Deuteronomy 33:6

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

Let Reuben live, and not die, And let his men be a number.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

יְחִ֥י רְאוּבֵ֖ן וְאַל־יָמֹ֑ת וִיהִ֥י מְתָ֖יו מִסְפָּֽר׃ ס

Transliteration

Yəḥî Rəʾûbēn and-not-yāmōt and-wîhî mətâw mispār

Grammar Details

• *Yəḥî*: qal jussive, 3rd masculine singular - may he live
• *Rəʾûbēn*: proper noun - Reuben
• *wə-ʾal*: conjunction + negative particle - and not
• *yāmōt*: qal jussive, 3rd masculine singular - may he die
• *wîhî*: conjunction + qal jussive, 3rd masculine singular - and may be
• *mətâw*: noun, masculine plural + 3rd masculine singular suffix - his men/males
• *mispār*: noun, masculine singular - number/count/few

Word Meanings

• *mispār*: number/count/few in number
• *mētâw*: his men/males/people

Referenced Verses

• Gen 49:3-4 : 3 Reuben! my first-born thou, My power, and beginning of my strength, The abundance of exaltation, And the abundance of strength; 4 Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!
• Gen 49:8 : 8 Judah! thou -- thy brethren praise thee! Thy hand `is' on the neck of thine enemies, Sons of thy father bow themselves to thee.
• Num 32:31-32 : 31 And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answer, saying, `That which Jehovah hath spoken unto thy servants -- so we do; 32 we -- we pass over armed before Jehovah `to' the land of Canaan, and with us `is' the possession of our inheritance beyond the Jordan.'
• Josh 22:1-9 : 1 Then Joshua calleth for the Reubenite, and for the Gadite, and for the half of the tribe of Manasseh, 2 and saith unto them, `Ye -- ye have kept the whole of that which Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded you, and ye hearken to my voice, to all that I have commanded you; 3 ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, and have kept the charge -- the command of Jehovah your God. 4 `And, now, Jehovah your God hath given rest to your brethren, as He spake to them; and now, turn ye, and go for yourselves to your tents, unto the land of your possession, which Moses, servant of Jehovah, hath given to you beyond the Jordan. 5 Only, be very watchful to do the command and the law which Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commands, and to cleave to Him, and to serve Him, with all your heart, and with all your soul.' 6 And Joshua blesseth them, and sendeth them away, and they go unto their tents. 7 And to the half of the tribe of Manasseh hath Moses given, in Bashan, and to its `other' half hath Joshua given with their brethren beyond the Jordan westward; and also when Joshua hath sent them away unto their tents, then he doth bless them, 8 and speak unto them, saying, `With great riches turn ye back unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren.' 9 And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, turn back and go from the sons of Israel out of Shiloh, which `is' in the land of Canaan, to go unto the land of Gilead, unto the land of their possession, in which they have possession, according to the command of Jehovah, by the hand of Moses;