Nothing

NOTHING

nuth'-ing (lo', lo' @me'umah, etc.; medeis, oudeis):

"Nothing" is represented by various words and phrases, often with lo', which is properly a substantive with the meaning of "nothing." Most frequently we have lo' me'umah, "not anything" (Genesis 40:15; Judges 14:6).

Other forms are lo' dhabhar, "not anything"; (Genesis 19:8); lo'khol, "not any(thing)" (Genesis 11:6; Proverbs 13:7); la' (Aramaic), "no," "nothing" (Daniel 4:35, "as nothing"); 'ephec, "end," "cessation" (Isaiah 34:12); bilti, "without," "save," "not" (Isaiah 44:10; Amos 3:4); 'ayin, "there is not" (Isaiah 41:24); once, tohu, "emptiness" (Job 6:18); bal mah, "not anything" (Proverbs 9:13); chinnam, "free," "gratis" (2 Samuel 24:24); ma`at, "to make small," "bring to nothing" (Jeremiah 10:24); raq, "only" (Genesis 26:29); le'al, "for nothing" (Job 24:25).

In 2 Macc 7:12, we have "nothing," adverbially (en oudeni), "he nothing regarded the pains" (compare 1 Kings 15:21); 2 Macc 9:7 (oudamos), the Revised Version (British and American) "in no wise"; The Wisdom of Solomon 2:11, "nothing worth" (achrestos), the Revised Version (British and American) "of no service"; Baruch 6:17,26.

For "nothing" the Revised Version (British and American) has "none" (Exodus 23:26; Joel 2:3), "never" (Nehemiah 5:8), "not wherewith" (Proverbs 22:27), "vanity and nought" (Isaiah 41:29); for "answered nothing" (Mark 15:5), "no more answered anything"; "answered nothing" in Mark 15:3 is omitted; "anything" for "nothing" (1 Timothy 6:7), "not anything" (Acts 20:20), "not" (1 Corinthians 8:2), "no word" (Luke 1:37), "not wherewith" (Luke 7:42); for "to nothing" (Job 6:18), "up into the waste"; for "it is nothing with" (2 Chronicles 14:11), "there is none besides," margin "like"; for "lacked nothing" (1 Kings 4:27), "let nothing be lacking," for "nothing doubting" (Acts 11:12), "making no distinction"; for "hoping for nothing again" (Luke 5:35), "never despairing"; for "are nothing" (Acts 21:24), "no truth in"; for "nothing shall offend them" (Psalms 119:165), "no occasion of stumbling"; for "bring to nothing" (1 Corinthians 1:19), the English Revised Version "reject," the American Standard Revised Version "bring to nought"; "nothing better" for "no good" (Ecclesiastes 3:12), for "not" (Matthew 13:34, different text), for "no man" (Acts 9:8), "for nothing," for "free" (Exodus 21:11); "miss nothing" for "not sin" (Job 5:24), margin "shalt not err"; "and shall have nothing" for "and not for himself" (Daniel 9:26, margin "there shall be none belonging to him").

W. L. Walker


Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.

Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'NOTHING'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 1915.