Lexical Summary ayin: nothing, nought Original Word: אַיִןTransliteration: ayin Phonetic Spelling: (ah'-yin) Part of Speech: substantive; particle of negation Short Definition: nothing, nought Meaning: a non-entity, a negative particle Strong's Concordance else, except, fail, fatherless, be gone, incurable, neither, never, As if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist; a non-entity; generally used as a negative particle -- else, except, fail, (father-)less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare 'aiyn. see HEBREW 'aiyn Brown-Driver-Briggs H369. ayin II. אַ֫יִן nought. אִיעֶזֶר see אֲבִיעֶזֶר. אִיתָמָר see I. אָוָה. II. אָ֑֫יִן אַ֫יִן, construct אֵין substantive properly nothing, nought (Moabite אן, Assyrian iânu). 1 Isaiah 40:23 לְאָ֑יִן רוֺזְנִים הַנּוֺתֵן who bringeth princes to nothing; כְּאַיִן as nothing, ib. 40:17; 41:11-12, Haggai 2:3; Psalm 39:6; almost ("" כִּמְעַט) 73:2; מֵאַיִן of nothing Isaiah 41:24. 2 construct אֵין, very frequently as particle of negations, is not, are not, was not, were not, etc. (corresponding to the affirmative יֵשׁ q. v. Similar in usage, though not etymology akin, are , לַיִת, , , properly 'there is nought of ...' followed by a substantive or a pronominal suffix (אֵינֶנִּי [verbal form, Ges§ 100, 5; 152, 1 c], אֵינָם אֵינְכֶם, אֵינֶנָּה, אֵינֶנּוּ, אֵינֵךְ, אֵינְךָ,, also Psalm 59:14 אֵינֵ֫מוֺ, 73:5 אֵינֵ֫ימוֺ): twice abnormally, in late Hebrew, a noun אֲנַחְנוּ אֵין אֲנִי, אֵין Nehemiah 4:17 (so sometimes לַיִת, , NöM. p. 295); once, incorrectly, את Haggai 2:17. a. denying existence absolutely Isaiah 44:6; 47:10 רֹאָנִי אֵין there is none that seeth me, literally nought of one seeing me! עוֺד אֵין there is none else Deuteronomy 4:39; 1 Kings 8:60; Isaiah 45:5-6, 18, 22. b. more commonly, in a limited sense, there is none here or at hand Exodus 2:12 and he saw אִישׁ כִּיאֵֿין that there was no man (that is, there), Numbers 21:5; Genesis 5:24 וְאֵינֶנּוּ and he was not (of Enoch's disappearance from earth) 42:13 one (cas. pend. as often), he is not, 42:36; often = is (or has) vanished 37:30; 1 Kings 20:40; Isaiah 17:14; Psalm 37:10; 103:16; Job 8:22; 24:24; 27:19. c. with the sense determined by a predicate following: Genesis 37:29 Joseph was not in the pit, 41:39 + often; Exodus 5:10 תֶּבֶן לָכֶם נֹתֵן אֵינֶנִּי 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 ֗֗֗ דַּע מֵשִׁיב אֵינְךָ if thou art not restoring her, know 43:5; Exodus 8:17; 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 12:30, גַּם Psalm 14:3, etc., but even for emphasis prefixed to it, as Genesis 19:31; 40:8 אֹתוֺ אֵין וּפֹתֵר 41:15; Exodus 5:16; Judges 13:9; 14:6; 16:15; 19:1 (so MI24): 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 האדמה לעבד אַיִן ואדם and man there was none to till the ground, Leviticus 26:37 אָ֑יִן וְרֹדֵף 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 (α) 1 Samuel 9:4 and they passed through the land of Shaalim וָאַיִן and they (the asses) were not (literally and nought!), especially after verbs of waiting or seeking Isaiah 59:11; Psalm 69:21; Job 3:9; Isaiah 41:17. Ezekiel 7:25; Proverbs 14:6; 13:4; 20:4. (β) Exodus 17:7 is ׳י in the midst of us ׃ אִםאָֽֿיִן or not ? Numbers 13:20. (γ) Judges 4:20 אָֽיִן׃ וְאָמַרְתְּ then thou shalt say, There is not, 1 Kings 18:10; 1 Samuel 10:14. (δ) Genesis 30:1 give me children, וְאִםאַֿיִן and if not, I die, Exodus 32:32; Judges 9:15, 20; 2 Samuel 17:6 (see Dr) 2 Kings 2:10; Job 33:33. e. with subject not expressed, once (late), Daniel 8:5 בָּאָרֶץ נֹגֵעַ וְאֵין and (it) was not touching the earth. feminine once, Job 35:15 with the finite verb; but read here מֹּקֵד אֵין כִּי (the usage of , 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 לְ ׳אֵין, with substantive, or pronoun, there is (was) not to . . . = . . . have, has, had, etc. not: Genesis 11:30 וָלָד לָהּ אֵין she had no child, Numbers 27:9 בַּת לוֺ וְאִםאֵֿין and if he have no daughter + often; with a participle Deuteronomy 22:27; Jeremiah 14:16; 30:17; 49:5; 50:32; Psalm 142:5; Lamentations 1:2, 9, 17; Exodus 22:2 לוֺ אִםאֵֿין if he have nought, Daniel 9:26 לו ואין and have nought (or none). 4 in circumstantial clauses (Dr§ 164): — (a) Exodus 21:11 she shall go out free כָּ֑סֶף אֵין without money, 22:9 רֹאֶה אֵין none seeing it, Numbers 11:6; Isaiah 47:1; Jeremiah 2:32; Hosea 3:4; 7:11; Psalm 32:9; 88:5 + . (b) Deuteronomy 32:4 a God of faithfulness עָוֶל וְאֵין and no iniquity, i.e. without iniquity, Jeremiah 5:21; Joel 1:6; Psalm 104:25. (c) very often, in such phrases as מַחֲרִיד וְאֵין with none to affright Leviticus 26:6 (12 t.); מְכַבֶּה וְאֵין Isaiah 1:31 and elsewhere; מַצִּיל וְאֵין 5:29; Psalm 7:3, etc. (Dr§ 159). 5 with infinitive and ׳ל, it is not to . . . : i.e. (a) like οὐκ ἔστιν, it is not possible to . . . (compare below יֵשׁ and לֹא), but hardly except in late Hebrew; 2 Chronicles 20:6 לְהִתְיַצֵּב עִמְּךָ וְאֵין it is not possible to stand (in conflict) with thee, 22:9; Ezra 9:15; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Esther 4:2. Once without ל, Psalm 40:6 אֵלָיךָ עֲרֹךְ אֵין οὐκ ἔστι παραβάλλειν σοι. (β) there is no need to . . . 1 Chronicles 23:26 אֵיןלָֿשֵׂאת לַלְוִיִּם וְגַם for the Levites also there was no need to bear 2 Chronicles 5:11; 35:15 (see Dr§ 202. 1). 6 with prefixes : — a. בְּאֵין properly in defect of: — (a) for want of, without — Proverbs 5:23 HE will die מוּסָר בְּאֵין for lack of instruction, 11:14 תַּחְבֻּלוֺת בְּאֵין without guidance, 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18; Isaiah 57:1; Ezekiel 38:11; compare בְּלֹא. (β) of time = when there was (were) not Proverbs 8:24 (twice in verse). b. כְּאֵין Isaiah 59:10 עֵינַיִם כְּאֵין in poetry for עֵינַיִם לוֺ אֵין כַּאֲשֶׁר (compare Ew§ 286 g Ges§ 152. 1 h). c. לְאֵין (α) for לוֺ אֵין לַאֲשֶׁר Isaiah 40:29; inlate prose 2 Chronicles 14:10; Nehemiah 8:10. (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 מִסְמָּר לְאֵין without number, 2 Chronicles 14:12 and there fell of the Cushites מִחְיָה לְאֵיןלָֿהֶם so that they had none remaining alive, 20:25 מַשָּׂא לְאֵין so that there was no carrying away, 21:18; Ezra 9:14. (γ) עַדלְֿאֵין (see ל ׳עַד), 2 Chronicles 36:16 until there was no remedy (compare ֗֗֗ אֵין עַד Psalm 40:13; Job 5:9). d. מֵאֵין (a) (מִן causal) from lack of . . . Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 7:32; 19:11. (β) (מִן negative, see מִן) properly away from there being no. . . (with אֵין pleonastic, compare מִבְּלִי, and אֵין מִבְּלִי), i.e. so that not. . ., without, mostly epexegetical of some term expressing desolation: Isaiah 5:9 Surely many houses shall be desolate יוֺשֵׁב מֵאֵין without inhabitant, 6:11 +? Jeremiah & Zephaniah; 6:11 אָדָם מֵאֵין, Jeremiah 32:43 וּבְהֵמָה אָדָם מֵאֵין 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 כָּמוֺךָ מֵאַיִן whence is any like thee? compare 30:7. (So Hi see DrHebraica. ii. 34-7.) |