Lexical Summary
ulay: Perhaps, maybe, possibly, if only
Original Word:אוּלַי
Part of Speech:Adverb
Transliteration:uwlay
Pronunciation:oo-lah'ee
Phonetic Spelling:(oo-lah'ee)
KJV: if so be, may be, peradventure, unless
NASB:perhaps, suppose, if, should
Word Origin:[fromH176 (אוֹ אַו - or)]
1. if not
2. hence perhaps
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
if so be, may be, peradventure, unless
Or (shortened) rulay {oo-lah'ee}; from'ow; if not; hence perhaps -- if so be, may be, peradventure, unless.
see HEBREW'ow
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionperhaps
NASB Translationif (1), perhaps (35), should (1), suppose (8).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II.
44 and (Genesis 24:39)
(perhaps from & = , , as in , =or not ?).
, asGenesis 16:2;Numbers 22:6,11;Numbers 23:3;1 Samuel 6:5;Jeremiah 20:10; but also a fear or doubt, asGenesis 27:12;Job 1:5, followed byGenesis 24:5,39; in mockeryIsaiah 47:12;Jeremiah 51:8.
, it, it expresses vir-tually the protasis =if peradventureGenesis 18:24,28 (compareGenesis 18:29-32)Hosea 8:7 the blade shall yield no meal;if perchance it yield, strangers shall swallow it up.
inNumbers 22:33 (q.v) must be read;unless she had turned aside from me, surely, etc.
Topical Lexicon
Overviewאוּלַי frames human uncertainty before the certainty of God. The particle most often appears on the lips of people who know that final outcomes rest with the Lord but still act, plan, intercede, or repent in hope. Across roughly forty-five Old Testament occurrences the word gathers around four major themes: covenant longing, intercessory atonement, battle and deliverance, and prophetic calls to repentance.
Covenant Longing in the Patriarchal Narratives
1. Desire for offspring
•Genesis 16:2 – Sarai, barren and aging, tells Abram, “Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Her uncertainty reveals faith mixed with human contrivance, setting the stage for God’s later miracle.
•Genesis 30:1 – Rachel says, “Give me children, or I will die,” yet in 30:3 she adopts Sarai’s earlier perhaps, showing the recurring human impulse to secure covenant promises by sight rather than by patient trust.
2. Securing a bride for Isaac
•Genesis 24:39 – Abraham’s servant recounts, “I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not follow me?’” אוּלַי expresses the risk inherent in obedience; the servant proceeds anyway and God richly answers.
3. Fear of discovery
•Genesis 27:12 – Jacob worries, “Perhaps my father will feel me,” illustrating how אוּלַי can voice guilty apprehension.
•Genesis 50:15 – Joseph’s brothers say, “Perhaps Joseph will hold a grudge against us,” highlighting unresolved sin and the need for forgiveness within the covenant family.
Intercessory Atonement and Mercy
1. Moses on Sinai
•Exodus 32:30 – “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Moses knows only God can forgive, yet he pleads because God has revealed His mercy (Exodus 34:6-7).
2. Job’s priestly role
•Job 1:5 – After each feast Job offers burnt offerings, reasoning, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” The regular use of אוּלַי underscores the vigilance of a righteous intercessor.
3. Hezekiah’s hope
•2 Kings 19:4;Isaiah 37:4 – Faced with Assyrian blasphemy, Hezekiah sends to Isaiah: “Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh… and rebuke the words that the LORD your God has heard.” The king’s supplication rests on covenant promises even while confessing his own helplessness.
Battle, Deliverance, and Strategic Planning
1. Reconnaissance and provision
•1 Kings 18:5 – During drought Ahab tells Obadiah, “Go through the land to every spring and brook; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive.” Human rulers plan, but rain finally comes only by prophetic prayer.
2. Faith on the battlefield
•1 Samuel 14:6 – Jonathan says to his armor-bearer, “Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act on our behalf. For nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” אוּלַי highlights courageous faith that moves forward without presumption.
3. Military appeals to prophets
•Jeremiah 21:2 – Zedekiah seeks Jeremiah: “Inquire now of the LORD for us, because Nebuchadnezzar… is warring against us; perhaps the LORD will perform wonders for us.” The request reveals a heart more interested in relief than repentance—a theme common to late-monarchy occurrences.
Prophetic Calls to Repentance
אוּלַי becomes a pastoral word in the mouths of prophets who urge a stubborn people to repent while time remains.
•Jeremiah 26:3 – “Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way; then I will relent of the disaster.”
•Jeremiah 36:3; 36:7 – The written scroll is read “so that they may turn… perhaps each will turn from his evil way.”
•Ezekiel 12:3 – Ezekiel performs a sign act “perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.”
•Joel 2:14 – “Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him.”
•Amos 5:15 – “Hate evil, love good, establish justice at the gate. Perhaps the LORD God of Hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
•Zephaniah 2:3 – “Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth… perhaps you will be hidden on the Day of the LORD’s anger.”
•Jonah 3:9 – Even Nineveh’s king grasps the logic: “Who knows? God may turn and relent.”
In each setting אוּלַי appeals to divine compassion without questioning divine justice. The word guards against fatalism; because the character of God is consistent, repentance is never pointless.
Ministry Significance
1. Encouragement to Intercede
The recurring link between אוּלַי and priestly or prophetic prayer (Moses, Job, Hezekiah, Jeremiah) urges believers to stand in the gap. Uncertainty about outcomes is no excuse for prayerlessness; rather, it drives humble dependence.
2. Motivation for Evangelism and Preaching
Prophets proclaim judgment yet hold out “perhaps” as a doorway to mercy. Gospel proclamation carries the same invitation: call all people to repentance, trusting that “the kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4).
3. Pastoral Care amid Suffering
Давid’s flight (2 Samuel 16:12) records, “Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.” Sufferers may not know the immediate outcome, but they may entrust their cause to the righteous Judge.
4. Guardrail against Presumption
Jonathan’s valor (1 Samuel 14) distinguishes faith from presumption. Believers may act boldly yet always concede the final decision to God.
Summary
אוּלַי gathers the hopes, fears, and petitions of God’s people into a single particle of possibility. It honors divine sovereignty, fuels prayer, encourages courageous obedience, and extends an open invitation to repentance. When Scripture says “perhaps,” it does not question God’s faithfulness; it invites human hearts to submit, seek, and hope in the One whose purposes are certain and whose mercies are new every morning.
Forms and Transliterations
א֠וּלַי אֻלַ֛י אוּלַ֖י אוּלַ֗י אוּלַ֛י אוּלַ֞י אוּלַ֡י אוּלַ֣י אוּלַ֣י ׀ אוּלַ֤י אוּלַ֥י אוּלַ֨י אוּלַי֙ אוּלַי֩ אולי אלי ’u·lay ’ū·lay ’ulay ’ūlay uLai
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