---
title: אוֹ — desire · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אוֹ (176), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 320 times: desire. BDB 1906: conj. or. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אוֹ

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«אוֹ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **desire** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 320 times · **Key:** 176 · **BDB:** אוֹ

### Glosses

or (314); or? (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

desire [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/176/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

conj. or [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/176/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** (أَوْ, ܐܰܘ, አው ), conj. or (whether aut or vel). Gn 24:49; 31:43 Ex 4:11 Ct 2:9 Lv 13:24 Nu 5:30 + often (especially in laws); sometimes implying a preference, nearly = or rather Gn 24:55 יָמִים אוֹ עָשׂוֹר a few days or ten Ju 18:19 1 S 29:3. Prefixed to the first as well as to the second alternative (rare) either (whether) … or Lv 5:1; 13:48, 51; = or, if not Ez 21:15 (si vera l.) Ke Mal 2:17 Jb 16:3; 22:11. introducing a sentence, especially a particular case under a general principle, or = or if Ex 21:31 אוֹ־בֵן יִגַּח וג׳ or if he gore a son, etc. v 36 Lv 4:23, 28 (v. Di) 5:21, 22; 25:49b; Nu 5:14 2 S 18:13 or if I had dealt falsely against his life, then, etc., Ez 14:17, 19 or if I send, etc. if perchance, 1 S 20:10 if perchance thy father answer thee with something hard, Lv 26:41. once, with the juss. (as in Arabic with the subjunct. v. Dr§ 175 = except: Is 27:5 I would burn them together, אוֹ יַחֲזֵק בְּמָעֻזִּי or else let him take hold (= except he take hold) of my strong-hold, etc.—אַו Pr 31:4 v. sub \[אָוָה\] on p. 16.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 30 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 0 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אוֹ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/176/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 38:31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.38.31/)

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הַֽ֭תְקַשֵּׁר מַעֲדַנּ֣וֹת כִּימָ֑ה אֽוֹ־מֹשְׁכ֖וֹת כְּסִ֣יל תְּפַתֵּֽחַ׃

*Word for word:* will you.bind.on? the.bonds of.Pleiades or? the.cords of.Orion will.you.loosen

*JPS 1917:* Canst thou bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

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[Job 22:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.22.11/)

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אוֹ־חֹ֥שֶׁךְ לֹֽא־תִרְאֶ֑ה וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַ֥יִם תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ׃

*Word for word:* or darkness not you.will.see and an.abundance of.water it will.cover.you

*JPS 1917:* Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and abundance of waters cover thee.

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