The Hebrew beli functions as a negative particle meaning without, lacking, nothing, not. It is derived from a root meaning 'to wear out' or 'to fail,' so it carries the sense of something that has been used up or is simply absent. It often appears in poetic and prophetic texts to describe radical emptiness or absence.
Beli points to the profound emptiness of existence apart from God. In Job 8:11 the papyrus 'withers without water' — the same way the human soul withers beli God. Isaiah uses it to proclaim that God's Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11); there is no beli efficacy with the divine speech. Theologically, the word frames human insufficiency as the backdrop for divine sufficiency. Every 'without' in human experience becomes an invitation to discover fullness in YHWH. Paul echoes this in Philippians 4:13: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' — the antidote to every beli.