לֹ֨א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֹ֨א

   LO

   not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֱלֹהִ֜ים

   KI LO e-lo-HIM

   for not gods
3. clause🔊 כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֱלֹהִ֜ים הֵ֗מָּה כִּ֣י אִם־מַעֲשֵׂ֧ה יְדֵֽי־אָדָ֛ם עֵ֥ץ וָאֶ֖בֶן וַֽיְאַבְּדֽוּם׃

   KI LO e-lo-HIM HE-ma KI im-ma-a-SE ye-DE-a-DAM ETS va-E-ven va-ye-AB-de-m

   for not gods they for but rather a work or deed of hands of man or humankind wood or tree and stone and they destroyed them
4. sentence🔊 וְנָתְנ֥וּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֖ם בָּאֵ֑שׁ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א אֱלֹהִ֜ים הֵ֗מָּה כִּ֣י אִם־מַעֲשֵׂ֧ה יְדֵֽי־אָדָ֛ם עֵ֥ץ וָאֶ֖בֶן וַֽיְאַבְּדֽוּם׃

   ve-na-TE-nu ET-e-lo-HE-hem ba-ESH KI LO e-lo-HIM HE-ma KI im-ma-a-SE ye-DE-a-DAM ETS va-E-ven va-ye-AB-de-m

   and they have put or set the gods of them in the fire for not gods they for but rather a work or deed of hands of man or humankind wood or tree and stone and they destroyed them

Exegesis

The causal clause ki lo elohim hemah {כִּי לֹא אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה | kî lōʾ ʾĕ-lō-hîm hêm-mah} ‘for they were not gods’ combines negation with a resumptive pronoun.

Root and etymology

l-’-k🔊 ל־א־ךlamed–aleph–kaph

“messenger”

• 🔊 מַלְאָכָהmal’akhahangelic envoyGenesis 16:10