Genesis 18:15:9Gen.18.15.W9TAB
לֹ֖א
lo
“No”
- Transliteration
- LO
- Extended
- LOH
- IPA
- /ˈloː/
Meaning by language
- English
- No
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
va-YO-mer LO
- clause
va-YO-mer LO KI tsa-KHAKT
- sentence
vat-te-kha-KHESH sa-RA le-a-MOR LO tsa-KHAK-ti KI ya-RE-a va-YO-mer LO KI tsa-KHAKT
Exegesis
The infinitive construct le-emor {לֵאמֹר | lē-ʾmōr} ‘to say’ introduces Sarah’s speech, followed by lo tsachakti {לֹ֥א צָחַ֖קְתִּי | lōʾ ṣā-ḥaq-tî} ‘I did not laugh.’
The compact lo ki tsachakt {לֹ֖א כִּ֥י צָחָקְתְּ | lōʾ kî ṣā-ḥaq-t} ‘not, but you laughed’ uses adversative structure and word order for emphasis. The translation divides the Hebrew clauses into natural English sentences and markers (“Then,” “But”) while preserving the narrative flow and the stark contrast between Sarah’s denial and the divine correction.
Root and etymology
Rootpe-lamed-aleph
“to be marvelous, extraordinary”
In context — Genesis 18:15
But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. Then He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
About this coordinate
Genesis 18:15:9 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 9 of Genesis 18:15, so the Hebrew word לֹ֖א (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 Gen.18.15.W9, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.18.15.W9.S1) and character.