lule · if not, unless

What it means

lule (לוּלֵא) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “if not, unless”.

Were it not that.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. A word saying that something serious would have happened, but did not because of one cause: «had it not been for…».

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• Had not ×6
• Unless ×3
• if ×3
• Had it not been ×2

Where it appears

• Genesis×2
• Deuteronomy×1
• Judges×1
• 1 Samuel×1
• 2 Samuel×1
• 2 Kings×1
• Psalms×6
• Isaiah×1

• Genesis 31:42

  Had not the Elohim of my father, the Elohim of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. Elohim has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and he rebuked you last night.”

• Genesis 43:10

  For if we had not delayed, by now we would have returned twice.”

• Deuteronomy 32:27

  if I did not fear the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries misjudge it, lest they say, “Our hand is raised high, and it is not YHWH who has done all this.”’

• Judges 14:18

  And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.”

• 1 Samuel 25:34

  For indeed, as YHWH lives, the Elohim of Israel, who has kept me back from harming you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal, by the light of morning, so much as one who urinates against a wall.”

• 2 Samuel 2:27

  Joab said, “As Elohim lives, if you had not spoken, surely then from the morning the people would have withdrawn, each from following his brother.”

• 2 Kings 3:14

  Elisha said, “As YHWH Tsevaot lives, before whom I stand, if it were not for my regard for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you.

• Psalms 27:13

  If I had not believed that I would see the goodness of YHWH in the land of the living—

• Psalms 94:17

  Unless YHWH had been a help to me, my soul would soon have dwelt in the silence.

• Psalms 106:23

  And he said he would destroy them, had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn back his fury from destroying.

• Psalms 119:92

  Unless your instruction had been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.

• Psalms 124:1

  A song of the ascents. Of David. Had it not been YHWH who was for us— let Israel say now—

• Psalms 124:2

  had it not been YHWH who was for us when human beings rose up against us,

• Isaiah 1:9

  Unless YHWH Tsevaot had left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.