Genesis 18:28:1Gen.18.28.W1TAB
א֠וּלַי
ulai
“perhaps”
- Transliteration
- u-LAI
- Extended
- oo-LAI
- IPA
- /ʔuːˈlaj/
Meaning by language
- English
- perhaps
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī |
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The word
Word in context
- word
u-LAI
- clause
u-LAI yakh-se-RUN kha-mi-SHIM ha-tsa-di-KIM kha-mi-SHA ha-tash-KHIT ba-kha-mi-SHA et-kol-ha-IR
- sentence
u-LAI yakh-se-RUN kha-mi-SHIM ha-tsa-di-KIM kha-mi-SHA ha-tash-KHIT ba-kha-mi-SHA et-kol-ha-IR va-yo-MER LO ash-KHIT im-em-TSA SHAM ar-ba-IM va-kha-mi-SHA
Exegesis
The verse opens with the particle ulai {אוּלַי | ʾû-lay} ‘perhaps’, signaling a tentative, deferential proposal that softens Abraham’s bold intercession.
In context — Genesis 18:28
“Perhaps five will be lacking from the fifty righteous . Will You destroy all the city for five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
About this coordinate
Genesis 18:28:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Genesis 18:28, so the Hebrew word א֠וּלַי (ulai) 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.18.28.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.18.28.W1.S1) and character.