Nov 12 2005

Genesis 12:10-13

Published by Hardy at 4:05 pm under Genesis

וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨רֶד אַבְרָ֤ם מִצְרַ֙יְמָה֙ לָג֣וּר שָׁ֔ם כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד הָרָעָ֖ב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ 11 וַיְהִ֕י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הִקְרִ֖יב לָב֣וֹא מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ הִנֵּה־נָ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֛י אִשָּׁ֥ה יְפַת־מַרְאֶ֖ה אָֽתְּ׃ 12 וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יִרְא֤וּ אֹתָךְ֙ הַמִּצְרִ֔ים וְאָמְר֖וּ אִשְׁתּ֣וֹ זֹ֑את וְהָרְג֥וּ אֹתִ֖י וְאֹתָ֥ךְ יְחַיּֽוּ׃ 13 אִמְרִי־נָ֖א אֲחֹ֣תִי אָ֑תְּ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִֽיטַב־לִ֣י בַעֲבוּרֵ֔ךְ וְחָיְתָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י בִּגְלָלֵֽךְ׃

Vocabulary

Verse  10

רעב   noun: “famine”

מצרים  name: “Egypt/Egyptians”

Verse 11

שָׂרַי  “Sarai”

יפת  “beautiful” (BDB, 421)

מראה   noun: “appearance”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

  • The final clause of verse 10 is a verbless clause.  It follows the typical clause construction: predicate + subject (P—S).
  • The relative marker, כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר, probably indicates a temporal clause—“when.”
  • The final clause of verse 11 is also a verbless clause.  Following the P—S construction, אָתְּ is the subject and the predicate is the phrase אִשָּׁ֥ה יְפַת־מַרְאֶ֖ה.

Verse 12

הרג  verb: “kill”

Verse 13

למען  “so that”

בעבור  “on account of, for the sake of” (BDB, 721)

בגלל  “for the sake of” (BDB, 164)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 12

  • The first verb is a waw-consecutive perfect (weqatal).
  • Should the phrase, אִשְׁתֹּ֣ו זֹ֑את, be understood as “this wife of his” or as “this is his wife”?  Why?
  • The juxtaposition (also chiastic structure) of the last two clauses demonstrates the use of conjunctive and disjunctive waw.

Verse 13

  • Normal P—S construction: אֲחֹ֣תִי אָ֑תְּ  “You are my sister.”

 

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