Genesis 34:14

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And they said, It is not possible for us to give our sister to one who is without circumcision, for that would be a cause of shame to us:

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם לֹ֤א נוּכַל֙ לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה לָתֵת֙ אֶת־אֲחֹתֵ֔נוּ לְאִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־ל֣וֹ עָרְלָ֑ה כִּֽי־חֶרְפָּ֥ה הִ֖וא לָֽנוּ׃

Transliteration

wayyōʾmǝrû ʾălêhem lōʾ nûkal laʿăśôt haddābār hazzeh lātēt ʾet-ʾăḥōtēnû lǝʾîš ʾăšer-lô ʿārlāh kî-ḥerpāh hîʾ lānû

Grammar Details

• *wayyōʾmǝrû*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect, 3rd masculine plural - and they said
• *ʾălêhem*: preposition + 3rd masculine plural suffix - to them
• *lōʾ*: negative particle - not
• *nûkal*: qal imperfect, 1st person plural - we are able
• *laʿăśôt*: preposition + qal infinitive construct - to do
• *haddābār*: definite article + noun, masculine singular - the thing
• *hazzeh*: definite article + demonstrative pronoun, masculine singular - this
• *lātēt*: preposition + qal infinitive construct - to give
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *ʾăḥōtēnû*: noun, feminine singular construct + 1st person plural suffix - our sister
• *lǝʾîš*: preposition + noun, masculine singular - to a man
• *ʾăšer*-*lô*: relative pronoun + preposition + 3rd masculine singular suffix - who has
• *ʿārlāh*: noun, feminine singular - foreskin
• *kî*: conjunction - for/because
• *ḥerpāh*: noun, feminine singular - reproach/disgrace
• *hîʾ*: personal pronoun, 3rd feminine singular - it
• *lānû*: preposition + 1st person plural suffix - to us

Word Meanings

• *nûkal*: we are able/can/could
• *ʿārlāh*: foreskin/uncircumcision
• *ḥerpāh*: reproach/disgrace/shame/insult

Referenced Verses

• Gen 17:11 : 11 In the flesh of your private parts you are to undergo it, as a mark of the agreement between me and you.
• Gen 17:14 : 14 And any male who does not undergo circumcision will be cut off from his people: my agreement has been broken by him.
• Josh 5:2-9 : 2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make yourself stone knives and give the children of Israel circumcision a second time. 3 So Joshua made stone knives and gave the children of Israel circumcision at Gibeath-ha-araloth. 4 And this is the reason why Joshua did so: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the fighting-men, had been overtaken by death in the waste land on the way, after they came out of Egypt. 5 All the people who came out had undergone circumcision; but all the people whose birth had taken place in the waste land on their journey from Egypt had not. 6 For the children of Israel were wandering in the waste land for forty years, till all the nation, that is, all the fighting-men, who had come out of Egypt, were dead, because they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord: to whom the Lord said, with an oath, that he would not let them see the land which the Lord had given his word to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 And their children, who came up in their place, now underwent circumcision by the hands of Joshua, not having had it before: for there had been no circumcision on the journey. 8 So when all the nation had undergone circumcision, they kept in their tents till they were well again. 9 And the Lord said to Joshua, Today the shame of Egypt has been rolled away from you. So that place was named Gilgal, to this day.
• 1 Sam 14:6 : 6 And Jonathan said to his young servant who had his arms, Come, let us go over to the armies of these men who have no circumcision: it may be that the Lord will give us help, for there is no limit to his power; the Lord is able to give salvation by a great army or by a small band.
• 1 Sam 17:26 : 26 And David said to the men near him, What will be done to the man who overcomes this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? for who is this Philistine, a man without circumcision, that he has put shame on the armies of the living God?
• 1 Sam 17:36 : 36 Your servant has overcome lion and bear: and the fate of this Philistine, who is without circumcision, will be like theirs, seeing that he has put shame on the armies of the living God.
• 2 Sam 1:20 : 20 Give no news of it in Gath, let it not be said in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will be glad, the daughters of men without circumcision will be uplifted in joy.
• 2 Sam 15:7 : 7 Now at the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, Let me go to Hebron and give effect to the oath which I made to the Lord:
• 1 Kgs 21:9 : 9 And in the letter she said, Let a time of public sorrow be fixed, and put Naboth at the head of the people;
• Matt 2:8 : 8 And he sent them to Beth-lehem and said, Go and make certain where the young child is; and when you have seen him, let me have news of it, so that I may come and give him worship.
• Matt 2:13 : 13 And when they had gone, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, saying, Get up and take the young child and his mother, and go into Egypt, and do not go from there till I give you word; for Herod will be searching for the young child to put him to death.
• Matt 23:1-9 : 1 Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples: 2 The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses; 3 All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not. 4 They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them. 5 But all their works they do so as to be seen by men: for they make wide their phylacteries, and the edges of their robes, 6 And the things desired by them are the first places at feasts, and the chief seats in the Synagogues, 7 And words of respect in the market-places, and to be named by men, Teacher. 8 But you may not be named Teacher: for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And give no man the name of father on earth: because one is your Father, who is in heaven. 10 And you may not be named guides: because one is your Guide, even Christ. 11 But let the greatest among you be your servant. 12 And whoever makes himself high will be made low, and whoever makes himself low will be made high. 13 But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back. 14 [] 15 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 16 A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, Whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible. 17 You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy? 18 And, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the offering which is on it, he is responsible. 19 You blind ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy? 20 He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it. 21 And he who takes an oath by the Temple, takes it by the Temple and by him whose house it is. 22 And he who takes an oath by heaven, takes it by the seat of God, and by him who is seated on it. 23 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make men give a tenth of all sorts of sweet-smelling plants, but you give no thought to the more important things of the law, righteousness, and mercy, and faith; but it is right for you to do these, and not to let the others be undone. 24 You blind guides, who take out a fly from your drink, but make no trouble over a camel. 25 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you make clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of violent behaviour and uncontrolled desire. 26 You blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may become equally clean. 27 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you are like the resting-places of the dead, which are made white, and seem beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and of all unclean things. 28 Even so you seem to men to be full of righteousness, but inside you are all false and full of wrongdoing. 29 A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you put up buildings for housing the dead bodies of the prophets, and make fair the last resting-places of good men, and say, 30 If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 So that you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who put the prophets to death. 32 Make full, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You snakes, offspring of snakes, how will you be kept from the punishment of hell? 34 For this reason, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them you will put to death and put on the cross, and to some of them you will give blows in your Synagogues, driving them from town to town; 35 So that on you may come all the blood of the upright on the earth, from the blood of upright Abel to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you put to death between the Temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, All these things will come on this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, putting to death the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her! Again and again would I have taken your children to myself as a bird takes her young ones under her wings, and you would not! 38 See, your house is made waste. 39 For I say to you, You will not see me from this time till you say, A blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord.
• Rom 4:11 : 11 And he was given the sign of circumcision as a witness of the faith which he had before he underwent circumcision: so that he might be the father of all those who have faith, though they have not circumcision, and so that righteousness might be put to their account;