Lexical Definition

‎בְּלִי‎ bᵉlîy (bel-ee') without ^H:Neg
from ‎בָּלָה‎

corruption, ig(norantly), for lack of, where no...is, so that no, none, not, un(awares), without.

• properly, failure, i.e. nothing or destruction
• usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as long as, etc.

subst
1) wearing out
adv of negation
2) without, no, not

See Greek: ἀγνωσία · ἀδίκως · ἄνυδρος · ἄτιμος · γυμνός · ζητέω

Extended Information

• subst
• adv of negation

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎בְּלִי‎ substantive wearing out (, wearing out of a garment), hence

1. figurative destruction Isa 38:17 ‎שַׁחַת בְּלִי‎ pit of destruction (of Sh®°ôl).

2. defect, failure, hence adverb of negation (compare ‎אֶפֶס‎), chiefly poetic for ‎לֹא‎, ‎אֵין‎: —
a. with finite vb. rare and only once in prose, Gen 31:20 (E) ‎עַלבְּֿלִי‎ ‎הִגִּיד לוֺ‎ because he told him not, Isa 14:6; Isa 32:10; Hos 8:7; Hos 9:16 (Kt) Job 41:18*.
b. used to negative an adj. or participle 2Sam 1:21 ‎בְּלִי מָשִׁיחַ‎ not anointed, Ps 19:4*; Hos 7:8: more frequently, especially in Job, joined with a substantive in sense of without, Job 8:11 will the reed-grass grow ‎בְּלִימָֿ֑יִם‎ without water? Job 24:10 they go about naked ‎בְּלִי לְבוּשׁ‎ without clothing, Job 31:39; Job 33:9; Job 34:6; Job 38:2 words ‎בְּלִידַֿעַת‎ without knowledge, Job 39:16; Job 42:3; Ps 59:5* ‎בְּלִיעָֿוֺן יְרוּצוּן‎ without (my) iniquity they run (against me), compare vPs 59:4* ‎לֹא‎, Ps 63:2* a dry land ‎בְּלִי מָ֑יִם‎ without water, Isa 28:8; Job 30:8 ‎בְּנֵי בְלִישֵֿׁם‎ children of (men of) no name.

With prepositions
a. ‎בִּבְלִי‎, in ‎בִּבְלִי דַעַת‎ Deut 4:42; Deut 19:4; Josh 20:3; Josh 20:5 D (= unawares: all in D's law of homicide); without knowledge Job 35:16; Job 36:12.
b. ‎לִבְלִי‎ in a state of (see below ‎לְ‎) no..., i.e. without,Isa 5:14 ‎לִבְלִיחֹֿק‎ regardless of, without measure, Job 38:41; Job 41:25* that is made ‎לִבְלִיחֵֿת‎ (to be) in a state of no fear, i.e. to be fearless.
c. ‎מִבְּלִי‎
(a) from want of, followed by a substantive or infin., ‎מִן‎ expressing causation, Deut 9:28 ‎׳‎‎מִבְּלִי יְכֹלֶת י‎ on account of Jehovah's not being able... (in Num 14:16 ‎מִבִּלְתִּי‎), Num 28:55 (Ew^{238 d}; but also RS^{JPh xvi. 72}), Isa 5:13 for want of knowledge, Hos 4:6; Ezek 34:5; Lam 1:4 ‎מִבְּלִי בָּאֵי מוֺעֵד‎ for lack of comers to the stated feast. Followed by a pleonastic ‎אֵין‎ in the phrase ‎הֲמִבְּלִי אֵין ֗֗֗ ‎ is it on account of there being no...? (literally is it from the deficiency of no...? compare in Syriac; PS⁵²⁸), Exod 14:11; 2Kgs 1:3; 2Kgs 1:6; 2Kgs 1:16. (β) so that there is no... (literally away from there being no..., ‎מִן‎ expressing negation, and ‎בְּלִי‎ being pleonastic, as in ‎מֵאֵין‎, see below ‎אַיִן‎ 6 d β); Jer 2:15 its cities are burnt ‎מִבְּלִי יוֺשֵׁב‎ so that there is no inhabitant, Jer 9:9-11*; Ezek 14:15; Zeph 3:6. Once as a conjunction ‎מִבְּלִי אֲשֶׁר‎, with pleonastic ‎לֹא‎, so that not... Eccl 3:11. In Job ‎מִבְּלִי‎ is used more freely = without, the connection with a preceding verb being no longer distinctly felt: Job 4:20 without any heeding, they perish for ever, Job 6:6; Job 24:7; Job 24:8 probably also Job 4:11; Job 31:19 (though here the sense (α) would be admissible). (γ) in Job 18:15 ‎תִּשְׁכּוֺן בְּאָהֳלוֺ מִבְּלִילֿוֺ‎, ‎מִן‎ is probably partitive (so Hi): there shall dwell in his tent what is naught of his: Ew^{§ 323a} De less probably even naught, compare below ‎אַיִן‎ 6 d γ; Ges 'terror (supplied from vJob 18:14) shall dwell in his tent so that it is no more his.'
d. ‎עַדבְּֿלִי‎ till there be no... Ps 72:7; Mal 3:10.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References