Mar 01 2006

Exodus 4:21-26

Published by Hardy at 7:09 am under Exodus, Grammar

 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָה֮ אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֒ בְּלֶכְתְּךָ֙ לָשׁ֣וּב מִצְרַ֔יְמָה רְאֵ֗ה כָּל־הַמֹּֽפְתִים֙ אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בְיָדֶ֔ךָ וַעֲשִׂיתָ֖ם לִפְנֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה וַאֲנִי֙ אֲחַזֵּ֣ק אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הָעָֽם׃ 22 וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ 23 וָאֹמַ֣ר אֵלֶ֗יךָ שַׁלַּ֤ח אֶת־בְּנִי֙ וְיַֽעַבְדֵ֔נִי וַתְּמָאֵ֖ן לְשַׁלְּח֑וֹ הִנֵּה֙ אָנֹכִ֣י הֹרֵ֔ג אֶת־בִּנְךָ֖ בְּכֹרֶֽךָ׃ 24 וַיְהִ֥י בַדֶּ֖רֶךְ בַּמָּל֑וֹן וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁ֣הוּ יְהוָ֔ה וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁ הֲמִיתֽוֹ׃ 25 וַתִּקַּ֨ח צִפֹּרָ֜ה צֹ֗ר וַתִּכְרֹת֙ אֶת־עָרְלַ֣ת בְּנָ֔הּ וַתַּגַּ֖ע לְרַגְלָ֑יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֧י חֲתַן־דָּמִ֛ים אַתָּ֖ה לִֽי׃ 26 וַיִּ֖רֶף מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אָ֚ז אָֽמְרָ֔ה חֲתַ֥ן דָּמִ֖ים לַמּוּלֹֽת׃ פ

Vocabulary

Verse 21

            מופת  “wonder” (BDB, 68)

            חזק  verb (Piel imperfect 1cs): “make strong”

Syntax & Miscellaneous

  •  The beth preposition, בְּלֶכְתְּךָ֙, is temporal.
  • The phrase, לֶכְתְּךָ֙ לָשׁ֣וּב, should be understood as “go back.”

Vocabulary

Verse 22

            בכר  “firstborn”

Verse 23

            מאן  verb: “refuse” (BDB, 549)

            הֹרֵ֔ג verb (Qal participle ms): “kill”

Verse 24

            מלון  “lodging place” (BDB, 533)

            פגשׁ  verb: “encounter, meet” (BDB, 803)

Verse 25

            צפרה  name: “Zipporah”

            צר  “flint knife” (BDB, 866)

            ערלה  “foreskin” (BDB, 790)

            חתן  “bridegroom” (BDB, 368)

Verse 26

            רפה  verb: “withdraw” (BDB, 951)

            חתן  “bridegroom” (BDB, 368)

            מולה  “circumcision” (BDB, 558)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 22

  • The final clause, בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, is a verbless clause with the typology S-P.
  • The phrase, בְּנִ֥י בְכֹרִ֖י, is elusive.  It could be understood as apposition or a construct relationship.

Verse 23

  • The verb, שַׁלַּ֤ח, is a Piel imperative.
  • Israel is being referred to with the ms, “my son.”
  • The clause, אָנֹכִ֣י הֹרֵ֔ג, is periphrastic without the copulative.

Verse 24

  • The initial copulative, , is a temporal marker (“Now it happened that…”).

Verse 25

  • The dagesh in the final letter (mappiq) of בְּנָ֔הּ indicates a full pronunciation of the final morpheme (3fs pronominal suffix).

One Response to “Exodus 4:21-26”

  1. # DailyHebrew.com » Exodus 5:1-5on 27 May 2007 at 10:40 pm

    [...] The formula, כֹּה אָמַר, is used to relay speech of one individual through a mediator to another (cf. Genesis 32:5; 45:9).  The prophetic speech pattern of relaying God’s word to the world thusly follows this formula.  The ubiquitous pattern, כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, is found 493 times in the MT and first in Exodus 4:22. [...]

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