Biblica Analytica
H3808 Hebrew

לֹא

lo

not

Lexicon Entry

Definition
not
Transliteration
lo
Strong's Number
H3808
Occurrences
5,170

Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

What Original Readers Understood

Supported

# Analysis of לֹא (lo) — "not" The Hebrew word לֹא (lo) is one of the Bible's most fundamental linguistic building blocks, appearing 5,170 times throughout the biblical text. Its basic function is straightforward: it serves as a negative particle, negating or denying statements, conditions, or commands. This ubiquity alone demonstrates its essential role in Hebrew grammar and biblical expression—nearly every biblical book relies heavily on this single word to construct negative assertions. The word's frequency and consistency across biblical literature suggest it functioned as the primary means by which Hebrew speakers and writers expressed negation across all contexts: negating factual claims ("X is not"), denying commands ("do not do X"), and expressing conditional negatives ("if not X, then Y"). Its appearance in 5,170 instances means that roughly one word in every hundred in the Hebrew Bible is this negation particle, making it as common as articles are in English. This statistical weight underscores that negation itself—the ability to deny, refuse, or contradict—was a concept woven throughout biblical discourse at every level. Given only the lexical data provided, we can conclude that לֹא (lo) represents the standard Hebrew negation marker without structural qualification or limitation. Its sheer prevalence indicates that biblical authors employed this single word consistently for their negative expressions, whether in narrative, law, prophecy

Source data & methodology
Strong's
H3808
Lemma
לֹא
Transliteration
lo
Definition
not
Occurrences
5,170
Model
claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
Prompt version
1

AI synthesis uses only the lexicon data above as context — never training knowledge.

Occurrences in Scripture

5,170 total occurrences across the text — showing 50

2 Chronicles 19:10

Whenever any controversy comes to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you must warn them, that they not be guilty toward Yahweh, and so wrath come on you and on your brothers. Do this, and you will not be guilty.

2 Chronicles 20:6

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 20:7

Didn’t you, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it to the offspring of Abraham your friend forever?

2 Chronicles 20:10

Now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned away from them, and didn’t destroy them;

2 Chronicles 20:10

Now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom you would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned away from them, and didn’t destroy them;

2 Chronicles 20:12

Our 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 20:12

Our 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 20:15

and he said, “Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, king Jehoshaphat. Yahweh says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, and don’t be dismayed because of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:17

You will not need to fight this battle. Set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed. Go out against them tomorrow, for Yahweh is with you.’ ”

2 Chronicles 20:32

He walked in the way of Asa his father, and didn’t turn away from it, doing that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes.

2 Chronicles 20:33

However the high places were not taken away, and the people had still not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 20:33

However the high places were not taken away, and the people had still not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 20:37

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, Yahweh has destroyed your works.” The ships were wrecked, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

2 Chronicles 21:7

However Yahweh would not destroy David’s house, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he promised to give a lamp to him and to his children always.

2 Chronicles 21:12

A letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, “Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

2 Chronicles 21:17

and they came up against Judah, broke into it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, including his sons and his wives; so that there was no son left him, except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

2 Chronicles 21:19

In process of time, at the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, and he died of severe diseases. His people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers.

2 Chronicles 21:20

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He departed without being missed; and they buried him in David’s city, but not in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles 21:20

He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He departed without being missed; and they buried him in David’s city, but not in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles 22:11

But Jehoshabeath, the king’s daughter, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stealthily rescued him from among the king’s sons who were slain, and put him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah, so that she didn’t kill him.

2 Chronicles 23:8

So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they each took his men, those who were to come in on the Sabbath; with those who were to go out on the Sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest didn’t dismiss the shift.

2 Chronicles 23:14

Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks; and whoever follows her, let him be slain with the sword.” For the priest said, “Don’t kill her in Yahweh’s house.”

2 Chronicles 23:19

He set the gatekeepers at the gates of Yahweh’s house, that no one who was unclean in anything should enter in.

2 Chronicles 24:5

He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather money to repair the house of your God from all Israel from year to year. See that you expedite this matter.” However the Levites didn’t do it right away.

2 Chronicles 24:6

The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, “Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of Jerusalem, for the Tent of the Testimony?”

2 Chronicles 24:19

Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again to Yahweh, and they testified against them; but they would not listen.

2 Chronicles 24:20

The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “God says, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’ ”

2 Chronicles 24:22

Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, “May Yahweh look at it, and repay it.”

Nehemiah 4:10

Judah said, “The strength of the bearers of burdens is fading, and there is much rubble; so that we are not able to build the wall.”

Nehemiah 4:11

Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”

Nehemiah 4:11

Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”

2 Chronicles 24:25

When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings.

2 Chronicles 25:2

He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart.

2 Chronicles 25:4

But he didn’t put their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”

2 Chronicles 25:4

But he didn’t put their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”

2 Chronicles 25:4

But he didn’t put their children to death, but did according to that which is written in the law in the book of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”

2 Chronicles 25:15

Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against Amaziah, and he sent to him a prophet, who said to him, “Why have you sought after the gods of the people, which have not delivered their own people out of your hand?”

2 Chronicles 25:16

As he talked with him, the king said to him, “Have we made you one of the king’s counselors? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not listened to my counsel.”

2 Chronicles 25:20

But Amaziah would not listen; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom.

2 Chronicles 25:26

Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, aren’t they written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

2 Chronicles 26:18

They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from Yahweh God.”

2 Chronicles 26:18

They resisted Uzziah the king, and said to him, “It isn’t for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to Yahweh, but for the priests the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed. It will not be for your honor from Yahweh God.”

2 Chronicles 27:2

He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, according to all that his father Uzziah had done. However he didn’t enter into Yahweh’s temple. The people still acted corruptly.

2 Chronicles 28:1

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, like David his father,

2 Chronicles 28:10

Now you intend to degrade the children of Judah and Jerusalem as male and female slaves for yourselves. Aren’t there even with you trespasses of your own against Yahweh your God?

2 Chronicles 28:13

and said to them, “You must not bring in the captives here, for you intend that which will bring on us a trespass against Yahweh, to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”

2 Chronicles 28:20

Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria came to him, and gave him trouble, but didn’t strengthen him.

2 Chronicles 28:21

For Ahaz took away a portion out of Yahweh’s house, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria; but it didn’t help him.

2 Chronicles 29:7

Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.

2 Chronicles 29:7

Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.