefly poet. for לֹא, אֵין— a. with finite vb. rare and only once in prose, Gn 31:20 (E) עַל־בְּלִי הִגִּיד לוֹ because he told him not, Is 14:6; 32:10 Ho 8:7; 9:16 (Kt) Jb 41:18. b. used to…