לֹ֥א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֹ֥א

   LO

   not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֥א יָמֽוּת׃

   LO ya-MUT

   not he will die
3. clause🔊 חָי֥וֹ יִחְיֶ֖ה לֹ֥א יָמֽוּת׃

   KHA-yo yikh-YE LO ya-MUT

   living he will live not he will die
4. sentence🔊 וַיִּרְאֶ֣ה וישוב וַיָּ֔שָׁב מִכָּל־פְּשָׁעָ֖יו אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה חָי֥וֹ יִחְיֶ֖ה לֹ֥א יָמֽוּת׃

   va-yir-E ve-ya-SHUV va-ya-SHAV mi-KAL-pe-sha-AV a-SHER a-SA KHA-yo yikh-YE LO ya-MUT

   and he saw and he will turn back and he turned back from all his transgressions which he did living he will live not he will die

Exegesis

The emphatic doublet chayo yichyeh {חָי֥וֹ יִחְיֶ֖ה | ḥāyō yiḥyēh} ‘surely he will live; he shall live’ expresses assured life, counterbalanced by the negation lo yamut {לֹא יָמוּת | lōʾ yāmūt} ‘he shall not die’. The Hebrew structure follows a logical progression: perception → repentance → complete severance from sin → guaranteed life and avoidance of death.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 א־מ־רaleph–mem–resh

“to say, utter”

• 🔊 אָמַר’āmarhe saidGenesis 1:3