--- title: לְמַעַן — purpose · The Tanakh dictionary description: לְמַעַן (4616), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 272 times: purpose. BDB 1906: subst. purpose, intent prep. conj. for the sake of, on account of, to the intent in order that prep. Conj. 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/4616.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/) / [ל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1500-2.md)‎ / לְמַעַן‎ # לְמַעַן «לְמַעַן» in the Tanakh dictionary: **purpose** — 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:** 272 times · **Key:** 4616 · **BDB:** מַ֫עַן² ### Glosses so.that (138); so.as (66); for.the.sake.of (41) ### Meaning (OSHB) purpose [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/4616/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) subst. purpose, intent prep. conj. for the sake of, on account of, to the intent in order that prep. Conj. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/4616/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** subst. purpose, intent, only with לְ, in לְמַ֫עַן271 prep. and conj. for the sake of, on account of, to the intent or in order that (abbrev. from מַעֲנֶה: cf. מַ֫עַל: Köii. 116);—with sf. לְמַעֲנִי, לְמַעַנְךָ, and לְמַעַנְכֶם;— prep.:— Gn 18:24 wilt thou … not spare the place למען חמשׁים הצדיקים for the sake of the 50 righteous? Dt 30:6 ל׳ חַיֶּיךָ for thy life’s sake, 1 K 8:41 the foreigner who comes from afar ל׳ שְׁמֶ֑ךָ, Is 43:14 לְמַעַנְכֶם שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָבֶ֫לָה, 45:4; 62:1 ל׳ ציון, 63:17 ל׳ עבדיך, 65:8; Ez 36:22(×2) Jb 18:4 ψ 122:8, 9; (עַבְדִּי ד׳) לְמַעַן דָּוִד, i.e. for the sake of David’s memory, and the promises given to him, †1 K 11:12, 13, 32, 34; 15:4; 2 K 8:19; 19:34 (= Is 37:35), 20:6 (all D2); לְמעֲנִי (of י׳) for my own sake, i.e. to vindicate my name, †2 K 19:34 (= Is 37:35), 20:6; Is 43:25; 48:11 לְמַעֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה לְמַעֲנִי, so לְמַעַנְךָ Dn 9:19, ל׳ אֲדֹנָי v 17 (cf. Is 55:5); י׳ is said (or entreated) to act (שִׁמְךָ, שְׁמִי) לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ i.e. to maintain his reputation, or character, †ψ 23:3; 25:11; 31:4; 79:9; 106:8; 109:21; 143:11; Je 14:7, 21 Ez 20:9, 14, 22, 44; Is 48:9; simil. ל׳ חַסְדְּךָ (i.e. to maintain it consistently) †ψ 6:5; 44:27, ל׳ טוּבְךָ †25:7, ל׳ צִדְקוֹ †Is 42:21. In view of, on account of (but not expressing causation distinctly, like מִן 2 f, or מִפְּנֵי), Dt 3:26 ויתעבר י׳ בי לְמַעַנְכֶם on your account, 1 K 11:39 ל׳ זֹאתּ in view of this, ל׳ שׁוֹרֲרַי on account of my watchful foes, †ψ 5:9; 27:11, ל׳ צורריך ψ 8:3, simil. 69:19; 48:12 (97:8) ישמח הר ציון … ל׳ משׁפטיך in view of thy judgments. Sq. inf. Gn 18:19 לְמַעַן הָבִיא י׳ for the purpose of J.’s bringing = to the intent that J. might bring, 37:22 ל׳ הַצִּיל in order to rescue, 50:20; Ex 1:11; 9:16; 10:1, etc., Dt 2:30; 6:23, etc., 2 K 10:19; Je 7:10, 18; 11:5; 50:34 (on הִרגיע, v. עַד 2 a b), Ez 14:5; 21:15; 22:6, etc., 36:5 (v. p. 176), + often (Köiii. 595 f.). Once, pleon., לְמַעַן לָמוּג לֵב Ez 21:20 (cf. בַּעֲבוּר לְ 1 Ch 19:3; but read prob. הִמּוֹג). Conj. (sq.impf.):— לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר Gn 18:19 I have known him ל׳ אשׁר יְצַוֶּה to the end that he might command, etc., Dt 27:3; Jos 3:4; 2 S 13:5; Je 42:6; more often without אשׁר, as Gn 12:13 לְמַעַן יִיטַב לִי, 27:25; Ex 4:5 ל׳ יאמינו, 8:6, 18; 9:29; 10:2; Is 5:19; 23:16; ψ 9:15; 30:13; 48:14 + often (Köiii. 571). Sq. לֹא: (a) ל׳ אשׁר לֹא †Nu 17:5; Dt 20:18; Ez 31:14; 36:30; 46:18; (b) ל׳ לֹא †Ez 14:11; 19:9; 25:10; 26:20; Zech 12:7 ψ 119:11, 80; 125:3 (Köiii 574. Less common than לְבִלְתִּי or מִן with inf., or פֶּן־). —לְמַעַן is always in order that, never merely so that (ἐκβατικῶς); but sometimes, in rhetorical passages, the issue of a line of action, though really undesigned, is represented by it ironically as if it were designed: Dt 29:18 (v. Dr) וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ … ל׳ סְפוֹת וגו׳ and he congratulate himself … in order to sweep away the moistened with the dry (i.e. to destory all together), Is 30:1; 44:9 בל יראו ובל ידעו ל׳ יֵבוֹשׁוּ in order that they may be put to shame, Je 7:18 ל׳ הַכְעִיסֵנִי, v 19 ל׳ בֹּשֶׁת פְּנֵיהֶם, 27:10, 15; 32:19; Ho 8:4 their silver, etc., they have made into idols ל׳ יִכָּרֵת in order that it may be cut off (of course, not the real purpose of the idolatry), Am 2:7; Mi 6:16; cf. ψ 51:6 (v. Comm.) in order that thou mightest be just when thou judgest (sc. by manifesting thy justice in judgment on my sin). cf. لِ Qor 28:7 (FlKl.Schr. i. 397 f.). —In Jos 4:24 for the anom. ל׳ יְרָאתֶם, read inf. ל׳ יִרְאָתָם in order that they might fear (Dr§ 41 Obs.): Neh 6:13 לְמַעַן שָׂכוּר הוּא לְמַעַן אִירָא (si vera l.) the first ל׳ points forwards, to this intent was he hired, to the intent that I should be afraid.—On Pr 16:4, v. מַעֲנֶה. Why these entries: BDB: another headword, part of speech not compared, 111 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: another headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «לְמַעַן» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1500/4616/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Psalms 130:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.130.4/) כִּֽי־עִמְּךָ֥ הַסְּלִיחָ֑ה לְ֝מַ֗עַן תִּוָּרֵֽא׃ *Word for word:* (dm) \[is\].with you (the) forgiveness so.that you.may.be.feared *JPS 1917:* For with Thee there is forgiveness, that Thou mayest be feared. [Isaiah 43:26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.43.26/) הַזְכִּירֵ֕נִי נִשָּׁפְטָ֖ה יָ֑חַד סַפֵּ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה לְמַ֥עַן תִּצְדָּֽק׃ *Word for word:* cause me.to.remember let.us.enter.into.judgment together recount you so.that you.may.be.justified *JPS 1917:* Put Me in remembrance, let us plead together; declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. - ← previous: [לֶמֶךְ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3929.md) - next →: [לֵן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5dc_5b5_5df.md) - ↑ back to [ל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1500-2.md)