Genesis 25:23

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

The LORD said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.'

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה לָ֗הּ שְׁנֵ֤י *גיים **גוֹיִם֙ בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃

Transliteration

wə-yōʾmer yhwh lāh šənê gôyim bə-ḇiṭnēḵ û-šənê ləʾummîm mi-mēʿayiḵ yippārēḏû û-ləʾōm mi-ləʾōm yeʾĕmāṣ wə-raḇ yaʿăḇōḏ ṣāʿîr

Grammar Details

• *wə-yōʾmer*: waw consecutive + Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and said
• *yhwh*: divine name - YHWH
• *lāh*: preposition + 3rd feminine singular suffix - to her
• *šənê*: numeral, masculine dual construct - two of
• *gôyim*: noun, masculine plural - nations
• *bə-ḇiṭnēḵ*: preposition + noun, feminine singular + 2nd feminine singular suffix - in your womb
• *û-šənê*: waw conjunction + numeral, masculine dual construct - and two of
• *ləʾummîm*: noun, masculine plural - peoples
• *mi-mēʿayiḵ*: preposition + noun, masculine plural + 2nd feminine singular suffix - from your bowels
• *yippārēḏû*: Niphal imperfect, 3rd masculine plural - will be separated
• *û-ləʾōm*: waw conjunction + noun, masculine singular - and people
• *mi-ləʾōm*: preposition + noun, masculine singular - than people
• *yeʾĕmāṣ*: Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - will be stronger
• *wə-raḇ*: waw conjunction + adjective, masculine singular - and greater
• *yaʿăḇōḏ*: Qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - will serve
• *ṣāʿîr*: adjective, masculine singular - younger

Word Meanings

• *gôyim*: nations/peoples/gentiles
• *ləʾummîm*: peoples/nations/tribes
• *yippārēḏû*: will be separated/will be divided/will part
• *yeʾĕmāṣ*: will be stronger/will prevail/will overpower
• *wə-raḇ* *yaʿăḇōḏ* *ṣāʿîr*: and the older will serve the younger/and the greater will serve the lesser

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronr than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younr.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And the LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Jehovah{H3068} said{H559} unto her, Two{H8147} nations{H1471} are in thy womb,{H990} And two{H8147} peoples{H3816} shall be separated{H6504} from thy bowels:{H4578} And the one people{H3816} shall be stronger{H553} than the other people;{H3816} And the elder{H7227} shall serve{H5647} the younger.{H6810}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the LORD{H3068} said{H559}{(H8799)} unto her, Two{H8147} nations{H1471} are in thy womb{H990}, and two manner{H8147} of people{H3816} shall be separated{H6504}{(H8735)} from thy bowels{H4578}; and the one people{H3816} shall be stronger{H553}{(H8799)} than the other people{H3816}; and the elder{H7227} shall serve{H5647}{(H8799)} the younger{H6810}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And ye LORde sayde vnto her there are.ij. maner of people in the wombe and ij. nations shall springe out of thy bowels and the one nation shalbe myghtier than the other and the eldest shalbe servaunte vnto the yonger.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And the LORDE sayde vnto her: Two maner of folke are in thy wombe, and two maner of people shall be deuyded out of thy body, and the one nacion shall ouercome the other, and the greater shall serue the lesse.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And the Lord sayd to her, Two nations are in thy wombe, and two maner of people shalbe diuided out of thy bowels, and the one people shall be mightier then the other, and the elder shall serue the yonger.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And the Lorde sayde vnto her: there are two maner of people in thy wombe, and two nations shalbe deuided out of thy bowelles, and the one nation shalbe mightier then the other, and the elder shalbe seruaunt vnto the younger.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations [are] in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and [the one] people shall be stronger than [the other] people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Yahweh said to her, Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Jehovah saith to her, `Two nations `are' in thy womb, and two peoples from thy bowels are parted; and the `one' people than the `other' people is stronger; and the elder doth serve the younger.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels. And the one people shall be stronger than the other people. And the elder shall serve the younger.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Jehovah said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels: And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And the Lord said to her, Two nations are in your body, and two peoples will come to birth from you: the one will be stronger than the other, and the older will be the servant of the younger.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Yahweh said to her, "Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  and the LORD said to her,“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Referenced Verses

• Gen 27:29 : 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you.
• Gen 27:40 : 40 You will live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.
• 2 Sam 8:14 : 14 He stationed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David's subjects. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.
• Gen 17:16 : 16 I will bless her and surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will become the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.
• Gen 24:60 : 60 They blessed Rebekah and said to her, "Our sister, may you become thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gate of their enemies."
• Num 20:14 : 14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: "This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardship that has come upon us.
• Mal 1:2-5 : 2 I have loved you, says the LORD. But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother? declares the LORD. Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated. I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and given his inheritance to the wild creatures of the desert. 4 Though Edom may say, 'We have been destroyed, but we will rebuild the ruins,' this is what the LORD of Hosts says: They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. They will be called 'The Wicked Land,' and 'The people the LORD is angry with forever.' 5 Your own eyes will see it, and you will say, 'The LORD is great—even beyond the borders of Israel!'
• Rom 9:10-13 : 10 Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand, 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' 13 As it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'
• Gen 17:4 : 4 "As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations.
• Gen 25:27 : 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed among the tents.
• Gen 32:6 : 6 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants, and I am sending this message to my lord so that I might find favor in your eyes.
• Gen 33:3 : 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
• Gen 36:31 : 31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:
• 1 Kgs 22:47 : 47 He also removed from the land the remaining cult prostitutes who had survived from the days of his father Asa.
• 1 Chr 18:13 : 13 David stationed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became his servants. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.
• 2 Chr 25:11-12 : 11 Amaziah took courage and led his army to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down ten thousand men of Seir. 12 The men of Judah also captured ten thousand men alive, took them to the top of a cliff, and threw them down, so that they were all dashed to pieces.
• Ps 60:8-9 : 8 God has spoken in his holiness: 'I will exult; I will divide Shechem and measure out the Valley of Succoth.' 9 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.
• Ps 83:5-9 : 5 They say, 'Come, let us destroy them as a nation, so that the name of Israel may no longer be remembered.' 6 For they have consulted together with one mind; they have made a covenant against you. 7 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 8 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. 9 Even Assyria has joined them; they have strengthened the descendants of Lot. Selah. 10 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon, 11 who were destroyed at En-dor and became like dung on the ground. 12 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 13 who said, 'Let us take possession of the pastures of God for ourselves.' 14 My God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. 15 As fire burns a forest, and as flames set the mountains ablaze,
• Isa 34:1-9 : 1 Come near, O nations, to listen; and pay attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all its inhabitants. 2 For the Lord is angry with all nations, and His wrath is against all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them, He has handed them over to slaughter. 3 Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will be dissolved with their blood. 4 All the stars of the heavens will rot away, and the skies will be rolled up like a scroll. All their armies will wither, as a leaf withers on the vine or a fig shrivels and falls from the fig tree. 5 For My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens. Behold, it will descend upon Edom, upon the people of My judgment, to bring justice. 6 The sword of the Lord is filled with blood; it is fat with the fat of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 And wild oxen will fall with them, and young bulls with strong ones. Their land will drink its fill of blood, and their soil will be enriched with fat. 8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 9 And its streams will be turned to pitch, its soil to sulfur; its land will become burning pitch. 10 It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation, it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. 11 The pelican and the hedgehog will possess it, the owl and the raven will dwell there. He will stretch over it a measuring line of chaos and stones of emptiness. 12 Its nobles will have no one there to call them a kingdom, and all its princes will come to nothing. 13 Thorns will grow in its palaces, nettles and brambles in its fortresses. It will become a dwelling place for jackals, a home for ostriches. 14 Wild beasts will meet with hyenas, and satyrs will call to one another. There, the night creature will settle and find her place of rest. 15 There, the arrow snake will make her nest, lay eggs, hatch them, and care for her young in her shadow. Indeed, there the kites will gather, each one with its mate. 16 Search and consult the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these will be missing; none will lack its mate. For His mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them together. 17 He has cast the lot for them, and His hand has divided it among them with the measuring line. They will possess it forever; from generation to generation, they will dwell there.
• Isa 63:1-6 : 1 Who is this coming from Edom, with garments stained red from Bozrah? This one, splendid in his clothing, striding forward in the greatness of his strength. "It is I, proclaiming righteousness, mighty to save." 2 Why are your clothes red, and your garments like those of someone who treads in a winepress? 3 "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations, no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and crushed them in my wrath; their lifeblood splattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing." 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption had come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one gave support. So my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath sustained me. 6 I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath, I made them drunk and poured their lifeblood onto the ground.
• Jer 49:7-9 : 7 Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom become corrupted? 8 Flee! Turn back! Hide deep in the caves, O inhabitants of Dedan, for I will bring calamity upon Esau at the time of my punishment. 9 If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave a few gleanings? If thieves came by night, would they not steal only what they needed? 10 But I have stripped Esau bare; I have uncovered his hiding places, and he cannot hide. His descendants, brothers, and neighbors are destroyed, and he is no more. 11 Leave your orphans; I will preserve their lives. Let your widows trust in me. 12 For this is what the LORD says: If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but you must certainly drink it. 13 For by myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a horror, a disgrace, a waste, and a curse. All her cities will become perpetual ruins. 14 I have heard a message from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: 'Assemble yourselves and come against her; rise up for battle.' 15 Look, I have made you small among the nations, despised among mankind. 16 The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, holding the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle, from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. 17 Edom will become a desolation; everyone who passes by her will be appalled and hiss because of all her wounds. 18 As with the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, says the LORD, no one will live there; no human being will stay in it. 19 Look, like a lion coming up from the thickets of the Jordan to a permanent pasture, I will suddenly chase Edom from its land, and I will appoint over it whomever I choose. For who is like me, and who can summon me? What shepherd can stand before me? 20 Therefore, hear the counsel of the LORD that he has planned against Edom, and his purposes that he has devised against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; he will make their pasture desolate because of them. 21 At the sound of their downfall, the earth will tremble; their cry will be heard at the Red Sea. 22 Behold, an eagle will come up and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. On that day, the hearts of Edom's warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
• Ezek 25:12-14 : 12 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because Edom acted in revenge against the house of Judah and committed great guilt by taking vengeance on them, 13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off both man and beast from it. I will make it a wasteland from Teman to Dedan, and they will fall by the sword. 14 I will take my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to my anger and my wrath. Then they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign LORD.
• Ezek 35:1-9 : 1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate wasteland.' 4 I will turn your cities into ruins, and you will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 5 Because you have harbored eternal hostility and delivered the Israelites to the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment, 6 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will make you a land of bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will turn Mount Seir into a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go. 8 I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 10 Because you said, 'These two nations and countries will be ours, and we will take possession of them,' even though the LORD was there, 11 therefore, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will deal with you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard all the contemptuous things you said against the mountains of Israel. You said, 'They have been laid waste and given over to us to devour.' 13 You boasted against me with your mouth and multiplied your words against me. I have heard it. 14 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. 15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel when it became desolate, so will I deal with you. You will become a desolation, Mount Seir, along with all of Edom—all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
• Amos 1:11-12 : 11 Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and suppressed compassion. His anger tore continually, and his wrath remained forever.' 12 So I will send fire upon Teman, and it will consume the palaces of Bozrah.
• Obad 1:1-9 : 1 This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says concerning Edom—We have heard a message from the LORD, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: "Rise up, and let us rise against her for battle." 2 Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are utterly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; you say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" 4 Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down, declares the LORD. 5 If thieves came to you, if robbers came by night—oh, how you would be ruined!—would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? 6 How Esau has been pillaged; his hidden treasures sought out! 7 All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you. Those who eat your bread have set a trap under you—there is no understanding in him. 8 Will I not, on that day, declares the LORD, destroy the wise men from Edom and understanding from the mountain of Esau? 9 Your warriors, O Teman, will be terrified, so that everyone from the mountain of Esau will be cut off by slaughter. 10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be cut off forever. 11 On the day you stood aloof, on the day strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over your brother on the day of his calamity; do not rejoice over the people of Judah on the day of their destruction; and do not boastfully speak on the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people on the day of their disaster; do not gloat over their calamity on the day of their disaster; and do not reach out your hand to their wealth on the day of their disaster. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off their fugitives, and do not hand over their survivors on the day of distress. 15 For the day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. 16 Just as you drank on my holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and gulp down and be as though they had never been.