פֶּן

(always with Makkeph except Gn 38:23; 44:34 Dt 7:25; 32:27 [not Gi], Is 27:3 Pr 25:8: Mandelkern Conc. s. v.) conj. (averting, or deprecating), lest (origin dub.: Thes Kö ii. 334 from פָּנָה, proposes subst. cstr. in accus. for the aversion of; but פָנָה is intrans.: NöM. 474 cps. the enclitic particle פּוֹן in 𝔗, then, ἄν, ‘etwa,’ thinking that a part. with the meaning ‘es möchte etwa,’ spoken in a tone of alarm, might readily acquire a deprecatory force);—lest: with impf. Gn 3:3 ye shall not eat thereof … פֶּן־תְּמֻתוּן lest ye die, 11:4 let us build a city פֶּן־נָפוּץ lest we be scattered, 19:15, 17, 19; 38:23; 45:11 Ex 1:10; 23:29, 33 etc., 2 K 10:23 (sq. יֵשׁ), Is 6:10; 27:3; 28:22; 48:5, 7 ψ 2:12; 7:3 etc.; often after הִששָּׁמֶר־לְךָ take heed to thyself Gn 24:6; 31:24, and especially in Dt, as 4:9, 23; 6:12; 8:11 al.; after a vb. of fearing Gn 32:12, and once, even, of swearing Ju 15:12; deprecating pathetically, Gn 44:34 how shall I go up, etc.? lest I look upon the evil that will befal my father. Once, unusually, preceding the principal clause, Pr 5:6 אֹרַח חַיִּים פֶּן־תְּפַלֵּס lest she should make level the path of life, her ways are unstable, etc. (Ew Be Now; v. also Toy). Note especially the idiom פֶּן־ (אָמַרְתִּי) כִּי אָמַר for he (I) said, Lest …, implying always that some precaution has been taken to avert the dreaded contingency, †Gn 26:9 for I said, Lest I die on account of her (to obviate which, Isaac had called Rebecca his sister), 31:31; 38:11; 42:4 Ex 13:17; Nu 16:34; 1 S 13:19; 27:11 (לֵאמֹר), ψ 38:17; with כי אמר implied Gn 26:7; cf. with an aposiop., 3:22 and now, lest he put forth his hand, etc. (implying that measures are taken to prevent this, see v 23): cf. Tob 8:9. פֶּזִ־ at the beginning of a sentence, with a dissuasive force, (Beware) lest: †Is 36:18 פֶּן־יַסִּית אֶתְכֶם חזקיהו (beware) lest H. deceive you (‖ 2 K 18:32, כִּי), Ex 34:15; Dt 29:17(×2) (sq. יֵשׁ), Je 51:46; Jb 32:13; 36:18. with Pf., the result feared being conceived as having possibly already taken place; †2 S 20:6 pursue after him, פֶּן־מָצָא לוֹ … וְהִצִּיל lest he have found him fenced cities, etc. (but the tense of והציל makes יִמְצָא prob., DrSm Bu Kö iii. 486), 2 K 2:16 פֶּן־נְשָׂאוֹ רוּחַ י׳ וַיַּשְׁלִכֵהוּ וגו׳.