Genesis 49:15

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

'When he sees how good his resting place is, and how pleasant the land is, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.'

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיַּ֤רְא מְנֻחָה֙ כִּ֣י ט֔וֹב וְאֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ כִּ֣י נָעֵ֑מָה וַיֵּ֤ט שִׁכְמוֹ֙ לִסְבֹּ֔ל וַיְהִ֖י לְמַס־עֹבֵֽד

Transliteration

wə-yarʾ mənuḥāh that ṭôb and-ʾet-the-ʾāreṣ that nāʿēmāh wə-yēṭ šikmô to-ləbōl wa-yəhî to-mas-ʿōbēd

Grammar Details

• *wə-yarʾ*: waw consecutive + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he saw
• *mənuḥāh*: noun feminine singular - resting place
• *ṭôb*: adjective masculine singular - good/pleasant
• *ʾāreṣ*: noun feminine singular with definite article - the land
• *nāʿēmāh*: Qal perfect 3rd feminine singular - it was pleasant
• *wə-yēṭ*: waw consecutive + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he bent
• *šikmô*: noun masculine singular construct with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his shoulder
• *ləbōl*: Qal infinitive construct - to bear/carry
• *wa-yəhî*: waw consecutive + Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - and he became
• *mas*: noun masculine singular construct - forced laborer of
• *ʿōbēd*: Qal participle masculine singular - serving/working

Word Meanings

• *mənuḥāh*: resting place/rest/settling place
• *ṭôb*: good/pleasant/agreeable
• *nāʿēmāh*: it was pleasant/lovely/delightful
• *šikmô*: his shoulder/back
• *ləbōl*: to bear/carry/burden
• *mas-ʿōbēd*: forced laborer/slave at forced labor/tribute-giving servant

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  and sawe that rest was good and the lande that it was pleasant and bowed his shulder to beare and became a servaunte vnto trybute.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And he saw rest, that it was good, and the lande, that it was pleasaunt. And bowed downe his shulder to beare, and became a seruaut vnto trybute.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And he shall see that rest is good, and that the land is pleasant, and he shall bow his shoulder to beare, and shalbe subiect vnto tribute.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And sawe that rest was good, and the lande that it was pleasaunt: and bowed his shoulder to beare, and became a seruaunt vnto tribute.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And he saw that rest [was] good, and the land that [it was] pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He saw a resting-place, that it was good, The land, that it was pleasant; He bows his shoulder to the burden, And becomes a servant doing forced labor.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And he seeth rest that `it is' good, And the land that `it is' pleasant, And he inclineth his shoulder to bear, And is to tribute a servant.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he saw a resting-place that it was good, And the land that it was pleasant; And he bowed his shoulder to bear, And became a servant under taskwork.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.

• World English Bible (2000)

  He saw a resting place, that it was good, the land, that it was pleasant. He bows his shoulder to the burden, and becomes a servant doing forced labor.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  When he sees a good resting place, and the pleasant land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and become a slave laborer.

Referenced Verses

• Josh 14:15 : 15 Previously, Hebron had been called Kiriath Arba, named after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.
• Judg 3:11 : 11 The land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
• 2 Sam 7:1 : 1 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all of his enemies around him,
• Ps 81:6 : 6 He established it as a decree for Joseph when he went out against the land of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not understand.
• Ezek 29:18 : 18 Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. But neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre for the labor he had performed against it.
• Matt 23:4 : 4 They tie up heavy and unbearable burdens, and place them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.