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Hebrew

If

אִםStrong’s H0518

im

Appears in 930 verses of the Old Testament

In short

Im is the Hebrew word usually translated “if”, “except” and “or”. It appears in 930 verses of the Old Testament.

“But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”
Daniel 10:21 KJV
Meaning
  1. Conditional clausesoath contexts · if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or · when, whenever · since · interrogative particle · but rather
  2. Except ifbut if
How it's translated
  • if 470
  • and if 247
  • except 149
  • or 96
  • and or 25
  • though 16
  • whether 15
  • and 5

Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.

Where it's used most
  • Job 104
  • Leviticus 83
  • Jeremiah 77
  • Genesis 67
  • Numbers 60
  • Exodus 52

37 books in all.

Related words
Explore in Scripture
All 930 verses, by book
Ezra 1
2:59
Song of Solomon 7
1:82:73:55:87:128:78:9
Lamentations 4
1:122:203:325:22
Daniel 1
10:21
Joel 2
1:23:4
Obadiah 2
1:41:5
Nahum 2
1:123:12
Habakkuk 2
2:33:8
Haggai 1
2:13
Malachi 3
1:62:23:10
Hebrew dictionary

אִם im · if

: if/whether_or/though 1) if 1a) conditional clauses 1a1) of possible situations 1a2) of impossible situations 1b) oath contexts 1b1) no, not 1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or 1d) when, whenever 1e) since 1f) interrogative particle 1g) but rather

[כִּי] אם ki im · if

1) except if 1a) but if

From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

How the English word “if” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.

IF, verb transitive

It is used as the sign of a condition, or it introduces a conditional sentence. It is a verb, without a specified nominative. In like manner we use grant, admit, suppose. Regularly, if should be followed, as it was formerly, by the substitute or pronoun that, referring to the succeeding sentence or proposition. if that John shall arrive in season, I will send him with a message. But that is now omitted, and the subsequent sentence, proposition or affirmation may be considered as the object of the verb. Give John shall arrive; grant, suppose, admit that he shall arrive, I will send him with a message. The sense of if or give, in this use, is grant, admit, cause to be, let the fact be, let the thing take place. if then is equivalent to grant, allow, admit. 'If thou wilt, thou canst make me whole, ' that is, thou canst make me whole, give the fact, that thou wilt.

  1. “IF thou art the son of God, command that these stones be made bread” Matthew 4:3
  2. Whether or not.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.

Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.