Numbers 23:3:7Num.23.3.W7TAB
אוּלַ֞י
ulai
“perhaps”
- Transliteration
- u-LAI
- Extended
- oo-LAI
- IPA
- /ʔuˈlaj/
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 |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
u-LAI
- clause
va-yo-MER bil-AM le-va-LAK hit-ya-TSEV al-o-la-TE-kha ve-el-KHA u-LAI yik-ka-REH Ye-ho-VAH lik-ra-TI ud-VAHR ma-yar-E-ni ve-hig-GAD-ti LAKH
- sentence
va-yo-MER bil-AM le-va-LAK hit-ya-TSEV al-o-la-TE-kha ve-el-KHA u-LAI yik-ka-REH Ye-ho-VAH lik-ra-TI ud-VAHR ma-yar-E-ni ve-hig-GAD-ti LAKH va-ye-LEKH she-FI
Exegesis
Balaam’s intent is expressed by the cohortative `wəʾēlĕḵā {וְאֵלְכָה | wəʾēlĕḵā} ‘and I will go’`, while the optative `ʾûlāy yiqqārēh {אוּלַי יִקָּרֵה | ʾûlāy yiqqārēh} ‘perhaps {it} may meet’ conveys uncertainty regarding YHWH {יְהוָה | Yəhōwāh}.
In context — Numbers 23:3
And Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD may meet me, and whatever word He shows me I will declare to you.” Then he went to a barren height.
About this coordinate
Numbers 23:3:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Numbers 23:3, so the Hebrew word אוּלַ֞י (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 Num.23.3.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.23.3.W7.S1) and character.