Lexical Summary
im: if, whether, though
Original Word:אִם
Part of Speech:conjunction; hypothetical particle; imperfect; infinitive; interrogative particle
Transliteration:im
Pronunciation:eem
Phonetic Spelling:(eem)
KJV: (and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), + but, either, + except, + more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, + save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, + surely (no more, none, not), though, + of a truth, + unless, + verily, when, whereas, whether, while, + yet
NASB:if, or, though, when, whether, nor, no
Word Origin:[a primitive particle]
1. (used very widely as demonstrative) lo!
2. (interrogatively) whether?
3. (conditionally), if, although
4. (also) Oh that!, when
5. (hence, as a negative) not
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
lo
A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrog., whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not -- (and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), + but, either, + except, + more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, + save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, + surely (no more, none, not), though, + of a truth, + unless, + verily, when, whereas, whether, while, + yet.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. conjunction
Definitionif
NASB Translationalthough (2), although* (1), certainly (1), either (1), either an or (1), either their or (2), else* (1), except* (22), however* (1), if (588), if* (1), indeed (1), less than* (1), more of her than* (1), more than* (1), most assuredly* (1), never (2), never* (1), nevertheless* (1), no (6), no means (1), none (1), nor (7), nothing (1), O (1), Oh (2), only (4), only* (7), or (75), rather* (11), should (1), since (4), surely (6), surely there shall be neither (1), surely* (35), than* (2), though (35), though* (2), truly (1), truly* (2), unless* (16), until* (7), when (17), whether (16), whether for or (1), whether it is or (1), whether they or (3), whether* (1), without* (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(= Aramaic
if [and in
, =
if not, except], Arabic
if [and in
=
if not, except], Ethiopic
(
§mma)
if = + (
+
) [and in
(
allâ)
if not, but], Assyrian
umma; also in Arabic
'An?' =
, compare : see Nö
M p. 208, ZMG 1886, p. 739; W
AG i. § 367 e)
Onk Jon ,
Hag .
.
construction (see more fully Dr§ 136-138, 143 FriedrichDie Hebr. Condit. sätze 1884): (1) with
(continued by perfects & waw consecutive; apodosis usually begins with perfect & waw consecutive or bare imperfect; or, if necessary, with imperative or jussive) (a) offuture time:Genesis 18:26 if I shall find 50 righteous in Sodom, I will pardon, etc.,Genesis 24:8;Genesis 32:9;Deuteronomy 19:8f.;1 Kings 1:52; b1 Kings 6:12;Psalm 89:31;Genesis 42:37;Judges 13:16;1 Kings 1:52 aPsalm 132:12. (b) ofpast time (rare, but classical):Genesis 31:8if everhe said . . .then theyused to bear, etc.,Exodus 40:37; & in the protestationsJob 31:7,13,16,25 etc. (alternating with pff., see below, & with jussives in apodosis) (c) assuming a purely imaginary case (with imperfect in both clauses, like the double optative in Greek),if, though:Genesis 13:16 so thatif a manwere able to number the stars, thy seed alsomight be numbered,Numbers 22:18;Isaiah 1:18though your sinswere as scarlet, theyshould become white as snow,Amos 9:2-4though theywere to dig into Sheôl, from thencewould my hand fetch them,Psalm 27:3;Psalm 139:8 +. (2) with
(expressing either a present process, or an approaching future: apodosis as 1a)Genesis 24:42,49;Judges 6:36;Judges 9:15;Judges 11:9 if ye are going to bring me back . . . then will, etc.; similarly with orGenesis 44:26;Exodus 22:2;1 Samuel 20:8;1 Samuel 23:23; & with no explicit copulaDeuteronomy 22:2;Deuteronomy 25:2;Leviticus 1:3,14, etc. (3) with
(a) offuture orpresent time (continued by perfects & waw consecutive: apodosis as 1a)Genesis 43:9 if I do not bring him back (si eum non reduxero) and set him before thee, I will be guilty for ever,Genesis 47:6if thouknowest that there are men of worth among them then make them, etc.,Judges 16:17;2 Samuel 15:33;2 Kings 7:4;Psalm 41:7;Psalm 94:18;Job 7:4;Job 9:30f.Job 10:14 if I sin, thou watchest me. OnGenesis 18:3 and elsewhere see . (b) ofpast time, whether (a) in actual fact, or () in an assumed case (the perfect is here continued by theimperfect and waw consecutive; apodosis begins as before). (a)Judges 9:16-19if ye have done honestlyand have made Abimelech king . . .,1 Samuel 26:19; especially in protestations, asPsalm 7:4if I have done this . . ., let the enemy pursue my soul, etc.Jeremiah 33:25f.;Job 31:5f;Job 31:9, etc. (b)Numbers 5:27if she have defiled herselfand been faithless,then shall they come, etc.,Numbers 15:24;Numbers 35:22-24. (c) with bare perfect in apodosis, in sense ofIf ...had ..., onlyDeuteronomy 32:30were itnot that ...,Psalm 73:15. ( is more usual in such cases.) (4) with
once (si vera 1.)Job 9:27 = if I say (literally if (there is) my saying). — Note that the verb following is often strengthened by the infinitive absolute, asExodus 15:26;Exodus 19:5;Exodus 21:5;Exodus 22:3;Exodus 22:12;Exodus 22:16;Exodus 22:22;Judges 11:30;Judges 14:12;Judges 16:11 etc.; compare DrSm i. 20, 6.
Special uses: (1) repeated ...whether ...or (sive ... sive)Exodus 19:13;Deuteronomy 18:3;2 Samuel 15:21; similarlyGenesis 31:52;Jeremiah 42:6;Ezekiel 2:5;Ecclesiastes 11:3;Ecclesiastes 12:14 (compare
...,
... PS250;
...
&
...
).(2) After an oath (expressed, or merely implied) (the formula of imprecation being omitted) becomes an emphatic negative, and an emphatic affirmative:2 Samuel 11:11 by thy life (may God bring all manner of evil upon me)if I do this thing! =surely I will not do this thing! (compare the full phrases in1 Samuel 3:17;2 Kings 6:31)Genesis 14:23;Genesis 42:15;Numbers 14:23;1 Samuel 3:14;1 Samuel 19:6;2 Kings 2:2;2 Kings 3:14 & often;Isaiah 22:14;Psalm 89:36;Psalm 95:11;Job 6:28;Numbers 14:28;Joshua 14:9;1 Kings 20:23;2 Kings 9:26;Isaiah 5:9;Isaiah 14:24;Jeremiah 15:11;Jeremiah 49:20;Job 1:11 #NAME? Ezekiel; after a negative clause, emphasizing a contrasted idea,Genesis 24:38 (where the explanation by Aramaic is not supported by Hebrew usage), compareJeremiah 22:6. Repeated,2 Samuel 20:20;2 Kings 3:14;Isaiah 62:8;Jeremiah 38:16;Ezekiel 14:16. In adjurations (with 2nd or 3rd person) =that notGenesis 21:23;Genesis 26:29;Genesis 31:50;1 Samuel 24:22;1 Kings 1:51;Songs 2:7;Songs 3:5 +. Of past or present time:1 Samuel 25:34 as liveth (I say) that, unless thou hadst hastened ..., thatsurely there had not been left ...!1 Samuel 17:55 as thy soul livethif I Know it!1 Kings 17:12;1 Kings 18:10 — both ( here merely introduces the fact sworn to, & need not be translated; so2 Samuel 3:35: see );Psalm 121:2 (after a negative clause: compare aboveGenesis 24:38). compare Str§ 90.(3) Part, of wishing,if but ...! oh that ...! (rare)Psalm 81:9If thou wouldest hearken to me!Psalm 95:7;Psalm 139:19;Proverbs 24:11. compareExodus 32:32. With an imperative (si vera lectio)Job 34:16 ; and with an anacoluthon,Genesis 23:13 (P)if thou! — oh that thou wouldst hear me!(4) Nearly =when — with the perfect: (a) of past,Genesis 38:9;Numbers 21:9 and it used to be,if orwhen a serpent had bitten a man, that he would look, etc.,Judges 6:3;Psalm 78:34 (see Dr§ 136 Obs.);Amos 7:2. (b) of present or future,Isaiah 4:4when the Lord shall have washed,Isaiah 24:13;Isaiah 28:25; compareNumbers 36:4 (with the imperfect)
Compounded with other particles: — (a)except if, except,Genesis 47:18;Judges 7:14;Amos 3:3,4. ()2 Kings 20:19 (for whichIsaiah 39:7 has sim-ply ), perhapsIs it not (good),if ...? (De Di). () , q. v. ()Genesis 24:19,33;Isaiah 30:17;Ruth 2:21, &Genesis 28:15;Numbers 32:17;Isaiah 6:11,until, properlyuntil if orwhen. ()if only (see below ). inEzekiel 3:6b is very difficult. The Vrss renderIf I had sent, etc., implying for (for Ew's = , q. v., is precarious): Ges Hi Co 'but ( after a negative, compare aboveGenesis 24:38;Psalm 131:2) untothem (Israel) have I sent thee:they can understand thee' (butunderstand is a dubious rendering of ).
in direct question: (a) alone (not frequently and usually =Num? expecting the answerNo, especially in a rhet. style):Genesis 38:17;1 Kings 1:27;Judges 5:8was there a shield to be seen or a spear ...?Isaiah 29:16; and repeatedAmos 3:6;Jeremiah 48:27;Job 6:12. (b) more frequently in disjunctive interrogation: (a) , expressing a real alternativeJoshua 5:13art thou for us, or for our enemies?Judges 9:2;1 Kings 22:6,15: more often expressing a merely formal alternative, especially in poetry (a rhetoricalNum?)Genesis 37:8;Numbers 11:12,22;Judges 11:25b2 Samuel 19:36;Isaiah 10:15;Isaiah 66:8;Jeremiah 3:5;Habakkuk 3:8;Psalm 77:10;Psalm 78:20;Job 4:17;Job 6:5,6;Job 10:4,5;Job 11:7 etc. () (rarer than , but similar in use)2 Samuel 24:13 (a real alt.);Isaiah 49:24;Isaiah 50:2;Jeremiah 5:9 (Jeremiah 5:29 )Jeremiah 14:22;Joel 1:2; Joel 4:4;Job 8:3;Job 11:2;Job 21:4;Job 22:3;Job 34:17;Job 40:8f. (formal);Genesis 17:17 P (with an anacoluthon) shall a child ...?or Sarah, — shall she that is 90 years old bear?Proverbs 27:24 ( after negative clause),
in oblique interrogation,if, whether: (a) alone, after verbs of seeing, inquiring, etc.2 Kings 1:2;Jeremiah 5:1;Jeremiah 30:6;Malachi 3:10;Psalm 139:24; Cant 7:13;Lamentations 1:12;Ezra 2:59; oncewho knoweth if ...? i.e. (likehaud scio an)perhapsEsther 4:14 (older synonym alone: see2 Samuel 12:22;Joel 2:14;Jonah 3:9). (b) disjunctivelyGenesis 27:21;Numbers 13:18-20; soJoshua 24:15.
compounded with ,Numbers 17:28 probably an emphaticNum? Shall we ever have finished dying?Job 6:13 difficult: perhapsIs it that my help is not in me? (a forcible means of expressing that that which might be thought impossible is nevertheless the case); Hi as an aposiop., If my help is not in me (am I still to wait) ? (The view that =nonne? is inconsistent with the fact that in a question has regularly the force ofNum?)
see . Below
, see .
(assumed as √ of following, which how-ever probably biliteral compare Sta§ 188; see also LagBN 82).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe particle אִם (ʾim) serves primarily as the Hebrew conjunction “if,” appearing about 1,070 times across every major genre of the Old Testament. Its versatility allows it to express true conditions, hypothetical possibilities, rhetorical questions, emphatic oaths, and strong negations. A grasp of its nuances sheds light on the conditional nature of many divine covenants, laws, prophecies, and prayers.
Primary Conditional Usage
1. Covenant Conditions
•Exodus 19:5 – “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations.”
•Deuteronomy 28:1-2 – Blessings “if you diligently obey.”
•2 Chronicles 7:14 – National restoration hinged on “if My people who are called by My name humble themselves.”
These occurrences reveal that obedience is the God-ordained avenue to covenant blessing, while disobedience invites judgment (Deuteronomy 28:15).
2. Case Law and Civil Justice
InExodus 21–23, אִם introduces legal protases: “If a man steals an ox…” (Exodus 22:1). The structure clarifies responsibility and establishes equitable penalties.
3. Personal Conduct and Ethical Appeals
•Proverbs 2:1-5 – Wisdom is promised “if you accept my words.”
•Psalm 95:7-8 – “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts,” coupling condition with exhortation.
Negated or Emphatic Usage (“if not,” “surely”)
1. “אִם לֹא” (im lōʾ) may function as an emphatic denial:
•Genesis 42:20 – “But you must bring your youngest brother to me so that your words will be verified, and you will not die.” Joseph’s preceding “If you are honest men” underscores the test of integrity.
2. It also operates as an oath-formula meaning “surely”:
•Psalm 132:3 – “I will not enter my house, nor get into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes…if I allow my eyelids to slumber,” intensifying David’s vow.
Oath and Vow Formulas
The negative oath “אִם …” plus a verb of refusal conveys solemn pledge:
•Genesis 14:23 – “I will accept nothing belonging to you…so you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’”
•2 Samuel 3:35 – David swears not to eat until sunset as an act of mourning.
Such uses emphasize personal integrity and dependence on divine vindication.
Interrogative and Rhetorical Functions
1. Rhetorical Questions
•Job 8:7 – “Though your beginnings were small, will your latter end not flourish?”
2. Syntax often omits the apodosis because the answer is evident, engaging the listener’s conscience.
Expressing Uncertainty, Possibility, or Wish
1. “Whether” Sense
•1 Kings 18:27 – Elijah taunts the prophets of Baal: “Maybe (אִם) he is deep in thought.”
2. Optative Use
•Numbers 14:2 – “If only we had died in Egypt,” voicing regret and unbelief.
Concessive Nuance (“Even if”)
•Daniel 3:18 – “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods,” combining steadfast faith with recognition of divine sovereignty.
Conditional Blessings and Curses in Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy clusters אִם around covenant stipulations. Blessings (28:1-14) and curses (28:15-68) hinge on obedience or rebellion, illustrating the moral fabric of Israel’s national life.
Prophetic Warnings and Promises
Prophets employ אִם to invite repentance and underscore inevitability:
•Isaiah 1:18-20 – “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”
•Jeremiah 15:1 – Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My heart would not go out to this people,” portraying the gravity of Judah’s sin.
Wisdom Literature
Job uses אִם nearly 150 times, often stacking clauses to protest innocence (Job 31). The particle structures Job’s legal defense, contrasting his righteousness with perceived divine injustice.
Liturgical and Devotional Context
Psalms employ אִם in vows, confession, and praise:
•Psalm 89:30-32 – “If his sons forsake My law…then I will punish their transgression,” blending covenant faithfulness with corrective discipline.
•Psalm 139:8-9 – “If I ascend to the heavens, You are there,” celebrating God’s omnipresence.
Historical Significance
From Sinai through exile, Israel’s history unfolds under divine “ifs.” Conditional formulas govern land tenure (Leviticus 26), monarchy (1 Samuel 12:14-15), and post-exilic hope (Zechariah 3:7). Disobedience led to exile, validating the covenant’s conditional warnings; restoration likewise came through renewed obedience (Nehemiah 1:9).
Ministry and Theological Significance
1. God’s Character: אִם highlights both His faithfulness to bless and His justice to discipline.
2. Human Responsibility: It underlines that faith and obedience are inseparable.
3. Gospel Preparation: The Old Testament’s conditional motif sharpens awareness of humanity’s inability to keep covenant, pointing forward to the gracious provision in the New Covenant.
Homiletical Applications
• Preach conditional promises with both invitation and warning (2 Chronicles 7:14).
• Use oath passages to affirm integrity and dependence on God (Psalm 132:3-5).
• Highlight rhetorical אִם to engage listeners’ consciences (Amos 3:3: “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” where a negative answer is implied).
Pastoral Application
• Counsel repentance by showing God’s readiness to forgive “if we return” (Jeremiah 4:1).
• Encourage perseverance, reminding believers that “even if” trials come, God is sovereign (Daniel 3:18).
• Foster faithfulness in vows and commitments, reflecting the seriousness of oath-language in Scripture.
Key Verses for Study
Genesis 18:26;Exodus 19:5;Deuteronomy 28:1;Joshua 24:15;1 Samuel 12:14;2 Chronicles 7:14;Job 31:5-6;Psalm 95:7-8;Proverbs 2:1-5;Isaiah 1:18-20;Jeremiah 7:5-7;Daniel 3:17-18;Amos 3:7;Zechariah 3:7;Malachi 3:10.
Statistics
Approximate occurrences: 1,070 across the Old Testament, distributed widely in Torah, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, Writings, with dense clusters in Deuteronomy, Job, and Psalms.
Conclusion
אִם threads conditionality, choice, and covenant through the biblical narrative. Understanding its shades of meaning sharpens exegesis, strengthens preaching, and deepens appreciation for the God who lovingly sets before His people the way of life—“if” they will choose it.
Forms and Transliterations
אִ֖ם אִ֗ם אִ֚ם אִ֛ם אִ֡ם אִ֣ם אִ֣ם ׀ אִ֤ם אִ֥ם אִ֨ם־ אִֽם־ אִם אִם֙ אִם־ אם אם־ הַאִ֥ם הַאִ֬ם האם וְ֠אִם וְֽאִם־ וְאִ֖ם וְאִ֛ם וְאִ֡ם וְאִ֣ם וְאִ֣ם ׀ וְאִ֤ם וְאִ֥ם וְאִ֧ם וְאִ֨ם וְאִ֨ם־ וְאִֽם־ וְאִם֙ וְאִם֩ וְאִם֮ וְאִם־ ואם ואם־ ’im ’im- ha’im ha·’im haIm im imoSh imoSha imoSho veIm veimoSha wə’im wə’im- wə·’im wə·’im-
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