Exodus 20:4:1Exod.20.4.W1TAB
לֹֽ֣א
lo
“not”
- Transliteration
- LO
- Extended
- LOH
- IPA
- /ˈloː/
Meaning by language
- English
- not
Alphabet Analysis
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points |
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The word
Word in context
- word
LO
- phraseyour reading level
LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel
- clause
LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel ve-khol-te-mu-NA a-SHER ba-sha-MA-yim mim-ma-AL va-a-SHER ba-A-rets mit-TA-khat
- sentence
LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel ve-khol-te-mu-NA a-SHER ba-sha-MA-yim mim-ma-AL va-a-SHER ba-A-rets mit-TA-khat va-a-SHER bam-MA-yim mit-TA-khat la-A-rets
Exegesis
The clause begins with lo {לֹֽא | lōʾ} in initial position, expressing prohibition, governing the Qal imperfect taʿăseh {תַּעֲשֶׂה | ta-ʿăśeh} ‘you shall make.’
Root and etymology
Rootlamed-aleph-kaph
“to do work”
In context — Exodus 20:4
You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness —whether of what is in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath the earth.
About this coordinate
Exodus 20:4:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Exodus 20:4, so the Hebrew word לֹֽ֣א (lo) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Exod.20.4.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Exod.20.4.W1.S1) and character.