1 figurative destruction Isaiah 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, Genesis 31:20 (E) עַלבְּֿלִי הִגִּיד לוֺ because he told him not, Isaiah 14:6; Isaiah 32:10; Hosea 8:7; Hosea 9:16 (Kt) Job 41:18.

b. used to negative an adj. or participle 2 Samuel 1:21 בְּלִי מָשִׁיחַ not anointed, Psalm 19:4; Hosea 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; Psalm 59:5 בְּלִיעָֿוֺן יְרוּצוּן without (my) iniquity they run (against me), compare Psalm 59:4 לֹא, Psalm 63:2 a dry land בְּלִי מָ֑יִם without water, Isaiah 28:8; Job 30:8 בְּנֵי בְלִישֵֿׁם children of (men of) no name.

With prepositions a. בִּבְלִי, in בִּבְלִי דַעַת Deuteronomy 4:42; Deuteronomy 19:4; Joshua 20:3,5 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,Isaiah 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, Deuteronomy 9:28 ׳מִבְּלִי יְכֹלֶת י on account of Jehovah's not being able... (in Numbers 14:16 מִבִּלְתִּי), Numbers 28:55 (Ew^238d; but also RS^{JPh xvi. 72}), Isaiah 5:13 for want of knowledge, Hosea 4:6; Ezekiel 34:5; Lamentations 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), Exodus 14:11; 2 Kings 1:3,6,16. (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 6d β); Jeremiah 2:15 its cities are burnt מִבְּלִי יוֺשֵׁב so that there is no inhabitant, Jeremiah 9:9-11 Ezekiel 14:15; Zephaniah 3:6. Once as a conjunction מִבְּלִי אֲשֶׁר, with pleonastic לֹא, so that not... Ecclesiastes 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 24:7,8; 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 6d γ; Ges 'terror (supplied from Job 18:14) shall dwell in his tent so that it is no more his.'

d. עַדבְּֿלִי till there be no... Psalm 72:7; Malachi 3:10.