אַיִן
A nonentity ; generally used as a negative particle
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What does אַיִן (ʾayin) mean in the Bible?
אַיִן (ʾayin) is a Hebrew word meaning "a nonentity ; generally used as a negative particle". a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle BDB: nothing Usage: else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Emphasizes the utter futility of idols.
Meaning
Negation rooted in ontological absence: what is "not" fundamentally does not exist or lack substance.
a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle BDB: nothing Usage: else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare 370.
Why This Word Matters
Emphasizes the utter futility of idols. Isaiah 41:21-29
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Showing 8 of 790 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.