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Lexicon :: Strong's H3863 - lû'

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לוּא
Transliteration
lû'
Pronunciation
loo
Listen
Part of Speech
conjunction
Root Word (Etymology)
A conditional particle
Dictionary Aids

TWOT Reference: 1085

Variant Spellings

Variant spellings for this word: לוא (Strongs and Gesenius) לו (Strongs and Gesenius) לה (Strongs)

Strong’s Definitions

לוּא lûwʼ, loo; or לֻא luʼ; or לוּ lûw; a conditional particle; if; by implication (interj. as a wish) would that!:—if (haply), peradventure, I pray thee, though, I would, would God (that).

KJV Translation Count — Total: 22x

The KJV translates Strong's H3863 in the following manner: if (6x), would God (4x), O that (3x), Oh (2x), would it might be (1x), if haply (1x), peradventure (1x), Oh that (1x), pray thee (1x), Though (1x), would (1x).

KJV Translation Count — Total: 22x
The KJV translates Strong's H3863 in the following manner: if (6x), would God (4x), O that (3x), Oh (2x), would it might be (1x), if haply (1x), peradventure (1x), Oh that (1x), pray thee (1x), Though (1x), would (1x).

  1. if, oh that!, if only!

    1. if (unlikely condition)

    2. if only!, oh that!, would that!

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)
לוּא lûwʼ, loo; or לֻא luʼ; or לוּ lûw; a conditional particle; if; by implication (interj. as a wish) would that!:—if (haply), peradventure, I pray thee, though, I would, would God (that).
STRONGS H3863: Abbreviations
† לוּ 17 and לוּא (1 Samuel 14:30; Isaiah 48:18; Isaiah 63:19), also לֻא (Qr לוּ), 2 Samuel 18:12; 2 Samuel 19:7 (Arabic bdb053001, Aramaic bdb053002, לְוַי, Mishna לְוַי, Assyrian lû, with optative force, Dl§§ 78 end, 93, 145; compare Köii. 333), conjunction if, O that: —
1. if (stating a case which has not been, or is not likely to be, realized):
a. followed by perfect (so mostly), Deuteronomy 32:29 לו חכמו ישׂכילו זאת if they had been wise (which they are not), they would understand this; Micah 2:11 (apodosis וְהָיָה); Judges 8:19; Judges 13:23 להמיתנו לא לקח לו חפץ י׳ if J. had desired to slay us, he would not have taken, &c.; 1 Samuel 14:30; 2 Samuel 19:7.
b. followed by imperfect Ezekiel 14:15 if I were to send, &c. (but read probably אוֺ, compare Ezekiel 14:17; Ezekiel 14:19).
c. followed by participle, 2 Samuel 18:12 וְלֻא אָנֹכִי שֹׁקֵל and though I should be weighing 1000 pieces of silver upon my hand, I would not, &c.; Psalm 81:14-17 לו עמי שֹׁמֵעַ לי if my people were hearkening to me,... quickly would I bow down, &c.
d. followed by יֵשׁ Job 16:4. — With the apodosis omitted, Genesis 50:15 לוּ יִשְׂטְמֵנוּ if Joseph were to hate us (how should we fare then ?).
2. If only...! i.e. O that! would that! (compare εἰ γάρ, εἴθε) usually followed by perf., as Numbers 14:2 (twice in verse) לוּ מַתְנוּ if only we had died in the land of Egypt! Numbers 20:3; Joshua 7:7 וְלוּ הוֺאַלְנוּ וַנֵּשֶׁב Isaiah 48:18; Isaiah 63:19; followed by יֵשׁ Numbers 22:29; followed by imperfect Genesis 17:18 לו יחיה O that Ishmael might live before thee! Job 6:2; followed by jussive Genesis 30:34 כדברך לו יהי; followed by imperative Genesis 23:13 אם אתה לוּ שׁמעני if thou — O that thou wouldst hear me! (+ probably Genesis 23:5 לאמר ׃ לוּ שׁמעני for לאמרֹ לוֺ ׃ שׁ׳, and similarly Genesis 23:15). — Read also probably לֻא for Masoretic לֹא Judges 21:22 (with כִּי עַתָּה), 1 Samuel 13:13; 1 Samuel 20:14 (twice in verse); Job 9:33 (followed by יֵשׁ); and perhaps Job 14:4 (Ew Kö).
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com

BLB Scripture Index of Brown-Driver-Briggs

Genesis

17:18; 23:5; 23:13; 23:15; 30:34; 50:15

Numbers

14:2; 20:3; 22:29

Deuteronomy

32:29

Joshua

7:7

Judges

8:19; 13:23; 21:22

1 Samuel

13:13; 14:30; 14:30; 20:14

2 Samuel

18:12; 18:12; 19:7; 19:7

Job

6:2; 9:33; 14:4; 16:4

Isaiah

48:18; 48:18; 63:19; 63:19

Ezekiel

14:15; 14:17; 14:19

Micah

2:11

H3863

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Word / Phrase / Strong's Search

Strong's Number H3863 matches the Hebrew לוּא (lû'),
which occurs 23 times in 22 verses in the WLC Hebrew.

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Unchecked Copy BoxGen 17:18

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 17:18 - And Abraam said to God, Let this Ismael live before thee.

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Unchecked Copy BoxGen 23:13

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 23:13 - And he said in the ears of Ephron before the people of the land, Since thou art on my side, hear me; take the price of the field from me, and I will bury my dead there.

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Unchecked Copy BoxGen 30:34

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 30:34 - And Laban said to him, Let it be according to thy word.

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Unchecked Copy BoxGen 50:15

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 50:15 - And when the brethren of Joseph saw that their father was dead, they said, Let us take heed, lest at any time Joseph remember evil against us, and recompense to us all the evils which we have done against him.

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Unchecked Copy BoxNum 14:2

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 14:2 - And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron; and all the congregation said to them,

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Unchecked Copy BoxNum 20:3

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 20:3 - And the people reviled Moses, saying, Would we had died in the destruction of our brethren before the Lord!

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Unchecked Copy BoxNum 22:29

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 22:29 - And Balaam said to the ass, Because thou hast mocked me; and if I had had a sword in my hand, I would now have killed thee.

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Unchecked Copy BoxDeu 32:29

Unchecked Copy BoxDeu 32:29 - They had not sense to understand: let them reserve these things against the time to come.

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Unchecked Copy BoxJos 7:7

Unchecked Copy BoxJos 7:7 - And Joshua said, I pray, Lord, wherefore has thy servant brought this people over Jordan to deliver them to the Amorite to destroy us? [fn]would we had remained and settled ourselves beyond Jordan.

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Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 8:19

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 8:19 - And Gedeon said, They were my brethren and the sons of my mother: as the Lord lives, if ye had preserved them alive, I would not have slain you.

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Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 13:23

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 13:23 - But his wife said to him, If the Lord were pleased to slay us, he would not have received of our hand a whole-burnt-offering and a meat-offering; and he would not have shewn us all these things, neither would he have caused us to hear all these things [fn]as at this time.

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Unchecked Copy Box1Sa 14:30

Unchecked Copy Box1Sa 14:30 - Surely if the people had this day eaten freely of the spoils of their enemies which they found, the slaughter among the Philistines would have been greater.

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Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 18:12

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 18:12 - And the man said to Joab, Were I even to [fn]receive a thousand shekels of silver, I would not lift my hand against the king's son; for in our ears the king charged thee and Abessa and Ethi, saying, Take care of the young man Abessalom for me,

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Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 19:6

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 19:6 - (LXX 19:7) forasmuch as thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee; and thou hast this day declared, that thy princes and thy servants are nothing in thy sight: for I know this day, that if Abessalom were alive, and all of us dead to-day, then it would have been right in thy sight.

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Unchecked Copy BoxJob 6:2

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 6:2 - Oh that one would indeed weigh the wrath that is upon me, and take up my griefs in a balance together!

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Unchecked Copy BoxJob 9:33

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 9:33 - Would that he our mediator were present, and a reprover, and one who should hear the cause between both.

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Unchecked Copy BoxJob 16:4

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 16:4 - I also will speak as ye do: if indeed your soul were in my soul's stead, then would I insult you with words, and I would shake my head at you.

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Unchecked Copy BoxPsa 81:13

Unchecked Copy BoxPsa 81:13 - (LXX 80:14) If my people had hearkened to me, if Israel had walked in my ways,

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Unchecked Copy BoxIsa 48:18

Unchecked Copy BoxIsa 48:18 - And if thou hadst hearkened to my commandments, then would thy peace have been like a river, and thy righteousness as a wave of the sea.

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Unchecked Copy BoxEze 14:15

Unchecked Copy BoxEze 14:15 - If again I bring evil beasts upon the land, and take vengeance upon it, and it be ruined, and there be no one to pass through for fear of the wild beasts:

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Unchecked Copy BoxMic 2:11

Unchecked Copy BoxMic 2:11 - ye have fled, no one pursuing you: thy spirit has framed falsehood, it has dropped on thee for wine and strong drink. But it shall come to pass, that out of the dropping of this people,
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