לַיִל
layil · H3915 · Hebrew · 233 occurrences
Meanings
-
night
The time of day that is characterized by darkness; associated with sleep, fear, evil, and hardship
ExamplesGenesis 1:5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years;
Genesis 1:16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
How it’s used In 10 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- עָמָלtoil, trouble 1
- שִׁמֻּרvigil 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
41 occurrences in 6 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 23
- אַרְבָּעִיםforty 10
- זֶהthis 3
- אֶחָדone 2
- שָׁלוֹשׁthree 2
- שֶׁבַעseven 1
Named alongside itApposition
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
What it doesIt is the subject
7 occurrences in 5 groups
- הָיָהto be, to become 3
- אוֹרto be light 1
- נָקַרto gouge out, to pierce 1
- אָבַדto perish, to destroy 1
- שָׁבַתto cease, to rest, to put an end 1
What is done to itIt is the object
5 occurrences in 5 groups
- אוֹרto be light 1
- מָנָהto count 1
- קָרָאto call, to cry out 1
- שָׁאַףto gasp 1
- שׂוּםto put, to set, to place 1
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- חָשַׁךְto grow dark 1
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- ךָּyou 1
- כֶםyou 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
4 occurrences in 3 groups
- מָהwhat?, why? 2
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
- אוֹרlight 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
65 occurrences in 6 groups
- בin/on/with 95
- כlike/as 6
- עַדto, as far as, until 4
- מִןfrom 2
- לto/for 1
- בֵּיןbetween, among 1
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
27 occurrences in 17 groups
- חֵצִיhalf 4
- חִזָּיוֹןvision 3
- חֲלוֹםdream 3
- חָצוֹתmiddle (of time) 3
- Other words · 13 groups that occur once or twice (14) 14
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Contrasting words 1 word
- יוֹמָם yôwmâm · H3119 · by day
- The direct lexical opposite of יוֹמָם, denoting night in contrast to day.
In the other Testament 1 word
- νύξ nýx · G3571 · night
- Greek νύξ is the direct translation equivalent of Hebrew לַיִל, both denoting the night season as opposed to day, with identical literal and figurative semantic range.
Semantic domains 1 entry
- Time002002002010
- לַיִל denotes night, the period of darkness contrasted with day, as its 233 occurrences throughout the Old Testament consistently mark a division of time (e.g. Genesis 1:5's "the darkness He called night").
Word family 4 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H3915. layil or lel or layelah לַ֫יִל לַ֫יְלָה,242 noun masculineGen 40:5 night (Late…
or lel or layelah לַ֫יִל לַ֫יְלָה,242
noun masculineGen 40:5 night (Late Hebrew id.; MI15 (ב)ללה; Aramaic לֵילָא, , ; Arabic , ; Ethiopic all = night; Assyrian lîlâtu, evening DlHWB; meaning of √ dubious; form probably לילי, and ending הָ֯ radical, and not ה locative, NöM 127 DlProl. 128 Ges§ 90, 2. with R. Köii. p. 57, R. 1); — absolute לַ֫יְלָה Gen 19:33 214t. + 2 t. Qr. (see below); לָ֑יְלָה Gen 1:5 Gen 1:3t.; לַ֫יִל Isa 16:3 + Pro 31:18; Lam 2:19 Kt (Qr לַיְלָה); לֵיל Isa 15:1 (twice in verse); Isa 21:1; construct לֵיל Exo 12:42; Isa 30:29; plural absolute לֵילוֺת 1Sa 30:12 1Sa 30:4t.; construct id., Isa 21:8 Isa 21:5t.; —
1 literally night, opposed to day, Gen 8:22 (J), Deu 1:33 + very often (see יוֺם); alternation of day and night divinely ordained Gen 1:5 (P), Jer 33:20 (twice in verse); Jer 33:25 +; עַדלֿ ׳מִיּוֺם Isa 38:12, Isa 38:18 i.e within one whole day; as close of day, ׳עַדלֿ2Ch 35:14; as time of sacred חָג (לֵיל) Isa 30:29; of suffering and weeping עָמָל לֵילוֺת Job 7:3, compare Psa 6:7; Psa 77:3 etc.; of pious desires, prayer, praise, meditation, etc (sometimes || by day) Isa 26:9; Job 35:10; Psa 1:2; Psa 22:3; Psa 42:9; Psa 77:7; Psa 88:2; Psa 92:3; Psa 119:5 (twice in verse), compare Psa 16:7; Psa 17:8; of night-service in Temple Psa 134:1; of sudden assault, or destruction, Isa 15:1; Jer 6:5; Obadiah 5; Job 27:20; Job 34:20, Job 34:25; Job 36:20; divided into watches Psa 90:4; שִׁמֻּרִים לֵיל Exo 12:42 see below שׁמר; with number, denoting duration of time, forty days and forty nights Gen 7:4, Gen 7:12; Exo 24:18; Exo 34:28; Deu 9:9, Deu 9:11, Deu 9:18, Deu 9:25; Deu 10:10; 1Ki 19:8; three days and three nights (לֵילוֺת שְׁלשָׁה) 1Sa 30:12; Jon 2:1; seven days and seven nights (לֵילוֺת שִׁבְעַת) Job 2:13 ; הַלּ ׳חֲלוֺם Gen 20:3; Gen 31:24 (both E), 1Ki 3:5; הַלּ ׳מַרְאֹת Gen 46:2 (E); ל ׳חֶזְיוֺן Job 20:8; Job 33:15, ל ׳חֶזְיֹנוֺת Job 4:13, ל חֲזוֺן ׳חֲלוֺם Isa 29:7 (compare Mic 3:6 below) ; ׳בִּןלֿ Jon 4:10 (twice in verse) see בֵּן
8 b. Chiefly in adverb. phrase: — הַלּ ׳בַּחֲצִי at midnight Exo 12:29 + (see חָצוֺת חֲצִי, b), compare הַלּ ׳בְּתוֺךְ 1Ki 3:20, ל ׳בְּאִישׁוֺן Pro 7:9 ; ׳בַּלּ הַזֶּה Exo 12:8, Exo 12:12 on this night (P; the night of which one is speaking); ׳בַּלּ הַהוּא on that night Gen 19:35 (J) + often, (P only Num 14:1); ׳בַּל הוּא Gen 19:33; Gen 30:16; so ׳הַלּ alone 1Sa 14:34, but strike out ᵐ5 We Kit, compare Dr; Klo Bu read ליהוה; ׳הַלּ to-night Gen 19:5, Gen 19:34; Gen 30:15 (all J), Num 22:8, Num 22:19 (E), Jos 2:2; Jos 4:3 (both J E), 2Sa 17:1, 2Sa 17:16; 2Sa 19:8; Rth 1:12; Rth 3:2, Rth 3:13, opposed to מָחָר tomorrow 1Sa 19:11; ׳הַלּ = this night just past, last night 1Sa 15:16 (compare Dr); ׳כָּלהַֿלּ all night Hos 7:6 (opposed to בֹּקֶר), Exo 14:20-21, (J), Num 11:32; Jos 10:9 (both J E), Jdg 16:2 (twice in verse); Jdg 19:25; 1Sa 15:11; 1Sa 31:12; 2Sa 2:29, 2Sa 2:32; 2Sa 4:7; opposed to ההוא כלהֿיום (of continuous action) 1Sa 19:24; 1Sa 28:20; Isa 62:6, opposed to יומם Psa 78:14; ׳בְּכָללֿ Psa 6:7 every night (probably); compare כָּלהַֿלֵּילוֺת Isa 21:8 all the nights (opposed to יוֺמָם) ; especially לַיְלָה by night Num 22:20 (E) Jos 8:3 (JE), Deu 16:1; Num 9:16 (P) + 51 t.; of these Gen 14:15 and Exo 13:21-22, (J) + 25 t. opposed to יוֺמָם, covering all the time; otherwise Jdg 6:27 (opposed to יוֺמָם); וָיוֺם לַיְלָה night and day 1Ki 8:29; Isa 27:3; Est 4:16; less often לֵילוֺת Psalm 16:17; ׳הַלּ by night 2Ki 25:4 (׳ל in || Jer 52:7), Zec 1:8; Neh 4:16 (opposed to הַיּוֺם) ; ׳בַּלּ id., Jer 6:5 Jer 6:18t. (chiefly late; often opposed to יוֺמָם בַּיּוֺם,, etc.); בַּלֵּילוֺת Psa 92:3 (opposed to בַּבֹּקֶר, Psa 134:1; Son 3:1, Son 3:8; בְּלַיְלָה Neh 9:19 (opposed to בְּיוֺמָם ); בְּלֵיל Isa 15:1 (twice in verse) ׳כַּל as at night Job 5:14 (opposed to צָהֳרָ֑יִם ).
2 figurative צִלֵּךְ כַּלַיִל שִׁיתִי Isa 16:8 simile of shadow of Zion as protection; more often in gloomy sense, of avenging calamity without divine guidance or comfort מֵחָזוֺן לַיְלָה Mic 3:6; personal distress Job 35:10; judgment perhaps also Job 36:20 (Ew De Di Da; night of death Bu; 'unintelligible' Siegf); מַהמִּֿלֵּיל מַהמִּֿלַּיְלָה Isa 21:11 i.e. what hour of the night of calamity is it? compare Isa 21:12 (opposed to בֹּקֶר).
[לֵילָא] noun [masculine] night (see Biblical Hebrew לַ֫יְלָה); — emphatic לֵילְיָא Dan 2:19; Dan 5:30; Dan 7:2, Dan 7:7, Dan 7:13.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 1 entry
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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