Help QuickNav Adv. Options
BBE

BBE

Click to Change

Return to Top

Return to Top

Printer Icon

Print

Copy
Copy Options
Strong's
Red Letter
Copy Options
Cite Print
The Blue Letter Bible

Lexicon :: Strong's H3863 - lû'

Aa
לוּא
Transliteration
lû'
Pronunciation
loo
Listen
Part of Speech
conjunction
Root Word (Etymology)
A conditional particle
Dictionary Aids

TWOT Reference: 1085

Variant Spellings

Variant spellings for this word: לוא (Strongs and Gesenius) לו (Strongs and Gesenius) לה (Strongs)

Strong’s Definitions

לוּא lûwʼ, loo; or לֻא luʼ; or לוּ lûw; a conditional particle; if; by implication (interj. as a wish) would that!:—if (haply), peradventure, I pray thee, though, I would, would God (that).

KJV Translation Count — Total: 22x

The KJV translates Strong's H3863 in the following manner: if (6x), would God (4x), O that (3x), Oh (2x), would it might be (1x), if haply (1x), peradventure (1x), Oh that (1x), pray thee (1x), Though (1x), would (1x).

KJV Translation Count — Total: 22x
The KJV translates Strong's H3863 in the following manner: if (6x), would God (4x), O that (3x), Oh (2x), would it might be (1x), if haply (1x), peradventure (1x), Oh that (1x), pray thee (1x), Though (1x), would (1x).

  1. if, oh that!, if only!

    1. if (unlikely condition)

    2. if only!, oh that!, would that!

Strong’s Definitions [?](Strong’s Definitions Legend)
לוּא lûwʼ, loo; or לֻא luʼ; or לוּ lûw; a conditional particle; if; by implication (interj. as a wish) would that!:—if (haply), peradventure, I pray thee, though, I would, would God (that).
STRONGS H3863: Abbreviations
† לוּ 17 and לוּא (1 Samuel 14:30; Isaiah 48:18; Isaiah 63:19), also לֻא (Qr לוּ), 2 Samuel 18:12; 2 Samuel 19:7 (Arabic bdb053001, Aramaic bdb053002, לְוַי, Mishna לְוַי, Assyrian lû, with optative force, Dl§§ 78 end, 93, 145; compare Köii. 333), conjunction if, O that: —
1. if (stating a case which has not been, or is not likely to be, realized):
a. followed by perfect (so mostly), Deuteronomy 32:29 לו חכמו ישׂכילו זאת if they had been wise (which they are not), they would understand this; Micah 2:11 (apodosis וְהָיָה); Judges 8:19; Judges 13:23 להמיתנו לא לקח לו חפץ י׳ if J. had desired to slay us, he would not have taken, &c.; 1 Samuel 14:30; 2 Samuel 19:7.
b. followed by imperfect Ezekiel 14:15 if I were to send, &c. (but read probably אוֺ, compare Ezekiel 14:17; Ezekiel 14:19).
c. followed by participle, 2 Samuel 18:12 וְלֻא אָנֹכִי שֹׁקֵל and though I should be weighing 1000 pieces of silver upon my hand, I would not, &c.; Psalm 81:14-17 לו עמי שֹׁמֵעַ לי if my people were hearkening to me,... quickly would I bow down, &c.
d. followed by יֵשׁ Job 16:4. — With the apodosis omitted, Genesis 50:15 לוּ יִשְׂטְמֵנוּ if Joseph were to hate us (how should we fare then ?).
2. If only...! i.e. O that! would that! (compare εἰ γάρ, εἴθε) usually followed by perf., as Numbers 14:2 (twice in verse) לוּ מַתְנוּ if only we had died in the land of Egypt! Numbers 20:3; Joshua 7:7 וְלוּ הוֺאַלְנוּ וַנֵּשֶׁב Isaiah 48:18; Isaiah 63:19; followed by יֵשׁ Numbers 22:29; followed by imperfect Genesis 17:18 לו יחיה O that Ishmael might live before thee! Job 6:2; followed by jussive Genesis 30:34 כדברך לו יהי; followed by imperative Genesis 23:13 אם אתה לוּ שׁמעני if thou — O that thou wouldst hear me! (+ probably Genesis 23:5 לאמר ׃ לוּ שׁמעני for לאמרֹ לוֺ ׃ שׁ׳, and similarly Genesis 23:15). — Read also probably לֻא for Masoretic לֹא Judges 21:22 (with כִּי עַתָּה), 1 Samuel 13:13; 1 Samuel 20:14 (twice in verse); Job 9:33 (followed by יֵשׁ); and perhaps Job 14:4 (Ew Kö).
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com

BLB Scripture Index of Brown-Driver-Briggs

Genesis

17:18; 23:5; 23:13; 23:15; 30:34; 50:15

Numbers

14:2; 20:3; 22:29

Deuteronomy

32:29

Joshua

7:7

Judges

8:19; 13:23; 21:22

1 Samuel

13:13; 14:30; 14:30; 20:14

2 Samuel

18:12; 18:12; 19:7; 19:7

Job

6:2; 9:33; 14:4; 16:4

Isaiah

48:18; 48:18; 63:19; 63:19

Ezekiel

14:15; 14:17; 14:19

Micah

2:11

H3863

Read the Full Entry

Word / Phrase / Strong's Search

Strong's Number H3863 matches the Hebrew לוּא (lû'),
which occurs 25 times in 22 verses in the WLC Hebrew.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 17:18

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 17:18 - And Abraham said to God, If only Ishmael's life might be your care!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 23:13

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 23:13 - And Abraham said to Ephron, in the hearing of the people of the land, If only you will give ear to me, I will give you the price of the field; take it, and let me put my dead to rest there.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 30:34

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 30:34 - And Laban said, Let it be as you say.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 50:15

Unchecked Copy BoxGen 50:15 - Now after the death of their father, Joseph's brothers said to themselves, It may be that Joseph's heart will be turned against us, and he will give us punishment for all the evil which we did to him.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 14:2

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 14:2 - And all the children of Israel, crying out against Moses and Aaron, said, If only we had come to our death in the land of Egypt, or even in this waste land!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 20:3

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 20:3 - And the people were angry with Moses and said, If only death had overtaken us when our brothers came to their death before the Lord!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 22:29

Unchecked Copy BoxNum 22:29 - And Balaam said to the ass, You have made me seem foolish: if only I had a sword in my hand I would put you to death.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxDeu 32:29

Unchecked Copy BoxDeu 32:29 - If only they were wise, if only this was clear to them, and they would give thought to their future!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxJos 7:7

Unchecked Copy BoxJos 7:7 - And Joshua said, O Lord God, why have you taken us over Jordan only to give us up into the hands of the Amorites for our destruction? If only it had been enough for us to keep on the other side of Jordan!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 8:19

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 8:19 - And he said, They were my brothers, my mother's sons: by the life of the Lord, if you had kept them safe, I would not put you to death.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 13:23

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 13:23 - But his wife said to him, If the Lord was purposing our death, he would not have taken our burned offering and our meal offering, or have given us such orders about the child.

Tools

Unchecked Copy Box1Sa 14:30

Unchecked Copy Box1Sa 14:30 - How much more if the people had freely taken their food from the goods of those who were fighting against them! would there not have been much greater destruction among the Philistines?

Tools

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 18:12

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 18:12 - And the man said to Joab, Even if you gave me a thousand bits of silver, I would not put out my hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king gave orders to you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care that the young man Absalom is not touched.

Tools

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 19:6

Unchecked Copy Box2Sa 19:6 - For your haters, it seems, are dear to you, and your friends are hated. For you have made it clear that captains and servants are nothing to you: and now I see that if Absalom was living and we had all been dead today, it would have been right in your eyes.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 6:2

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 6:2 - If only my passion might be measured, and put into the scales against my trouble!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 9:33

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 9:33 - There is no one to give a decision between us, who might have control over us.

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 16:4

Unchecked Copy BoxJob 16:4 - It would not be hard for me to say such things if your souls were in my soul's place; joining words together against you, and shaking my head at you:

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxPsa 81:13

Unchecked Copy BoxPsa 81:13 - If only my people would give ear to me, walking in my ways!

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxIsa 48:18

Unchecked Copy BoxIsa 48:18 - If only you had given ear to my orders, then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea:

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxIsa 64:1

Unchecked Copy BoxIsa 64:1 - O let the heavens be broken open and come down, so that the mountains may be shaking before you,

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxEze 14:15

Unchecked Copy BoxEze 14:15 - Or if I send evil beasts through the land causing destruction and making it waste, so that no man may go through because of the beasts:

Tools

Unchecked Copy BoxMic 2:11

Unchecked Copy BoxMic 2:11 - If a man came with a false spirit of deceit, saying, I will be a prophet to you of wine and strong drink: he would be the sort of prophet for this people.
BLB Searches
Search the Bible
BBE
  [?]

Advanced Options

Other Searches

Multi-Verse Retrieval
BBE
Daily Devotionals

Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness.

Daily Bible Reading Plans

Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

One-Year Plans

Two-Year Plan