--- title: אַל — not · The Tanakh dictionary description: אַל (408), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 730 times: not. BDB 1906: adv. of negation 2b. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/408.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [א](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1488-4.md)‎ / אַל‎ # אַל «אַל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **not** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 730 times · **Key:** 408 · **BDB:** אַל² ### Glosses do.not (530); not (180); no (10) ### Meaning (OSHB) not [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/408/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) adv. of negation 2b [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/408/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** adv. of negation (so Ph. e.g. CIS i.3,4.5.8, Bi Aramaic, Sab. (DHMZMG 1875, 596), and in the Eth. አልቦ albo, is not), denying however, not objectively as a fact (like לֹא, οὐ), but subjectively as a wish (like μή), expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition: (a) with a verb, which is then always an impf. (never an imperative), by preference in the cohort. or jussive mood, where this is in use, and may be of any person or number; Gn 15:1 and often אַל־תִּירָא fear not! 22:12 אַל־תִּשְׁלַח יָֽדְךָ put not forth thy hand, 37:27 וְיָדֵנוּ אַל־תְּהִי־בוֹ and let not our hand be upon him, 21:16 אַל־אֶרְאֶה let me not look upon the death of the lad! ψ 25:2 אַל־אֵבוֹשָׁה let me not be ashamed; with 1 pl. (rare) 2 S 13:25 Je 18:18 Jon 1:14. In an imprecation: Gn 49:4 אַל־תּוֹתַר have not thou the excellency! ψ 109:12 Jb 3:4, 6. Sometimes strengthened by נָא: Gn 13:8 18:3 al. (b) without a verb, (α) 2 S 1:21 let (there be) not dew \& not rain upon you! Is 62:6 ψ 83:2. (β) used absol., in deprecation Gn 19:18 2 S 13:16 (v. sub אוֹדָה) 2 K 3:13; 4:16; 6:27 (v. RVm: but possibly to be expl. by Dr§ 152 iii; so Th Ke: hardly as Ew§ 355b) Ru 1:13 אַל בְּנֹתַי Nay, my daughters, cf. Ju 19:23; (γ) after a preceding imper. Am 5:14 Jo 2:13 Pr 8:10, a juss. 27:2, an inf. abs. 17:12. (c) in poetry אַל sometimes expresses vividly the emotion or sympathy of the poet (v. Dr§ 56–8); Is 2:9 וְאַל־תִּשָּׂא לָהֶם and forgive them not! (with a touch of passion), ψ 41:3 Pr 3:25 Jb 5:22; ψ 34:6 (but 𝔊 𝔖 Ew Che here rd. וּפְנֵיכֶם, prob. rightly); 50:3a may our God come וְאַל־יֶ֫חֱרָ֥שׁ and not be silent! (the psalmist identifying himself with a spectator of the scene v 2, 3b–c) 121:3 (contrast v 4 לֹא) Je 46:6 +., once Pr 12:28 joined closely to a subst. (cf. לֹא 2b): In the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof אַל־מָוֶת there is no-death!; but error for אֶל־ ‘unto’ Capp 𝔊 𝔙 𝔗 𝔅. once Jb 24:25 used poet. as a subst., And bring my words לְאַל to nought!—N.B. 1 S 27:10 אַל־פְּשַׁטְתֶּם הַיּוֹם, אַל with the pf. is against all analogy; and either אֶל־מִי (with 𝔊 𝔙), or better אָן whither? (with 𝔖 𝔗: v. 1 S 10:14) must be read. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 40 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (26 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (20 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «אַל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/408/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Genesis 19:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.19.7/) וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אַל־נָ֥א אַחַ֖י תָּרֵֽעוּ׃ *Word for word:* and he.said do.not please my.brothers my do.evil *JPS 1917:* And he said: 'I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. [Proverbs 8:33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.8.33/) שִׁמְע֖וּ מוּסָ֥ר וַחֲכָ֗מוּ וְאַל־תִּפְרָֽעוּ׃ *Word for word:* listen.to correction and act.wisely and do.not neglect.\[it\] *JPS 1917:* Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. - ← previous: [אַכְשָׁף](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/407.md) - next →: [אֵל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/410.md) - ↑ back to [א](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1488-4.md)