←
ˀlˀ (ˀellā) conj. but rather
1
w. preceding negative : only, but rather
JLAtg, Gal, Sam, Syr, JBA, JBAg, Man, LJLA
GenApoc 5.6↗ text not cited ; TgJ Is27:3↗ וְלָא אְשֵיצֵינוּן אֵלָ בִזמָן דְאִנוּן מַרגְזיִן קְֹדָמַי‏ : I shall only destroy them when they anger me ; TgJ Hos13:4↗ וֻפָרֻיק לֵית אלא אֲנָא‏ : there is no savior but I ; Marqe 1.16↗ לית טובה מתחזי לאנש אלא על דמותה‏ : the Good One appears to a person only according to his nature ; BhBS Rhet 4.3.4 ܐܠܐ ܒܬܪ ܛܘܠܝܩܘܬܐ ܠܐ ܗܘܝܐ ܗܢܝܐܘܬܐ‏ : the pleasure happens only after the skill ; JSmem 11:26↗ ܘܐܠܐ ܠܚܪܬܐ ܠܐ ܓ݂ܠܐ ܠܥܠܡܐ‏ : He only revealed it to the World at the end ; BT BB 164b(31)↗ לאו אנא כתבתיה אלא יהודה חייטא כתביה‏ : it was not I who wrote it, only PN, the tailor, wrote it ; JohnBook 118:6↗ labaiana masiqlẖ šuma hda hinˁla baiana masiqlẖ šuma iahia iuhana : I do not wish to name him one name, rather I wish to name him John Johannes ; PJ Deut7:10↗ לא משהי לסנאוי אלא עד דהינון בחיין בעלמא דאתי‏ : He only delays it for His enemies until they are alive in the World to Come
(1)
possibly without an explicit negative
Palmyrene, JLAtg
PAT991:1.5↗ ˀlˀ gbr dy yhwˀ ˀḥyd brš[hwn : but a man who should be chosen to be their leader ; TgJ Is42:19?↗ text not cited
2
except, unless often w. following negative
JLAtg, Gal, PTA, CPA, Sam, Syr, Man
TgJ Amos3:3var.↗ הַיֲהָכוּן תְרֵין כַחדָא אֲלָהֵין/אלא/ אִם אִזדָמַנוּ‏ : [=MT: הֲיֵלְכוּ שְׁנַיִם יַחְדָּו בִּלְתִּי אִם־נוֹעָדוּ] ; OS MtCur5:20↗ ܕܐܠܐ ܬܐܬܪ ܙܕܝܩܘܬܟܘܢ ܝܬܝܪ ܡܢ ܣܦܪ̈ܐ ܘܦܪ̈ܝܫܐ܂ ܠܐ ܬܥܠܘܢ ܠܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܕܫܡܝܐ‏ : unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven
(1)
+ܐܸܢ : unless, but, except for : see s.v. ˀlhn conj.
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Sam. אלא אן > אלאן
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See also s.v. ˀylˀ conj. and note there. In Mandaic hnila is normally equivalent to "ˀylˀ", i.e., "if not", but in the cited examples it is clearly "rather".
Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 46[20]DJPA: 58bDJBA: 132bJastrow: 66Drower/Macuch: 146b, 147aJ. Payne-Smith: 17Levy Ch-W: 1:28Tal Sam: 31DCPA[Schulthess]: 16[8]Qumran: 10

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Wed, 04 Nov 2026 20:52:04 -0500