Genesis 20:7

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you can be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.'

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְעַתָּ֗ה הָשֵׁ֤ב אֵֽשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־נָבִ֣יא ה֔וּא וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֥ל בּֽ͏ַעַדְךָ֖ וֶֽחְיֵ֑ה וְאִם־אֵֽינְךָ֣ מֵשִׁ֗יב דַּ֚ע כִּי־מ֣וֹת תָּמ֔וּת אַתָּ֖ה וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ׃

Transliteration

And-now hāšēḇ wife-hā-'îš for-nāḇî' he wə-yiṯpallēl for-you we-ḥyēh and-if-not-you mēšîḇ da' that-môṯ tāmûṯ you and-all-that-to-you

Grammar Details

• *wə-'attāh*: waw conjunction + adverb - and now
• *hāšēḇ*: Hiphil imperative masculine singular - return/restore
• *'ēšeṯ*: common noun, feminine singular construct - wife of
• *hā-'îš*: definite article + common noun, masculine singular - the man
• *kî*: conjunction - that
• *nāḇî'*: common noun, masculine singular - prophet
• *hû'*: 3rd masculine singular personal pronoun - he
• *wə-yiṯpallēl*: waw consecutive + Hithpael imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he will pray
• *ba'adḵā*: preposition + 2nd masculine singular suffix - for you
• *we-ḥyēh*: waw conjunction + Qal imperative masculine singular - and live
• *wə-'im*: waw conjunction + conditional particle - and if
• *'ênḵā*: particle of negation + 2nd masculine singular suffix - you are not
• *mēšîḇ*: Hiphil participle masculine singular - returning
• *da'*: Qal imperative masculine singular - know
• *môṯ*: Qal infinitive absolute - surely
• *tāmûṯ*: Qal imperfect 2nd masculine singular - you will die
• *'attāh*: 2nd masculine singular personal pronoun - you
• *wə-ḵol*: waw conjunction + noun, masculine singular construct - and all of
• *'ăšer*: relative particle - that
• *lāḵ*: preposition + 2nd masculine singular suffix - to you/belonging to you

Word Meanings

• *hāšēḇ*: return/restore/bring back
• *nāḇî'*: prophet/spokesman/inspired man
• *yiṯpallēl*: pray/intercede/mediate
• *ḥyēh*: live/be alive/stay alive
• *mēšîḇ*: return/restore/bring back
• *da'*: know/understand/perceive
• *môṯ tāmûṯ*: surely die/certainly die (emphatic construction)

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Now therefore restore the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for you, and you shall live: and if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you, and all that belong to you.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Now therefore restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Now therfore delyuer the ma his wyfe ageyne for he is a prophete. And let him praye for the that thou mayst lyue. But and yf thou delyuer her not agayne be sure that thou shalt dye the deth with all that thou hast.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Now therfore delyuer the man his wife ageyne, for he is a prophet: and let him pray for ye, and thou shalt lyue. But and yf thou delyuer her not ageyne, be sure, that thou shalt dye the death, and all that is thine.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Now then deliuer the man his wife againe: for he is a Prophet, and he shall pray for thee that thou mayest liue: but if thou deliuer her not againe, be sure that thou shalt die the death, thou, and all that thou hast.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Nowe therefore delyuer the man his wyfe agayne, for he is a prophete, and he shall pray for thee, that thou mayest lyue: But and yf thou delyuer her not agayne, be sure that thou shalt dye the death, both thou and all that thou hast.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore [her] not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that [are] thine.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don't restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours."

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and now send back the man's wife, for he `is' inspired, and he doth pray for thee, and live thou; and if thou do not send back, know that dying thou dost die, thou, and all that thou hast.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Now therefore restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Now therefore restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  So now, give the man back his wife, for he is a prophet, and let him say a prayer for you, so your life may be safe: but if you do not give her back, be certain that death will come to you and all your house.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don't restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed he is a prophet and he will pray for you; thus you will live. But if you don’t give her back, know that you will surely die along with all who belong to you.”

Referenced Verses

• 1 Sam 7:5 : 5 Then Samuel said, 'Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.'
• Job 42:8 : 8 So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken the truth about Me as My servant Job has.
• 2 Sam 24:17 : 17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, "I alone have sinned; I, the shepherd, have acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand fall upon me and my family."
• Num 16:32-33 : 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, along with all of Korah's men and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the community.
• 2 Kgs 5:11 : 11 But Naaman became angry and left, saying, 'I thought he would surely come out to me, stand, call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy.'
• 2 Kgs 19:2-4 : 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, the scribe Shebna, and the elders of the priests, all dressed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: 'Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them.' 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that survives."
• 1 Chr 16:22 : 22 "Do not touch my anointed ones, and do not harm my prophets."
• Job 34:19 : 19 God shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of His hands.
• 1 Sam 7:8 : 8 The Israelites said to Samuel, 'Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, so that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.'
• 1 Sam 12:19 : 19 The people all said to Samuel, 'Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we will not die, for we have added this evil to all our sins by asking for a king.'
• 1 Sam 12:23 : 23 As for me, far be it from me to sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. Instead, I will instruct you in the good and upright way.
• Gen 2:17 : 17 'but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will surely die.'
• Gen 12:15 : 15 Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's palace.
• Gen 12:17 : 17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
• Gen 20:18 : 18 For the LORD had completely closed every womb in Abimelech's household because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
• Exod 4:16 : 16 He will speak for you to the people, and he will serve as your mouth, and you will serve as God to him.
• Exod 7:1 : 1 The Lord said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet."
• Exod 12:1-3 : 1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: 2 This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth day of this month, each man must take a lamb for his family, one lamb per household.
• Exod 18:17 : 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'What you are doing is not good.'
• Lev 6:4 : 4 Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
• Lev 6:7 : 7 This is the law of the grain offering: The sons of Aaron shall present it before the LORD, in front of the altar.
• 1 Kgs 13:6 : 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, 'Entreat now the favor of the LORD your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me.' So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.
• 1 Kgs 18:1-9 : 1 After many days, the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." 2 So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. The famine in Samaria was severe. 3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the LORD greatly.) 4 When Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets, hidden them in two caves in groups of fifty, and provided them with bread and water. 5 Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and brooks. Perhaps we can find grass to keep the horses and mules alive and avoid losing the animals." 6 So they divided the land between them to search it. Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself. 7 While Obadiah was walking along the road, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?" 8 Elijah replied, "It is I. Go and tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'" 9 But Obadiah said, "What have I done wrong that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be killed?" 10 "As surely as the LORD your God lives," he continued, "there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever they said, 'He is not here,' he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 Now you tell me, 'Go and say to your master, Elijah is here!' 12 But I, your servant, fear that if I leave, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you off to some place I don't know, and when I go to tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 Has it not been reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with bread and water. 14 And now you say, 'Go and tell your master, Elijah is here,' and he will kill me! 15 But Elijah said, "As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, whom I serve, I will show myself to him today." 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" 18 Elijah replied, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, by abandoning the commandments of the LORD and following the Baals. 19 Now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table. 20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left as a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and lay it on the wood without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood without setting fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire—He is God." All the people answered, "What you say is good." 25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not set fire to the wood.' 26 So they took the bull that was given to them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, 'O Baal, answer us!' But there was no response, no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon, Elijah began to mock them, saying, 'Shout louder! Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.' 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening offering. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, 'Come here to me.' They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, 'Your name shall be Israel.' 32 With the stones, he built an altar in the name of the LORD and dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and laid it on the wood. 34 Then he said, 'Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood.' 'Do it again,' he said, and they did it again. 'Do it a third time,' he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time of the evening offering, Elijah the prophet approached and said, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel, that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your command. 37 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people will know that You, LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back to Yourself. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" 40 Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let any of them escape." So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there. 41 Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink, but Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel, crouched down to the ground, and put his face between his knees. 43 Then he said to his servant, "Go and look toward the sea." So he went and looked and said, "There is nothing." Seven times Elijah told him, "Go back." 44 On the seventh time, the servant reported, "Behold, a small cloud, as small as a man’s hand, is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 In a short while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab mounted his chariot and rode to Jezreel. 46 The hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
• Ps 25:14 : 14 The secret counsel of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
• Ps 105:9-9 : 9 The covenant He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. 10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant. 11 Saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.' 12 When they were few in number, very few, and strangers in the land. 13 They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people. 14 He allowed no one to oppress them; He rebuked kings on their account. 15 'Do not touch My anointed ones, and do not harm My prophets.'
• Jer 14:11 : 11 Then the LORD said to me, "Do not pray for the well-being of this people."
• Jer 15:1 : 1 Then the LORD said to me: 'Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to these people. Send them away from My presence and let them go.'
• Jer 27:18 : 18 If they are indeed prophets and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them pray earnestly to the LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem will not be taken to Babylon.
• Ezek 3:18 : 18 If I say to a wicked person, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn him to turn from his wicked ways to save his life, that wicked person will die in his sin, but I will hold you accountable for his blood.
• Ezek 33:8 : 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
• Ezek 33:14-16 : 14 And if I say to the wicked person, 'You will surely die,' but they turn from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they return what they took in pledge for a loan, restore anything they have stolen, and follow the decrees that give life, doing no wrong—they will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins they have committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
• 1 Cor 14:4 : 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up themselves, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
• Heb 1:1 : 1 Long ago, at many times and in various ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets.
• Heb 13:4 : 4 Marriage is to be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
• Jas 5:14-16 : 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise them up; and if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful and effective.
• 1 John 5:16 : 16 If anyone sees a brother or sister committing a sin that does not lead to death, they should pray, and God will give life to them—those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death; I am not saying that one should pray about that.
• Rev 11:5-6 : 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and devours their enemies. If anyone tries to harm them, this is how they must be killed. 6 They have authority to shut the sky so no rain will fall during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with any plague whenever they wish.