בֵ֫לֶת H1115
A particle of negation meaning 'not, so as not to, except, without'; from a root meaning 'failure' or 'cessation', used for negative purpose, exclusion, and privation.
Derived from the root balah ('to wear out, fail'), bilti expresses the idea of cessation or non-existence deployed as a grammatical particle. Its most frequent use (84 of 112 occurrences) is with the preposition lamed to form negative purpose clauses — 'so as not to' — as when God marks Cain so that no one will kill him (Gen 4:15). It also functions as an exceptive particle ('except, unless') and can express pure absence ('without'). French afin-que-ne-pas and German zu-damit-nicht both reveal how languages stretch to capture this compact Hebrew negator, while Spanish para-no achieves the same with elegant brevity.
2. exception or exclusion — After a preceding negative, bilti functions as an exceptive particle meaning 'except, unless, but only.' German außer and French sauf match precisely. Key passages include Gen 21:26 ('no one told me except you'), Gen 43:3-5 (Joseph's brothers cannot return 'unless' Benjamin is with them), and Exod 22:20 ('whoever sacrifices to any god except the LORD'). These 13 occurrences show bilti carving out the single exception from a blanket negation. 13×
AR["إلّا","إلّا-","إِلَّا","إِلَّا-إِنْ-كَانَ","إِلّا","سِوايَ","سِوَى","غَيْرُكَ","مَا-عَدَا"]·ben["আমাকে-ছাড়া","ছাড়া","ছাড়া-তোমাকে","যদি-না"]·DE["ausser","ausser-You","außer","damit-nicht","es-sei-denn"]·EN["except","except-","except-You","except-me","unless"]·FR["sans","sauf","sauf-","sauf-Tu","à-moins-que"]·heb["בילתי","בלתי","בלתך"]·HI["बिना","मेरे-सिवा","सिवा","सिवा-तेरे","सिवाय"]·ID["kecuali","selain","selain-Engkau","tanpa"]·IT["a-meno-che","affinché-non","eccetto","except","except-","tranne-You"]·jav["Kajawi","kajawi","kajawi-","kajåwi","kejawi","kejawi-Panjenengan"]·KO["-외에-당신","나-외에","아니고","아니면","없이는","외에","외에는","제외하고"]·PT["Exceto","a-não-ser","exceto","exceto-eu","exceto-ti","sem","senão"]·RU["без","если-не","кроме","кроме-","кроме-Меня","кроме-Тебя","только"]·ES["a-menos-que","excepto","fuera-de-ti","sin","sino","sino-solo","sino-yo"]·SW["bila-","isipokuwa","isipokuwa-mimi","mbali-nawe","mkute","uso"]·TR["Senden-başka","başka","başkasına","dışında","hariç","olmadıkça"]·urd["بغیر","تیرے-سوا","سوا","سوائے","میرے-سوا"]
Gen 21:26, Gen 43:3, Gen 43:5, Gen 47:18, Exod 22:20, Num 11:6, Num 32:12, Josh 11:19, Judg 7:14, 1 Sam 2:2, Hos 13:4, Amos 3:3 (+1 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. negative purpose or result — The dominant negative-purpose construction, typically לְבִלְתִּי plus infinitive, expressing 'so as not to, in order not to, lest.' French afin-que-ne-pas and Spanish para-no both capture this final-clause negation cleanly. Found 84 times from Genesis to Ezekiel, it governs divine warnings (Gen 3:11), protective measures (Gen 4:15, Lev 18:30), and prophetic prohibitions. This is the Hebrew writer's primary tool for expressing purposeful prevention. 84×
AR["لِ-أَلَّا","لِ-عَدَمِ","لِئَلَّا","لِـ-كَيلا","لِـ-كَيْلَا","لِكَيْ-لَا","لِكَيْلَا"]·ben["-যেন-না-হয়","না-","না-করতে","না-দিতে-","না-শোনার-জন্য","যেন-না"]·DE["zu-damit-nicht"]·EN["so-as-not","so-as-not-to","to-not"]·FR["afin-que-ne-pas","à-afin-que-ne-pas"]·heb["ל-בלתי"]·HI["कि-न-","की-लिए-नहीं","के-नहीं-लिए","के-लिए-नहीं","ताकि-न","ताकि-नहीं","तो-न","न","न-","न-सुनने-को","नहीं-करने-को","नहीं-के-लिए"]·ID["sehingga-tidak","supaya-jangan","supaya-tidak","supaya-tidak-","untuk-tidak"]·IT["a-affinche-non","affinché-non"]·jav["kanggé-boten-","mirengaken","nindakaken","pangandika-Kawula.'","supados-boten","supados-mboten"]·KO["아니-하도록","아니하면서","아니하여","안-하다","않기-위하여","에-아니하기-위해","에-위하여-아니","에-위함","위해-아닌","위해-않게-하려고"]·PT["para-não","para-não-"]·RU["чтобы-не","чтобы-не-"]·ES["para-no"]·SW["asilichome","bila-ku-","ili-asinirudishe","ili-asitolewe","ili-isi","ili-kusizuie","ili-kwamba-msi","ili-nisije","ili-wasi","kutonywasipo","kutowaangamiza","kwa-kuto","kwa-kutokusikiliza"]·TR["-için-olmamak","-meyerek","icin-degil","için","için-değil","içmemek-için-","olmamasi-icin-","olmaması-için","vermemek-için","yakmaması-için-","yapmamak-için-","yapmaması-için-"]·urd["بغیر-","تاکہ-نہ","تاکہ-نہ-","تاکہ-نہیں","نہ-دینے-کو","نہ-کرنے-کے-لیے","کہ-نہیں"]
3. without or absence — Indicates privation or total absence — 'without, none, no more' — describing a state where something is completely lacking. Spanish sin ('without') and German ohne capture the privative sense. Joshua's conquest narratives use it strikingly: Josh 8:22, 10:33, 11:8 all describe enemies left 'without' survivors. The 10 occurrences convey an absolute zero-state rather than a purposeful prevention. 10×
AR["بِـ-غَيْرِ","بِلا","بِلَا","غَيْرِ","لَمْ","لِ-أَنْ-لا","وَلَمْ-"]·ben["আর-না-কিছু","ছাড়া","না","না-","বিনা","ব্যতীত","যেন-না"]·DE["damit-nicht","keiner","ohne","und-zu-damit-nicht"]·EN["and-with-not","no-more","none","without"]·FR["afin-que-ne-pas","aucun","et-pour-sans","sans","בלתי"]·heb["בלתי","ו-ל-בלתי","ל-בלתי"]·HI["और-बिना-","नहीं","बिना","बिल्ती"]·ID["-tidak","Kecuali","dan-tidak","supaya-tidak","tanpa","tidak","tidak-ada-lagi"]·IT["affinche-non","affinché-non","e-a-affinché-non","nessuno","no-more","senza"]·jav["Tanpa","boten","lan-tanpa-","mboten","mboten-","supados-mboten-","tanpa","tanpa-"]·KO["그리고-아닌","남기지","아닌-","없어질-때","없이","없이-","에게-아닌-"]·PT["A-não-ser-que","e-sem-","não","não-mais","para-não","sem"]·RU["без","без-","и-не","не","не-","не-оставления-","только","чтобы-не-"]·ES["Sin","no","para-no","que-no-haya","sin","y-sin"]·SW["Bila-","bila","bila-","hakubaki-","na-bila","zisipokuwepo"]·TR["Olmadan","bil-olmaksızın","değil-","için-değil-","olmadan","ve-ne","yok-oluncaya"]·urd["اور-بغیر","بغیر","بغیر-","جب-تک-نہیں","سوائے","کہ-نہ","کہ-نہیں"]
4. sense 4 — Three occurrences where bilti functions as a simple adverbial negation 'not,' modifying an adjective or state rather than forming a purpose clause. In 1 Sam 20:26, David is 'not clean' (bilti tahor). Num 21:35 and Deut 3:3 use it similarly. French ne-pas and German nicht render this straightforward negation. Isaiah 14:6 also uses it adverbially: 'a stroke of non-cessation,' that is, an unceasing blow. 3×
AR["غَيْرُ","لَمْ","لَمْ-"]·ben["না-"]·DE["nicht"]·EN["not"]·FR["ne-pas","pas"]·heb["בלתי"]·HI["नहीं-","बिन"]·ID["tidak","tidak-"]·IT["non"]·jav["mboten","ngantos","sanès"]·KO["아니","아니다-의","아닌"]·PT["não"]·RU["не-","не-остать"]·ES["no","no-"]·SW["bila","bila-","hajawa"]·TR["değil","değil-","olmaksızın"]·urd["بغیر","شاید-نا","نہ"]
5. causal negation — A causal negation construction with the preposition min, producing 'because not, because of inability.' Found in Num 14:16, where the nations would say God slew Israel in the wilderness 'because of inability' (mibbelti) to bring them to the promised land, and Ezek 16:28, describing insatiability. Spanish Por-no-poder ('because of not being able') captures this causal-privative nuance that combines reason with negation. 2×
AR["مِنْ-عدمِ-قُدْرَةِ","مِنْ-عَدَمِ"]·ben["অক্ষমতার-কারণে","তৃপ্ত-না-হওয়ায়"]·DE["von-damit-nicht","weil-von-inability-von"]·EN["because-not","because-of-inability-of"]·FR["de-sans","parce-que-de-inability-de"]·heb["מ-בלתי"]·HI["असमर्थता-से","बिना-"]·ID["karena-ketidakmampuan","karena-tidak"]·IT["da-affinché-non","perche-di-inability-di"]·jav["Amargi-mboten-saged","amargi-mboten"]·KO["능력이-없기-때문에","불족함으로-"]·PT["De-não-poder","por-não-"]·RU["от-немощи","от-ненасыщения-"]·ES["Por-no-poder","por-no"]·SW["Kwa-sababu-ya-kutoweza","kwa-sababu-hukuwa"]·TR["-den-değil-","doymamandan"]·urd["سیر-نہ-ہونے-سے","نا-توانی-سے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[בֵ֫לֶת] subst. (from בָּלָה, of the form דֶּלֶת Ol§ 146 b) prop. failure, hence used as particle of negation, not, except (cf. בְּלִי, אֶפֶס), twice with sf. (v. infr.), elsewhere always בִּלְתִּי (with binding vowel ִי, as mark of cstr. state: Sta§ 343 Ges§ 90, 3), (Ph. בלת only: Tabnith-Inscr. 5)— †1. adv. not, with an adj. 1 S 20:26 בִּלְתִּי טָהוֹר not clean, with a subst. Is 14:6 מַכַּת…