Deuteronomy 2:4

KJV1611 – Modern English

And command the people, saying, You are to pass through the coast of your brethren, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, and they shall be afraid of you; take good heed to yourselves therefore.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְאֶת־הָעָם֮ צַ֣ו לֵאמֹר֒ אַתֶּ֣ם עֹֽבְרִ֗ים בִּגְבוּל֙ אֲחֵיכֶ֣ם בְּנֵי־עֵשָׂ֔ו הַיֹּשְׁבִ֖ים בְּשֵׂעִ֑יר וְיִֽירְא֣וּ מִכֶּ֔ם וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם מְאֹֽד׃

Transliteration

And ʾet-the ʿām ṣaw lēʾmōr you ʿōberîm in gebūl your brothers benê-ʿēśāw the yōšebîm in śēʿîr and weyîreʾū from you and wenišmartem meʾōd

Grammar Details

• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *ʿām*: noun masculine singular - people
• *ṣaw*: piel imperative masculine singular - command
• *lēʾmōr*: preposition + qal infinitive construct - saying
• *ʿōberîm*: qal participle masculine plural - passing through
• *gebūl*: noun masculine singular construct - border/territory of
• *benê-ʿēśāw*: noun masculine plural construct + proper noun - sons of Esau
• *yōšebîm*: qal participle masculine plural - dwelling/inhabiting
• *śēʿîr*: proper noun - Seir
• *weyîreʾū*: waw consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural - and they will fear
• *wenišmartem*: waw consecutive + niphal perfect 2nd person masculine plural - and you shall guard yourselves
• *meʾōd*: adverb - greatly/exceedingly

Word Meanings

• *ʿām*: people/nation/folk
• *ṣaw*: command/order/instruct
• *ʿōberîm*: passing through/crossing over/traversing
• *gebūl*: border/territory/boundary
• *yōšebîm*: dwelling/inhabiting/residing
• *weyîreʾū*: they will fear/be afraid of
• *wenišmartem*: guard yourselves/take heed/be careful
• *meʾōd*: greatly/exceedingly/very much

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  And he commanded the people, saying, ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful.

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And warne the people sayenge: Ye shall goo thorow the costes of youre brethern the childern of Esau which dwell in Seir, and they shalbe afrayed of you: But take good hede vnto youre selues that

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  and commaude the people, and saye: Ye shal go thorow ye coastes of youre brethren the children of Esau, which dwell at Seir: & they shal be afrayed of you. But take diligente hede to youre selues,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And warne thou the people, saying, Ye shall go through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir, and they shall be afraide of you: take ye good heede therefore.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Aud warne thou ye people, saying: Ye shall go through the coast of your brethren the chyldren of Esau which dwelt in Seir, and they shalbe afraide of you.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And command thou the people, saying, Ye [are] to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Command you the people, saying, You are to pass through the border of your brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take good heed to yourselves therefore;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  `And the people command thou, saying, Ye are passing over into the border of your brethren, sons of Esau, who are dwelling in Seir, and they are afraid of you; and ye have been very watchful,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And give the people orders, saying, You are about to go through the land of your brothers, the children of Esau, who are living in Seir; and they will have fear of you; so take care what you do:

• World English Bible (2000)

  Command the people, saying, 'You are to pass through the border of your brothers the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you: take good heed to yourselves therefore;

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Instruct these people as follows:‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully.

Referenced Verses

• Num 20:14-21 : 14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16 When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King's Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territories." 18 But Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword." 19 So the children of Israel said to him, "We will go by the highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, without doing anything else." 20 Then he said, "You shall not pass through." So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong army. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
• Exod 15:15 : 15 Then the chiefs of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.
• Deut 23:7 : 7 You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land.
• Obad 1:10-13 : 10 For your violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. 11 In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered his gates, and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were as one of them. 12 But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his calamity; nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 13 You should not have entered the gate of My people in the day of their calamity; indeed, you should not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity.
• Matt 5:16 : 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
• Luke 12:15 : 15 And he said to them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses.
• Eph 5:15 : 15 See then that you walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise,
• Phil 2:15 : 15 That you may be blameless and harmless, children of God, without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world;
• Col 4:5 : 5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
• Num 22:3-4 : 3 And Moab was very afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now this company will lick up all around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
• Num 24:14-18 : 14 And now, behold, I go to my people: come therefore, and I will advise you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days. 15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor has said, and the man whose eyes are open has said: 16 He has said, who heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, who saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.