---
title: אֲבָל — nay · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֲבָל (61), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 11 times: nay. BDB 1906: adv. verily, of truth nay, but howbeit, but. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֲבָל

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«אֲבָל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **nay** — 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:** 11 times · **Key:** 61 · **BDB:** אֲבָל

### Glosses

but (8); indeed (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

nay [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/61/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adv. verily, of truth nay, but howbeit, but [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/61/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** adv. in older Heb. with an asseverative force, verily, of a truth Gn 42:21 2 S 14:5 1 K 1:43 2 K 4:14, with a slight advers. force, nay, but Gn 17:19 (P). in late Heb. as a decided adversative, howbeit, but Dn 10:7, 21 Ezr 10:13 2 Ch 1:4; 19:3; 33:17 (cf. Arabic بَلْ of a truth, sometimes, from the context, nay rather Qor 2:82, 94, 110, 129, 149, 165, 261; 3:143; 4:52 etc.)

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 11 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (10 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (8 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אֲבָל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/61/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[2 Chronicles 33:17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/2CH.33.17/)

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אֲבָל֙ ע֣וֹד הָעָ֔ם זֹבְחִ֖ים בַּבָּמ֑וֹת רַ֖ק לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* but still the people \[were\].sacrificing at the.high places only to Yahweh God their

*JPS 1917:* Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, but only unto the LORD their God.

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[1 Kings 1:43](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1KI.1.43/)

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וַיַּ֙עַן֙ יוֹנָתָ֔ן וַיֹּ֖אמֶר לַאֲדֹנִיָּ֑הוּ אֲבָ֕ל אֲדֹנֵ֥ינוּ הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־דָּוִ֖ד הִמְלִ֥יךְ אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

*Word for word:* and he.answered Jonathan and he.said to Adonijah but lord(s) our the king David he.has.made.king (et) Solomon

*JPS 1917:* And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah: 'Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

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