לֹ֥א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֹ֥א

   LO

   not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֥א נושבה נוֹשָֽׁבוּ׃

   LO no-she-VA no-sha-VU

   not inhabited they are inhabited
3. clause🔊 אִם־לֹ֤א אֲשִֽׁיתְךָ֙ מִדְבָּ֔ר עָרִ֖ים לֹ֥א נושבה נוֹשָֽׁבוּ׃

   im-LO a-shit-KHA mid-BAR a-RIM LO no-she-VA no-sha-VU

   surely if not I will make you a wilderness cities not inhabited they are inhabited
4. sentence🔊 כִּֽי־כֹ֣ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה עַל־בֵּית֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה גִּלְעָ֥ד אַתָּ֛ה לִ֖י רֹ֣אשׁ הַלְּבָנ֑וֹן אִם־לֹ֤א אֲשִֽׁיתְךָ֙ מִדְבָּ֔ר עָרִ֖ים לֹ֥א נושבה נוֹשָֽׁבוּ׃

   ki-KHO a-MAR Ye-ho-VAH al-BET ME-lekh ye-hu-DA gil-AD a-TA LI ROSH hal-le-va-NON im-LO a-shit-KHA mid-BAR a-RIM LO no-she-VA no-sha-VU

   for thus said the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah Gilead you are to me head or summit the Lebanon surely if not I will make you a wilderness cities not inhabited they are inhabited

Exegesis

The construct chain midbār ʿārîm lōʾ nōšāḇû {מִדְבָּר עָרִים לֹא נוֹשָׁבוּ | midbār ʿārîm lōʾ nōšāḇû} uses a Niphal perfect for an enduring state of desolation. The English maintains Hebrew parallelism and a judicial tone.