←
lˀw, lw (lāw/law) adv. not, it is not
1
it is not
Palmyrene, JLAtg, Gal, Syr, JBA, JBAg, Man, LJLA
PAT2760:1.2↗ nkry dy lwˀ mn bnwhy dkryˀ : a stranger who is not among his male children ; TgJ 2K2:10↗ וְאִם לָאו‏ : but if it is not the case ; AGnEx 86.23↗ ܕܢܚܘܐ ܟܬܒܐ ܕܠܘ ܡܛܠ ܟܦܢܗ ܙܒܢܗ݀ ܠܒܘܟܪܘܬܗ ܐܡ݂ܪ‏ : scripture said that he sold his birthright to show that it was not because of his hunger ; AphDiatess1996 150.2:2↗ ܘܠܘ ܡܢ ܫܘܬܦܘܬܐ ܐܬܝܠܕ ܒܒܛܢܗ‏ : He was not born in her belly due to intercourse ; JSBhom 82:72↗ ܣܒܲܪ ܣܵܛܵܢܵܐ܃ ܕܠܲܘ ܐܲܠܵܗܲܐ ܗ̄ܘ ܐܸܠܵܐ ܐ̄ܢܵܫܵܐ‏ : Satan thought that he was not God but rather a man ; BT Er 68a(8)↗ מר לאו אורחיה‏ : it is not your manner, sir ; TGAs27(1) 16.1.3↗ דלאו דרכה למיטחן ולמיפה‏ : for it was not her practice to grind and bake ; Pashar Mihla 64↗ mihla ˁkumtia anat lau hiuartia : you are black salt, not white ; TgEsth2 1:2(15)↗ הוא כורסייה לאו דידיה ולא דאבהתי אלא כרסיה דמלכא שלמה‏ : that throne of his was not his nor his(!) fathers' but rather king Solomon's
(1)
(rhetorical interrogative) is it not?
SR[1].30:3(10)↗ ולאו את הוא דגזרת‏ : are you not the one who decreed? ; PTKil 31.b:33[2]↗ ולאו מתניתא היא‏ : so is it not (in) the Mishna? ; PTŠeq 50.c:45[2]↗ ולאו בשר דנבילה יהבית ליה‏ : did I not give him the meat of a nevelah? ; JohnBook 21:4↗ lau iadit iušamin : do you not know, PN?
(2)
בלאו הכי : in any event ; see s.v. hkyn adv.
JBA
(3)
אי לאו : were the case not, if there is no X
JBA
BT BM 107b(8)↗ התם נמי אי לאו זיקא, עבדי ליה סמתרי וחיי‏ : there, too, of there is no wind, they make him a poultice and he lives
(4)
_לאו כל כמין : it is not at all the right of X : see s.v. kmyn p
JBA, JBAg
2
no, not so!
Gal, Syr, JBA
VR 124:2(1)↗ אמרה לה לאו‏ ; DeathSatan4 7↗ ܠܲܘ ܡܲܘܬܵܐ ܓܲܠܝܵܐ ܩܵܛܸܠ ܐܵܘ ܣܵܛܵܢܵܐ݁ ܡܲܘܬܵܟ ܗܽܘ ܟܲܣܝܵܐ ܩܵܛܸܠ ܠܲܒܢ̈ܲܝ ܐ̄ܢܵܫ̈ܵܐ‏ : not so! Death kills openly O Satan, while your death kills people while hidden ; BT Meg 32a(28)↗ והוא דאמרי אין אין והוא דאמרי לאו לאו‏ : it is when they say 'yes, yes', and it is when they say 'no, no'
§▶
Syr. only ܠܲܘ‏
☛▶
🔍▶
✎▶
It is probable that in some dialects the form was developed from lˀ "no" + hū "it" while in Syriac, at least, it may have come rather from the ubiquitous ܠܐ ܗܘܐ with the same meaning. In some Syriac writers (or scribes?) it can be found negating adverbs instead of ܠܐ.
Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 675[360]DJPA: 274bDJBA: 614bJastrow: 685Drower/Macuch: 227bPayne-Smith ~: 1869J. Payne-Smith: 236Tal Sam: 427bAudo: 2:13

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Fri, 06 Nov 2026 22:40:22 -0500