בְּלִי (H1097) — Hebrew Lexicon

בְּלִי

𐤁𐤋𐤉

bᵉlîy

H1097 particle

SILEX Entry

Root בלה to wear out, consume, decay, waste away

Definition

Negative particle or prepositional element meaning 'without,' 'lack of,' or 'not.' In construct, often used to form phrases indicating absence, lack, or negation (e.g., 'without knowledge,' 'without sons,' etc.). It can mark deficiency or non-existence of an attribute, quality, or object, and in combination with other terms conveys the sense of lack, destruction, or nothingness. Less commonly, it can connote failure, ruin, or utter absence.

Semantic Range

without, lacking, not, absence, non-existence, utter lack, failure, destruction, corruption

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root בלה (b-l-h), which means 'to wear out, waste away.' בְּלִי is formed by combining the prepositional בְּ ('in, with') with לִי, an old negative element possibly related to לֹא (lo', 'not'), though the construction is fossilized and not transparently productive in Biblical Hebrew. The root connection is debated—some suggest it is an independent negative particle rather than a direct derivation from בלה. Etymology uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בְּלִי is used repeatedly in compound expressions (e.g., בְּלִי דַּעַת, 'without understanding') or idiomatic phrases (e.g., אִישׁ בְּלִי עֵל, 'worthless man'). It appears from the earliest strata of biblical Hebrew onward, typical of wisdom literature, prophetic texts, and narrative. Its usage overlaps with terms like אֵין ('there is not') and לֹא ('not'), but בְּלִי is unique in marking a qualitative or abstract lack rather than a direct negation or non-existence. In late biblical texts and early post-biblical Hebrew, the usage narrows and is sometimes replaced by other negative forms. The translation tradition, especially in older English versions, sometimes renders its compounds as 'un-' adjectives (e.g., 'unwise,' 'unfruitful'), but this may underrepresent the sense of deprivation or absence inherent to the term. The word is not used as an independent negative particle but always as part of a phrase or compound. In the Dead Sea Scrolls and later Hebrew, its use becomes increasingly rare.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בָּלָה; properly, failure, i.e. nothing or destruction; usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as long as, etc.; corruption, ig(norantly), for lack of, where no...is, so that no, none, not, un(awares), without.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בלה (b-l-h) — wearing out, consuming, decaying, wasting away

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H1077	בַּל	not at all
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
H1089	בָּלַהּ	those who wear out
H1090	בִּלְהָה	Bilhah
H1091	בַּלָּהָה	consuming terrors
H1092	בִּלְהָן	Worn-out One
H1094	בְּלוֹא	worn-out garments of
H1099	בְּלִימָה	without
H1115	בִּלְתִּי	apart from you
H180	אוּבָל	and not at all
H2986	יָבַל	and not at all
H3816	לְאֹם	not at all
H8399	תַּבְלִית	their utter wasting

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H1097-06`	מִ/בְּלִי֙	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of	20
`H1097-01`	בְּלִי֙	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking	19
`H1097-08`	בְלִי	veli	`HTn`	without	and to me	4
`H1097-02`	בִּ/בְלִי	biveli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	lack of	4
`H1097-03`	הַֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֤י	hamibeli	`HTi/R/Tn`	is it because	without	4
`H1097-05`	לִ/בְלִי	liveli	`HC/Tn`	for lack of	without	3
`H1097-09`	בִ/בְלִי	viveli	`HR/Tn`	without	without	1
`H1097-10`	בלי	vly	`HTn`	no	without	1
`H1097-07`	וּֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֥י	umibeli	`HC/R/Tn`	and from lack	and without	1
`H1097-04`	כִּ/בְלִי	kiveli	`HR/Tn`	like without	without	1

Occurrences in Scripture

58 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H1097-01`	Genesis 31:20	בְּלִי֙	beli	`HTn`	not	without, lacking
`H1097-03`	Exodus 14:11	הַֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֤י	hamibeli	`HTi/R/Tn`	Is it because of lack	without
`H1097-02`	Deuteronomy 4:42	בִּ/בְלִי	biveli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	lack of
`H1097-06`	Deuteronomy 9:28	מִ/בְּלִי֙	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	because of not	from lack of
`H1097-02`	Deuteronomy 19:4	בִּ/בְלִי	biveli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	lack of
`H1097-06`	Deuteronomy 28:55	מִ/בְּלִ֥י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	for-lack-of	from lack of
`H1097-02`	Joshua 20:3	בִּ/בְלִי	biveli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	lack of
`H1097-09`	Joshua 20:5	בִ/בְלִי	viveli	`HR/Tn`	without	without
`H1097-01`	2 Samuel 1:21	בְּלִ֖י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-03`	2 Kings 1:3	הַֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֤י	hamibeli	`HTi/R/D`	Is it because	without
`H1097-03`	2 Kings 1:6	הַֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֤י	hamibeli	`HTi/R/D`	Is it because of the lack	without
`H1097-03`	2 Kings 1:16	הַֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֤י	hamibeli	`HTi/R/D`	is it because	without
`H1097-06`	Isaiah 5:13	מִ/בְּלִי	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	for lack of	from lack of
`H1097-05`	Isaiah 5:14	לִ/בְלִי	liveli	`HC/Tn`	without	without
`H1097-01`	Isaiah 14:6	בְּלִ֥י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Isaiah 28:8	בְּלִ֖י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Isaiah 32:10	בְּלִ֥י	beli	`HTn`	not	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Isaiah 38:17	בְּלִ֔י	beli	`HTn`	of oblivion	without, lacking
`H1097-06`	Jeremiah 2:15	מִ/בְּלִ֥י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Jeremiah 9:9	מִ/בְּלִי	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	so that there is no	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Jeremiah 9:10	מִ/בְּלִ֖י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	from-without	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Jeremiah 9:11	מִ/בְּלִ֖י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	because-of	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Ezekiel 14:15	מִ/בְּלִ֣י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Ezekiel 34:5	מִ/בְּלִ֣י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	for lack of	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Hosea 4:6	מִ/בְּלִ֣י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	for lack of	from lack of
`H1097-01`	Hosea 7:8	בְּלִ֥י	beli	`HTn`	not	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Hosea 8:7	בְּלִ֣י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-10`	Hosea 9:16	בלי	vly	`HTn`	no	without
`H1097-06`	Zephaniah 3:6	מִ/בְּלִ֣י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Zephaniah 3:6	מִ/בְּלִי	mibeli-2	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-01`	Malachi 3:10	בְּלִי	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Psalms 19:4	בְּ֝לִ֗י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Psalms 59:5	בְּֽלִי	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Psalms 63:2	בְּלִי	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Psalms 72:7	בְּלִ֥י	beli	`HTn`	no	without, lacking
`H1097-06`	Job 4:11	מִ/בְּלִי	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	for lack of	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Job 4:20	מִ/בְּלִ֥י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Job 6:6	מִ/בְּלִי	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-08`	Job 8:11	בְלִי	veli	`HTn`	without	and to me
`H1097-06`	Job 18:15	מִ/בְּלִי	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	that which is none	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Job 24:7	מִ/בְּלִ֣י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	from lack of
`H1097-07`	Job 24:8	וּֽ/מִ/בְּלִ֥י	umibeli	`HC/R/Tn`	and from lack	and without
`H1097-01`	Job 24:10	בְּלִ֣י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-08`	Job 30:8	בְלִי	veli	`HTn`	without	and to me
`H1097-06`	Job 31:19	מִ/בְּלִ֣י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	for lack of	from lack of
`H1097-08`	Job 31:39	בְלִי	veli	`HTn`	without	and to me
`H1097-01`	Job 33:9	בְּֽלִ֫י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-08`	Job 34:6	בְלִי	veli	`HTn`	without	and to me
`H1097-02`	Job 35:16	בִּ/בְלִי	biveli	`HR/Ncmsc`	without	lack of
`H1097-04`	Job 36:12	כִּ/בְלִי	kiveli	`HR/Tn`	like without	without
`H1097-01`	Job 38:2	בְּֽלִי	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-05`	Job 38:41	לִ/בְלִי	liveli	`HR/Tn`	for lack of	without
`H1097-01`	Job 39:16	בְּלִי	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-01`	Job 41:18	בְּלִ֣י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-05`	Job 41:25	לִ/בְלִי	liveli	`HR/Tn`	for-without	without
`H1097-01`	Job 42:3	בְּֽלִ֫י	beli	`HTn`	without	without, lacking
`H1097-06`	Lamentations 1:4	מִ/בְּלִי֙	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`	because of no	from lack of
`H1097-06`	Ecclesiastes 3:11	מִ/בְּלִ֞י	mibeli	`HR/Ncmsc`		from lack of

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