אַ֫יִן
a.yin
nothing
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# Ayin (אַיִן): The Hebrew Word for "Nothing" The Hebrew word *ayin* appears 789 times throughout the Bible, making it one of the most frequently used terms in biblical Hebrew. Its core meaning is "nothing"—a straightforward concept that denotes the absence of something or non-existence. This high frequency of occurrence suggests that the concept of nothingness or absence was essential to biblical Hebrew thought and communication, appearing across diverse contexts and literary genres. The word's prevalence across nearly 800 biblical passages indicates it served multiple communicative functions beyond simple negation. When something is described as *ayin*, it can mean it does not exist, is unavailable, or holds no value or significance. The sheer number of occurrences demonstrates that ancient Hebrew speakers regularly needed to express absence, emptiness, or negation—whether describing physical lack, the non-existence of people or things, or abstract concepts of worthlessness. Without access to detailed usage examples in this lexicon entry, the full range of *ayin*'s semantic field remains partially defined. However, its overwhelming frequency in biblical text suggests it functioned as a fundamental building block of Hebrew expression, comparable to how modern English relies heavily on negation words. The word's importance lies not in conveying complex meaning, but in its essential role as a basic tool for expressing what is *not* present, present, or
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
789 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
and he said, “Yahweh, the God of our fathers, aren’t you God in heaven? Aren’t you ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, so that no one is able to withstand you.
2 Chronicles 20:12Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that comes against us. We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
2 Chronicles 20:24When Judah came to the place overlooking the wilderness, they looked at the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none who escaped.
2 Chronicles 20:25When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their plunder, they found among them in abundance both riches and dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away. They took plunder for three days, it was so much.
2 Chronicles 21:18After all this Yahweh struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease.
2 Chronicles 22:9He sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (now he was hiding in Samaria), and they brought him to Jehu, and killed him; and they buried him, for they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought Yahweh with all his heart.” The house of Ahaziah had no power to hold the kingdom.
2 Chronicles 25:7A man of God came to him, saying, “O king, don’t let the army of Israel go with you, for Yahweh is not with Israel, with all the children of Ephraim.
2 Chronicles 35:3He said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built. It will no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve Yahweh your God, and his people Israel.
2 Chronicles 35:15The singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers were at every gate. They didn’t need to depart from their service, because their brothers the Levites prepared for them.
2 Chronicles 36:16but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.
Ezra 3:13so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far away.
Ezra 9:14shall we again break your commandments, and join ourselves with the peoples that do these abominations? Wouldn’t you be angry with us until you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant, nor any to escape?
Ezra 9:15Yahweh, the God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guiltiness; for no one can stand before you because of this.”
Ezra 10:13But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand outside. This is not a work of one day or two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.
Nehemiah 2:2The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
Nehemiah 2:2The king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
Nehemiah 2:12I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I didn’t tell anyone what my God put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There wasn’t any animal with me, except the animal that I rode on.
Nehemiah 2:14Then I went on to the spring gate and to the king’s pool, but there was no place for the animal that was under me to pass.
Nehemiah 2:20Then I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven will prosper us. Therefore we, his servants, will arise and build; but you have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah 4:23So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
Nehemiah 4:23So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes. Everyone took his weapon to the water.
Nehemiah 5:5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
Nehemiah 7:4Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not built.
Nehemiah 8:10Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for today is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.”
Nehemiah 13:24and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.
Esther 1:8In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had instructed all the officials of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure.
Esther 2:7He brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
Esther 2:20Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like she did when she was brought up by him.
Esther 3:5When Haman saw that Mordecai didn’t bow down, nor pay him homage, Haman was full of wrath.
Esther 3:8Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.
Esther 3:8Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.
Esther 4:2He came even before the king’s gate, for no one is allowed inside the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
Esther 5:13Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
Esther 7:4For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for male and female slaves, I would have held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king’s loss.”
Esther 8:8Write also to the Jews, as it pleases you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring; for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may not be reversed by any man.”
Job 1:8Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.”
Job 2:3Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
Job 2:13So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
Job 3:9Let the stars of its twilight be dark. Let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the morning,
Job 3:21Who long for death, but it doesn’t come; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
Job 5:4His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,
Job 5:9who does great things that can’t be fathomed, marvelous things without number;
Job 5:9who does great things that can’t be fathomed, marvelous things without number;
Job 6:13Isn’t it that I have no help in me, That wisdom is driven quite from me?
Job 7:8The eye of him who sees me will see me no more. Your eyes will be on me, but I will not be.
Job 7:21Why do you not pardon my disobedience, and take away my iniquity? For now will I lie down in the dust. You will seek me diligently, but I will not be.”
Job 8:22Those who hate you will be clothed with shame. The tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Job 9:10He does great things past finding out; yes, marvelous things without number.
Job 9:10He does great things past finding out; yes, marvelous things without number.
Job 10:7Although you know that I am not wicked, there is no one who can deliver out of your hand.