Bible HebrewLittle Words: Look, Because, If, There Is
“Look!”, “because”, “if”, “there is not”: the small words that steer a sentence.
Little words: “look!”, “because”, “if”, “there is not”
A few short words turn up in almost every chapter. They don't change the way verbs do, so once you know them they are easy to spot. Each one tells you how the words after it fit in.
| Word | Meaning | In a verse |
|---|---|---|
| הִנֵּה | look!, here is | וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב מְאֹד “and look, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31) |
| יֵשׁ | there is | אָכֵן יֵשׁ יְהוָה בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה “Surely yəḥawwe is in this place” (Genesis 28:16) |
| אֵין | there is not | אֵין אֱלֹהִים “There is no God”, the fool’s words (Psalm 14:1) |
| גַּם | also, even | וַתִּתֵּן גַּם־לְאִישָׁהּ “and she gave some also to her husband” (Genesis 3:6) |
| עַתָּה | now | כִּי עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי “for now I know” (Genesis 22:12) |
| פֶּן | lest, or else | פֶּן־תְּמֻתוּן “lest you die” (Genesis 3:3) |
הִנֵּה points at something: “look!”, “here is”. Stories use it when someone suddenly sees. With the ending for “me” it answers a call: הִנֵּנִי “Here I am”, Abraham’s answer to God (Genesis 22:1). Isaiah says הִנְנִי שְׁלָחֵנִי “Here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).
יֵשׁ and אֵין say that something is there, or is not. With לְ they are how Hebrew says “have”: אֵין לָהּ וָלָד “she had no child”, word for word “there was not to her a child” (Genesis 11:30). הֲיֵשׁ לָכֶם אָח means “Do you have a brother?” (Genesis 43:7). אֵין can take a pronoun ending: וְאֵינֶנּוּ “and he was no more”, said of Enoch (Genesis 5:24).
כִּי has several meanings, and the sentence decides which one fits. One verse uses it twice, in two ways: כִּי עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה “for now I know that you fear God” (Genesis 22:12). It works like וְ, which can be “and”, “but”, “then” or “now”: read the whole sentence, then pick the meaning that makes sense.
| כִּי as … | Example |
|---|---|
| “because, for” | הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה כִּי־טוֹב “Give thanks to yəḥawwe, for he is good” (Psalm 118:1) |
| “that”, after see, know or say | וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר כִּי־טוֹב “God saw the light, that it was good” (Genesis 1:4) |
| “when, if” | כִּי תַעֲבֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה “when you work the ground” (Genesis 4:12) |
| “indeed, surely” | בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה כִּי אֲמִילַם “in the name of yəḥawwe I surely cut them off” (Psalm 118:10) |
אִם means “if”: וְעַתָּה אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי “Now, if you will truly obey my voice” (Exodus 19:5). In an oath it means “surely not”, because the curse that should follow is left unsaid: אִם־יְבֹאוּן אֶל־מְנוּחָתִי “They shall not enter my rest” (Psalm 95:11). Together, כִּי אִם means “but” or “unless”: לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ כִּי אִם־בֵּרַכְתָּנִי “I will not send you away unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:27).
Check yourself
Abram swears to the king of Sodom: אִם־מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ־נַעַל (Genesis 14:23). What does he mean?
✓ I will not take even a thread or a sandal strap · If you give me a thread, I will take it · Look, here is a thread · I also want a sandal strap
In an oath, אִם means “surely not”: the curse that should follow is left unsaid.
Which word means “there is not”?
✓ אֵין · יֵשׁ · גַּם · הִנֵּה
אֵין אֱלֹהִים “There is no God”, the fool’s words (Psalm 14:1). יֵשׁ is “there is”.
Reuben comes back to the pit and says הַיֶּלֶד אֵינֶנּוּ (Genesis 37:30). What does he say?
✓ The boy is not there! · Here is the boy! · The boy is my brother. · Where is the boy?
אֵין with the ending for “him”: “he is not there”.
Joseph’s brothers were asked הֲיֵשׁ־לָכֶם אָב אוֹ־אָח (Genesis 44:19). What is the question?
✓ Do you have a father or a brother? · Is your father still alive? · Where is your brother? · Why did you come here?
הֲ asks a yes-or-no question, and יֵשׁ with לְ means “have”: “is there to you a father or a brother?”
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