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Psalms 73:25 — Word Study

Depth

WLCמִי־ לִ֥י בַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְ֝עִמְּךָ֗ לֹא־ חָפַ֥צְתִּי בָאָֽרֶץ׃

BSAWhom have Imîy [who is there for me] in heaven but Youshâmayim [the abode of God, the spiritual realm, my Lord, my Savior] And on earthʼerets [the land, the material world] I desirechâphêts [to delight in, to take pleasure in] no onelôʼ [no other person or thing] besides Youʻim [in addition to, apart from, my sole satisfaction]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 73
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 25 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (va.'A.retz) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 73:25quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist expresses a deep reliance on God, affirming that there is no one else he desires in heaven or on earth.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, reflecting on his relationship with God.
Where we areIn a moment of personal reflection, contrasting the divine with earthly desires.
The hard wordחָפַ֥צְתִּי
Take awayGod is the psalmist's only source of satisfaction.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectמִי verbחָפֵץ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 73:25

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Reflections on God's Guidancegenerated

24You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.
26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.

Psalm 73:25 captures the psalmist's realization that his ultimate fulfillment comes from God alone. In the verses surrounding this, he acknowledges God's guidance and strength, contrasting it with the emptiness of earthly desires. This theme of divine reliance is echoed in other psalms, such as Psalm 16:5-11 and Psalm 37:4, where the psalmist expresses trust in God's provision and goodness.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 16:5–11The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
2Psalm 17:15As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.
3Psalm 37:4Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
4Psalm 43:4Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.
5Psalm 63:3Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

The Key Word חָפַ֥צְתִּי, cha.Fatz.tigenerated

The verb חָפֵץ (chaphets) means to take pleasure in or to delight in. It is a Qal perfect form, indicating a completed action in the first person singular. This word conveys a strong sense of desire and satisfaction, particularly in the context of one's relationship with God.

In this verse, the psalmist emphasizes that he finds no delight in anyone or anything else on earth, highlighting the exclusivity of his affection and trust in God. The use of this verb underscores the depth of his commitment and the centrality of God in his life.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations agree on the core message of the verse, emphasizing the psalmist's singular devotion to God.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse is structured around the finite verb חָפַ֥צְתִּי, I take pleasure, which is the focal point of the sentence. It is preceded by a question clause introducing the subject and followed by two prepositional phrases that clarify the context of the psalmist's desire.

The arrangement emphasizes the psalmist's introspection, first questioning who he has in heaven and then affirming his lack of desire for anyone else on earth.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the Hebrew verb חָפֵץ is translated as ἠθέλησα (ēthelēsa), meaning 'I wished' or 'I desired.' This choice may suggest a more volitional aspect to the psalmist's feelings, indicating a conscious decision in his longing for God.

The translation reflects a narrowing of the Hebrew meaning, focusing on the act of wishing rather than the deeper sense of delight implied in the original.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 73:25 expresses the psalmist's deep reliance on God, stating that he desires no one else in heaven or on earth. This reflects a profound commitment to God as the source of his satisfaction and joy.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the psalmist mean by saying he desires no one besides God?

The psalmist is expressing that his ultimate satisfaction and joy come from God alone, and he finds no fulfillment in anything or anyone else.

How does this verse reflect the psalmist's relationship with God?

This verse highlights the psalmist's deep trust and reliance on God, indicating that he sees God as his sole source of strength and joy.

What can we learn from the psalmist's declaration?

We can learn the importance of prioritizing our relationship with God above all else and recognizing that true fulfillment comes from Him.

How does this verse relate to other psalms?

This verse relates to other psalms that emphasize trust in God and the joy found in His presence, such as Psalm 16:5 and Psalm 37:4.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I seek fulfillment outside of my relationship with God?
  2. How can I cultivate a deeper desire for God in my daily life?
  3. What does it mean for me to find my satisfaction in God alone?
  4. How can I encourage others to seek their fulfillment in God?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

The early Church Fathers, including Augustine of Hippo, reflected on this verse to illustrate the longing for heavenly fulfillment over earthly desires.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 73 354–430
And he is beginning to think of that same Heavenly felicity, and to reprove himself, because he has been a beast, and has longed for things earthly.
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 73 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 73:25 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Whom have I in heaven but thee,.... Which includes God the Father, Son, and Spirit; God the Father, as his only covenant God and Father; Christ as his only Mediator, Saviour, and Redeemer, Head,

Read John Gill on Psalms 73 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. -His joy in God as his portion, in contrast to the final destruction of all who go from God. Verse 25. Whom have I in heaven (but thee)?

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 73 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Whom have I in heaven, or in earth? as it follows. There is no other person nor thing in the world from which I can seek or hope for happiness, or which I am willing to accept as my portion. Let sinners have an earthly prosperity, I am satisfied with thee, and with thy favour. Since thou givest me support and conduct here, and carriest me safe from hence to eternal glory, what do I need more? or what can I desire more? But thee; which words must necessarily be understood here from the next clause, where they are expressed.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 73 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? and [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire beside thee.Ver. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee?] I would I were in heaven with thee, so Aben Ezra rendereth it; and to the same sense Beza paraphraseth, Apage terra, quod utinam Deus in coelo iam et tecum essem: quid enim est in terra quod me vel tantillum retineat?

Read John Trapp on Psalms 73 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) And there . . .—Or, Besides thee I have no delight on earth.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 73 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee?] The original is more emphatic: מי לי בשמים ועמך לא חפצתי בארץ mi li bashshamayim; veimmecha lo chaphatsti baarets. "Who is there to me in the heavens? And with thee I have desired nothing in the earth." No man can say this who has not taken God for his portion in reference to both worlds.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 73 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. But thee is rightly supplied in the first line, which receives its completion and explanation from the second. The idea which logically is one is divided into two clauses for the sake of the poetical rhythm. beside thee] Lit. with thee. If I have Thee, there is none else in heaven and earth whom I desire. Thou art my only good and source of happiness in the whole universe. Cp. Psalms 16:2, R.V., “Thou art my Lord; I have no good beyond thee.”

Read Cambridge on Psalms 73 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

whom have I in heaven but thee? - literally, “Who is to me in the heavens?” That is, There is no one there that in my love for him can be compared with thee; no one who can do for me what thou canst

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 73 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Whom do I have in heaven? There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Whom do I have in heaven but you? I desire no one but you on earth.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Whom haue I in heauen but thee? and I haue desired none in the earth with thee.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Whom have I in the heavens? and there is none upon earth I desire beside thee.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Whom do I have in the heavens? And none have I desired in earth [besides] You.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Whom have I in heaven? and beside thee I desire nothing upon earth.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Whom have I in heaven but you? There is no one on earth that I desire but you.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Who is there in heaven for me except you? And I want nothing on earth except you.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Whom have I in heaven but you? and having you I have no desire for anything on earth.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clausesubjectמִיwho?prepositional phrase · predicateלִ֥[belongs].toיmeprepositional phrase · prepositionalבַinnoun phrasetheשָּׁמָ֑יִםheavensוְ֝andclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalעִמְּwithךָ֗youadverbialלֹאnotverbחָפַ֥צְתִּיI.take.pleasureprepositional phrase · prepositionalבָonnoun phrasetheאָֽרֶץearth

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text presents the verse as it is traditionally understood, while the Septuagint aligns closely with the Hebrew, differing slightly in word order. Both versions affirm the psalmist's singular focus on God.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

מִי־ לִ֥י בַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְ֝עִמְּךָ֗ לֹא־ חָפַ֥צְתִּי בָאָֽרֶץ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
לִ֥יὑπάρξειבַשָּׁמָ֑יִםοὐρανῷוְ֝עִמְּךָ֗σοῦחָפַ֥צְתִּיἠθέλησαבָאָֽרֶץ׃γῆς

5 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 73:25מִיwho?who?מִינִי[belongs] t[belongs] to meנִישָׁמַיin the heavin the heavensשָׁמַיעִםand with yoand with youעִםלֹאnotnotלֹאחָפֵץI take pleaI take pleasureחָפֵץאֶ֫רֶץon the earton the earthאֶ֫רֶץעָמַםto darkento darkenעָמַםמָהwhat?what?מָהיָעַדto appointto appointיָעַדכְּמוֹlikelikeכְּמוֹעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףכּוֹכָבstarstarכּוֹכָבשָׁכַבto lie dowto lie down: laשָׁכַבקָבַרto buryto buryקָבַריָכֹלbe ablebe ableיָכֹלעוֹדstillstillעוֹדיְקָרpreciousnepreciousnessיְקָרדַּ֫עַתknowledgeknowledgeדַּ֫עַתכְּנַ֫עַןCanaanCanaanכְּנַ֫עַןמִצְרַ֫יִם(Sea of) E(Sea of) Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִם
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 73:25

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
מִי־mi- who? H4310 Pronoun
423× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is used to ask questions like who, whose, or whom. It can also be used to express a wish, like would that or whoever. It appears in many forms throughout the Bible, often in phrases like O that or what.
Amplified meaning
who is there for me
Tyndale gloss
who?
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִי (mi) is an interrogative pronoun primarily used to ask about persons, meaning 'who?' or 'whose?'. It can also appear in rhetorical questions and has some idiomatic uses, such as 'who among...?' or 'whosoever'. The word is rarely applied to things, and its forms can vary in emphasis.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מִי 423 pron.interrog. who? of persons

מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied

in the gen. whose

in an indirect qu.

מִי ב׳ who among … ?

strengthened and emph. forms of interrog.

various rhetorical uses whose

מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it

once, following a verb, any one

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4310 מִי who? of persons . מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied

. in the gen. whose

. in an indirect qu.

. מִי ב׳ who among … ?

. strengthened and emph. forms of interrog.

. various rhetorical uses whose

. מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it

. once, following a verb, any one

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4310 miy me

an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things,

who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also

(indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction

with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that!

what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.

see HEBREW for 04100

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִי (mi) — who?.

who?, whose?, whom?, would that, whoever, whosoever

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Pronoun
HPi
who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
לִ֥יli [belongs] to me H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
בַשָּׁמָ֑יִםva.sha.Ma.yim in the heavens H8064 Preposition · noun common masculine plural absolute
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for heaven or sky, it refers to the visible universe and the abode of God. It is often used in the Bible to describe the dwelling place of celestial bodies.
Amplified meaning
the abode of God, the spiritual realm, my Lord, my Savior
Tyndale gloss
heaven
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (*shamayim*) is a dual noun meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' It refers to the visible heavens where celestial bodies are found, as well as the abode of God. The dual form may suggest both the arch of the sky and the higher ether. It is noted in contexts such as Elijah's ascent in a whirlwind.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

phrases

as abode of God

Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8064 שָׁמַי only pl. שָׁמַיִם heavens, sky . . visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

. phrases

. . as abode of God

. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim

dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused

root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well

as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies

revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) — heaven.

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural absolute
HRd/Ncmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hev'-'nz (shamayim; ouranoi): On the physical heavens see ASTRONOMY; WORLD. Above these, in popular conception, were the celestial heavens, the abode of God and of the hosts of angels (Ps 11:4; 103:19-21; Isa 66:1; Re 4:2; 5:11; compare Da 7:10), though it was recognized that Yahweh's presence was not confined to any region (1Ki 8:27). Later Judaism reckoned seven heavens. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as caught up into "the third heaven," which he evidently identifies with Paradise (2Co 12:2).

See HEAVENLY.

who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
וְ֝עִמְּךָ֗ve.'i.me.kha and with you H5973 Conjunction · preposition · suffix
1,052× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means with or together, like when God is with his people in Exodus 33:14-15. It's used to describe accompaniment or association, and can also mean against or beside. The word is used to convey a sense of relationship or proximity between people or things.
Amplified meaning
in addition to, apart from, my sole satisfaction
Tyndale gloss
with
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עִם (im) is a preposition meaning 'with' and covers a range of relationships, including companionship, locality, and possession. It can imply actions done jointly, equality, or even opposition in contexts like combat. The related form מֵעִם (me.im) means 'from with' or 'beside.' The entries reflect various nuances but do not present significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עִם prep. with

of fellowship and companionship

of aid

Of actions done jointly with another

If the common action be of the nature of a contest or combat, with in the sense of against

Of dealing with a person, or of the relation in which one stands with, or towards, another

Of a common lot together with the wicked

Of equality or resemblance generally aid

Of time, as long as

Of a locality, close to, beside

Of persons, עִם is spec.

in the house or family or service of

In possession of

In the custody or care of

Beside = except

With = friendly with

Idiom. of a thought or purpose present with one

Metaph. together with = in spite of, notwithstanding

base

מֵעִם 72 from with or beside

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5973a עִם with . of fellowship and companionship

. Of a locality, close to, beside

. Of persons, עִם is spec. . in the house or family or service of

. In possession of

. In the custody or care of

. Beside = except

. With = friendly with

. Idiom. of a thought or purpose present with one

. Metaph. together with = in spite of, notwithstanding

H5973b מֵעִם from with, beside

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5973 `im eem

from 6004; adverb or preposition, with (i.e. in conjunction

with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with;

often with prepositional prefix (and then usually

unrepresented in English):--accompanying, against, and, as (X

long as), before, beside, by (reason of), for all, from

(among, between), in, like, more than, of, (un-)to,

with(-al).

see HEBREW for 06004

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עִם (im) — with.

1) with

1a) with

1b) against

1c) toward

1d) as long as

מֵעִם (me.im) — from with.

1a) beside, except

1b) in spite of

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Prep | Suff — Conjunction · preposition · suffix
HC/R/Sp2ms
who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
לֹא־lo'- not H3808 Particle
5,170× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Amplified meaning
no other person or thing
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3808 lo' lo

or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often

used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,

ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,

no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out

of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +

of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֹא (lo) — not.

1) not, no

1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)

1b) not (with modifier-negation)

1c) nothing (subst)

1d) without (with particle)

1e) before (of time)

Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Particle
HTn
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
חָפַ֥צְתִּיcha.Fatz.ti I take pleasure H2654 Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singular
74× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to be pleased with something or someone. In the Bible, it describes God's delight in his people and their desire to follow him, like in Psalm 51.
Amplified meaning
to delight in, to take pleasure in
Tyndale gloss
to delight in
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חָפֵץ (chaphets) is a Hebrew verb meaning to delight in or take pleasure in something. It can refer to both human desire and divine pleasure, indicating a sense of inclination or favor. The word is also noted to mean to bend down, though this usage is rare. The entries suggest a range of meanings focused on desire and pleasure.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חָפֵץ vb. delight in

base

[חָפַץ] vb. bend down—only Qal Jb 40:17

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2654a חָפֵץ delight in H2654b חָפֵץ bend down

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2654 chaphets khaw-fates'

a primitive root; properly, to incline to; by implication

(literally but rarely) to bend; figuratively, to be pleased

with, desire:--X any at all, (have, take) delight, desire,

favour, like, move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will,

would.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חָפֵץ (cha.phets) — to delight in.

1) to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, be pleased with

1a) (Qal)

1a1) of men

1a1a) to take pleasure in, delight in

1a1b) to delight, desire, be pleased to do

1a2) of God

1a2a) to delight in, have pleasure in

1a2b) to be pleased to do

חָפַץ (ch.ph) — to sway.

1) to move, bend down

1a) (Qal) to bend down

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singular
HVqp1cs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

plezh'-ur (chephets, ratson; eudokia, hedone: "Pleasure" is the translation of various Hebrew words, chiefly of chephets, "inclination," hence, "pleasure," "delight" (Job 21:21, "What pleasure hath he in his house?" the American Standard Revised Version "what careth he for"; Job 22:3, "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty?"; Ps 111:2; Ec 5:4; 12:1; in Isa 44:28; 46:10; 48:14; 53:10, it has the sense of will or purpose, "He shall perform all my pleasure," etc.); of ratson, "delight," "acceptance," "good will" (Ezr 10:11;

who? [belongs] to me in the heavens and with you not I take pleasure on the earth
בָאָֽרֶץ׃va.'A.retz on the earth H776 Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
2,504× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The land or earth refers to the soil or ground, and can also mean a country, territory, or region. In the Bible, it is used to describe the earth and its inhabitants, and is often translated as 'land' or 'country'.
Amplified meaning
the land, the material world
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

earth, opp. to heaven, sky

earth = inhabitants of earth

land =

country, territory

district, region

trial territory

piece of ground

specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

= inhabitants of land

used even of Shᵉʼôl

ground, surface of ground

soil, as productive

אֶרֶץ in phrases

people of the land

in measurements of distance

the country of the plain, level or plain country

land of the living

end(s) of the earth

pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

. earth = inhabitants of earth

. land = . country, territory

. district, region

. trial territory

. piece of ground

. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

. = inhabitants of land

. used even of Shᵉʼôl

. . ground, surface of ground

. soil, as productive

. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land

. in measurements of distance

. the country of the plain, level or plain country

. land of the living

. end(s) of the earth

. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

776 'erets eh'-rets

from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth

(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,

field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.

: country/field

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

1b2) district, region

1b3) tribal territory

1b4) piece of ground

1b5) land of Canaan, Israel

1b6) inhabitants of land

1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world

1b8) city (-state)

1c) ground, surface of the earth

1c1) ground

1c2) soil

1d) (in phrases)

1d1) people of the land

1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)

1d3) level or plain country

1d4) land of the living

1d5) end(s) of the earth

1e) (almost wholly late in usage)

1e1) lands, countries

1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.

: soil

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-cs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
HRd/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):

In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.

'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Earth

(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.

(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.

Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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