אַ֫יִן
a.yin (H0369)
nothing
AI Word Study
# Ayin (אַיִן): The Hebrew Word for "Nothing" The Hebrew word *ayin* appears 789 times throughout the Bible, making it one of the most frequently used terms in biblical Hebrew. Its core meaning is "nothing"—a straightforward concept that denotes the absence of something or non-existence. This high frequency of occurrence suggests that the concept of nothingness or absence was essential to biblical Hebrew thought and communication, appearing across diverse contexts and literary genres. The word's prevalence across nearly 800 biblical passages indicates it served multiple communicative functions beyond simple negation. When something is described as *ayin*, it can mean it does not exist, is unavailable, or holds no value or significance. The sheer number of occurrences demonstrates that ancient Hebrew speakers regularly needed to express absence, emptiness, or negation—whether describing physical lack, the non-existence of people or things, or abstract concepts of worthlessness. Without access to detailed usage examples in this lexicon entry, the full range of *ayin*'s semantic field remains partially defined. However, its overwhelming frequency in biblical text suggests it functioned as a fundamental building block of Hebrew expression, comparable to how modern English relies heavily on negation words. The word's importance lies not in conveying complex meaning, but in its essential role as a basic tool for expressing what is *not* present, present, or
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground,
Enoch walked with God, and he was not found, for God took him.
Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground
The firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in to us in the way of all the earth.
Now therefore, restore the man’s wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don’t restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours.”
Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’
He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.”
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I will die.”
So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that might be with me, will be considered stolen.”
Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.
If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is witness between me and you.”
and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”
No one is greater in this house than I am, and he has not kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
About this time, he went into the house to do his work, and there were none of the men of the house inside.
The keeper of the prison didn’t look after anything that was under his hand, because Yahweh was with him; and that which he did, Yahweh made it prosper.
They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.” Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”
In the morning, his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you.
Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.
They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.”
We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’
Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
but if you don’t send him, we won’t go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ ”
We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’
Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;
it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.
For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”
For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.
They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as foreigners in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks. For the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”
There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.
He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
Yahweh’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw.
Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished.’ ”
No straw is given to your servants, and they tell us, ‘Make brick!’ and behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh our God.
Else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you, and on your servants, and on your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground they are on.
For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
They said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt?
All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, starting according to Yahweh’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.
He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us, or not?”
If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.
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