H2006a H2006a
If, whether; or (in paired constructions) — Aramaic conditional conjunction
The Aramaic conjunction הֵן serves as the standard conditional particle in the Aramaic portions of Ezra and Daniel, equivalent to Hebrew אִם. It introduces conditional clauses — 'if the king is willing' (Ezra 5:17), 'if you do not tell me the dream' (Dan 2:5) — and with לָא forms the negated conditional 'if not.' When doubled (הֵן ... הֵן), it creates a disjunctive pair meaning 'whether ... or,' as in Ezra 7:26 listing possible punishments. Though small and functional, it is a key marker of the Aramaic linguistic stratum in the Hebrew Bible.
Senses
1. if — The conditional conjunction 'if,' introducing protasis clauses in Aramaic discourse. With 12 occurrences, this is the default use, appearing throughout the Aramaic sections of Daniel and Ezra. In Dan 2:5-9, Nebuchadnezzar threatens his wise men with הֵן לָא ('if not'), and in Dan 3:15-18, the three young men respond with a conditional of faith: הֵן ('if') our God is able to deliver us... הֵן לָא ('if not'), we still will not serve your gods. In Ezra 4:13, 16 and 5:17, it introduces administrative conditions in royal correspondence. Multilingual glosses — 'si,' 'wenn,' 'if' — uniformly confirm the conditional reading. 12×
AR["إِنْ", "إِنْ-", "هَلْ", "وَ-إِنْ"]·ben["এবং-যদি", "যদি", "যদি-"]·DE["und-wenn", "wenn"]·EN["and-if", "if", "if-"]·FR["et-si", "si", "voici"]·heb["אם", "הן", "ו-הן"]·HI["और-यदि", "क्या", "यदि"]·ID["apakah", "dan-jika", "jika"]·IT["e-se", "ecco", "se"]·jav["Lan-manawi", "Manawi", "kang", "kang-kutha", "lan-manawi", "manawi", "manawi-", "menawi"]·KO["그리고-만약", "만약", "만약-", "만일"]·PT["E-se", "Se", "e-se", "se"]·RU["если", "если-", "и-если"]·ES["Si", "Y-si", "si", "y-si"]·SW["Kama", "Na-kama", "kama", "na-kama"]·TR["Ve-eğer", "eger", "eğer", "eğer-", "ve-eğer"]·urd["اور-اگر", "اگر"]
2. or — The disjunctive conjunction 'or, whether,' used in the paired construction הֵן ... הֵן meaning 'whether ... or.' This appears 3 times, all in Ezra 7:26, where King Artaxerxes decrees punishment on lawbreakers: 'whether (הֵן) death, or (הֵן) banishment, or confiscation, or imprisonment.' The repetition creates a list of alternatives, parallel to the Hebrew אִם ... אִם construction. Spanish 'sea' and English 'or/whether' reflect this disjunctive function, distinct from the conditional 'if' of sense 1. 3×
AR["إِمَّا", "وَ-إِمَّا", "وَ-إِمَّا-"]·ben["হোক", "হোক-"]·DE["wenn"]·EN["or", "whether"]·FR["voici"]·heb["הן"]·HI["या"]·ID["baik"]·IT["ecco"]·jav["menapa", "menapa-"]·KO["만약", "만약-"]·PT["seja", "seja-"]·RU["или", "или-"]·ES["sea"]·SW["iwe"]·TR["ya", "ya-"]·urd["خواہ", "خواہ-"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† הֵן conj. if, whether (BH הֵן, q.v.: Zenj. Egyptian Aramaic (S-CPap. A 7 +), Palm. Nab. הן, Mand. הין if [𝔗OJon use אם, 𝔗Jer אין, Syriac ܐܶܢ]);— 1. if, Dn 2:6; 3:15, 17; 4:24; 5:16 Ezr 4:13; 16; 5:17, הֵן לָא … Dn 2:5, 9; 3:15; v 18 הֵן לָ֔א if not. 2. repeated, הֵן … הֵן sive … sive, whether … or (cf. BH אִם, 1 b I), Ezr 7:26 (so Palm. Tariff ii. c. 19). 3. in indirect question, whether (cf. אִם, 2 b), Ezr 5:17b יִתְבַּקַּר … הֵן אִיתַי ….—Vid. also לָהֵן" dir="rtl" >לָהֵן.