לֹ֥א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֹ֥א

   LO

   not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֥א הִשְׁמִיעָ֖נוּ

   LO hish-mi-A-nu

   not he would have caused us to hear
3. clause🔊 וְכָעֵ֕ת לֹ֥א הִשְׁמִיעָ֖נוּ כָּזֹֽאת׃

   ve-kha-ET LO hish-mi-A-nu ka-ZOT

   and at this time not he would have caused us to hear such a thing as this
4. sentence🔊 וַתֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ לוּ֩ חָפֵ֨ץ יְהוָ֤ה לַהֲמִיתֵ֙נוּ֙ לֹֽא־לָקַ֤ח מִיָּדֵ֙נוּ֙ עֹלָ֣ה וּמִנְחָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א הֶרְאָ֖נוּ אֶת־כָּל־אֵ֑לֶּה וְכָעֵ֕ת לֹ֥א הִשְׁמִיעָ֖נוּ כָּזֹֽאת׃

   va-to-MER LO ish-TO LU kha-FETS Ye-ho-VAH la-ha-mi-TE-nu lo-la-KAKH mi-ya-DE-nu o-LA u-min-KHA ve-LO he-re-NU et-kol-E-le ve-kha-ET LO hish-mi-A-nu ka-ZOT

   and she said to him his wife if had desired the LORD to put us to death he would not have taken from our hand a burnt offering and a grain offering and not he would have shown us all these and at this time not he would have caused us to hear such a thing as this

Exegesis

The sacrificial terms olah {עֹלָה | ʿō-lā} and minchah {מִנְחָה | min-ḥā} are subordinated under the negated perfect lo-lakakh {לֹא־לָקַח | lō-lā-qāḥ} “did not take,” underscoring divine restraint.

Successive negative clauses ve-lo heraʾenu {וְלֹא הֶרְאָנוּ | wə-lō he-rā-ʾê-nû} “and did not show us” and hishmiʾenu {הִשְׁמִיעָנוּ | hi-šmî-ʿā-nu} “cause us to hear” pivot on the demonstrative kazot {כָּזֹאת | kâ-zôt} “like this.” The Hebrew if–then–nor structure is retained to preserve logical progression.

Root and etymology

l-ʾ-k🔊 ל־א־ךlamed–aleph–kaf

“to send”

• 🔊 מַלְאָכִיםmalʾākhīmangelsGenesis 19:1