II. אַ֫יִן,
אָ֑֫יִן construct
אֵין substantive properly
nothing, nought (Moabite
אן, Assyrian
iânu).
2. construct
אֵין, very frequently as particle of negations, is not, are not, was not, were not, etc. (corresponding to the affirmative
יֵשׁ which see. Similar in usage, though not etymology akin, are
لَيْسَ,
לַיִת,
tyFl,
አሌቦ፡ properly 'there is
nought of...' followed by a substantive or a pronominal suffix (
אֵינֶנִּי [
verbal form, Ges
§ 100, 5; 152, 1 c],
אֵינְךָ,
אֵינֵךְ,
אֵינֶנּוּ,
אֵינֶנָּה,
אֵינְכֶם,
אֵינָם, also
Psalm 59:14 אֵינֵ֫מוֺ,
Psalm 73:5 אֵינֵ֫ימוֺ): twice abnormally, in late Hebrew, a noun
אֵין אֲנִי,
אֵין אֲנַחְנוּ Nehemiah 4:17 (so sometimes
לַיִת,
tyFl, Nö
M. p. 295); once, incorrectly,
את Haggai 2:17.
c. with the sense determined by a predicate following:
Genesis 37:29 Joseph
was not in the pit,
Genesis 41:39 + often;
Exodus 5:10 אֵינֶנִּי נֹתֵן לָכֶם תֶּבֶן I am not giving you straw; and so often with particip. where duration has to be expressed
Genesis 39:23;
Deuteronomy 21:18;
Isaiah 1:15;
Jeremiah 7:16, or intention
Genesis 20:7 אִם⬩⬩⬩אֵינְךָ מֵשִׁיב דַּע if thou
art not restoring her, know
Genesis 43:5;
Exodus 8:17;
Exodus 33:15 (idiomatically, after
אם; see Dr
§ 137)
Judges 12:3. Following once pleonastic by
יֵשׁ Psalm 135:17. Treated as a
mere particle of negation,
אֵין may vary its position in the sentence, the substantive which should strictly stand in the genitive being not only separated from it by a little word, as
בּוֺ Genesis 37:24,
לוֺ Exodus 22:1,
שָׁם Exodus 12:30,
גַּם Psalm 14:3, etc., but even for emphasis
prefixed to it, as
Genesis 19:31;
Genesis 40:8 וּפֹתֵר אֵין אֹתוֺ Genesis 41:15;
Exodus 5:16;
Judges 13:9;
Judges 14:6;
Judges 16:15;
Judges 19:1 (so MI
24): if however it be thus brought to the end of a sentence, or be disconnected with what follows, it stands in the absolute form, as
Genesis 2:5 ואדם אַיִן לעבד האדמה and man
there was none to till the ground,
Leviticus 26:37 וְרֹדֵף אָ֑יִן Numbers 20:5;
2 Kings 19:3;
Hosea 13:4;
Micah 7:2.
d. sometimes the subject has to be supplied from the context: thus
e. with subject not expressed, once (late),
Daniel 8:5 וְאֵין נֹגֵעַ בָּאָרֶץ and (it)
was not touching the earth.
f. once,
Job 35:15 with the finite verb; but read here
פֹּקֵד אֵין כִּי (the usage of
لَيْسَ, cited by De, does not justify the anomaly in Hebrew)
Jeremiah 38:5 the imperfect may be due to the fact that no participle of
יָכֹל was in use, and a relation must be tacitly supplied: 'The king
is not (one that) can do aught against you.' On
Exodus 3:2 see Ges
§ 52, 2 R. 6; Ew
§ 169 d.
3. אֵין לְ׳, with substantive, or pronoun,
there is (was) not to... =...
have, has, had, etc.
not: Genesis 11:30 אֵין לָהּ וָלָד she had no child,
Numbers 27:9 וְאִם־אֵין לוֺ בַּת and if
he have no daughter + often; with a participle
Deuteronomy 22:27;
Jeremiah 14:16;
Jeremiah 30:17;
Jeremiah 49:5;
Jeremiah 50:32;
Psalm 142:5;
Lamentations 1:2,
9,
17;
Exodus 22:2 אִם־אֵין לוֺ if he
have nought,
Daniel 9:26 ואין לו and
have nought (or
none).
4. in circumstantial clauses (Dr§ 164): —
5. with infinitive and ל׳, it is not to... : i.e.
6. with prefixes : —
a. † בְּאֵין properly in defect of: —
(
β) of time =
when there was (were) not Proverbs 8:24 (twice in verse).
b. †
כְּאֵין Isaiah 59:10 כְּאֵין עֵינַיִם in poetry for
כַּאֲשֶׁר אֵין לוֺ עֵינַיִם (compare Ew
§ 286 g Ges
§ 152. 1 h).
c. † לְאֵין
(
β)
in the condition of not... (
ל of state, see below
ל) =
without or
so that not... (peculiar to Chronicles),
1 Chronicles 22:4 cedar trees
מִסְפָּר לְאֵין without number,
2 Chron 14:12 and there fell of the Cushites
לְאֵין־לָהֶם מִחְיָה so that they had none remaining alive,
2 Chronicles 20:25 לְאֵין מַשָּׂא so that there was no carrying away,
2 Chronicles 21:18;
Ezra 9:14.
d. מֵאֵין
(
β) (
מִן negative, see
מִן) properly
away from there being no... (with
אֵין pleonastic, compare
מִבְּלִי, and
מִבְּלִי אֵין), i.e.
so that not..., without, mostly epexegetical of some term expressing desolation:
Isaiah 5:9 Surely many houses shall be desolate
מֵאֵין יוֺשֵׁב without inhabitant,
Isaiah 6:11 — Jeremiah & Zephaniah;
Isaiah 6:11 מֵאֵין אָדָם,
Jeremiah 32:43 מֵאֵין אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה Jeremiah 33:10,
12;
Ezekiel 33:28;
Lamentations 3:49. Once followed by infinitive
Malachi 2:13 so that there is no regarding more.
(
γ) in
Jeremiah 10:6,
7 מֵאֵין כָּמוֺךָ,
מֵאֵין is supposed by some to = a strengthened
אֵין,
even none, none at all; but it is difficult to justify this explanation logically; and it is preferable to point
מֵאַיִן כָּמוֺךָ whence is any like thee? compare
Jeremiah 30:7. (So Hi see Dr
Hebraica. ii. 34-7.)
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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