לוּלֵא (lu.le)
lu.le
unless
H:CondQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:Cond
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word lu-le sets up a stark contrast between human effort and divine intervention. It introduces a condition that, if removed, leads to disaster or emptiness. In our daily lives, this reminds us that our stability often rests on a foundation we do not control. When circumstances feel precarious, this term highlights the invisible support that keeps us standing.
Scripture uses this structure to celebrate God’s faithfulness in moments of crisis. It acknowledges that without His presence, we would have fallen short or been overwhelmed. This is not meant to frighten us but to comfort us. It shows that our survival and hope are tied to a reliable source outside ourselves.
Reading these passages invites a posture of gratitude. We recognize that our deliverance is not self-made. Instead, it is a gift sustained by grace. This perspective shifts our focus from our own strength to the One who holds us steady through every trial.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- if not14×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לוּלֵ֣י5×
- לוּלֵ֡י2×
- לוּלֵי֙1×
- לוּלֵא֙1×
- לוּלֵ֣א1×
- לוּלֵ֛י1×
- לוּלֵ֗י1×
- לוּלֵ֖א1×
- לׅׄוּלֵׅׄ֗אׅׄ1×
Key Verses
-
Psalms 94:17
Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.
This verse uses the word to express personal deliverance, showing how God’s help prevents the soul from falling into silence and despair.
-
Psalms 119:92
Unless your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
Here the term links the psalmist’s survival in affliction directly to his delight in God’s law, highlighting scripture as a sustaining force.
-
Genesis 31:42
Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”
Jacob uses this conditional phrase to credit God with protecting him from leaving empty-handed, emphasizing divine justice over human power.
-
Psalms 124:1
A Song of Ascents. By David. If it had not been Yahweh who was on our side, let Israel now say,
The collective voice of Israel uses this structure to affirm that their survival against enemies depended entirely on Yahweh’s intervention.