1
After that, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’a·ḥar mō·šeh wə·’a·hă·rōn bā·’ū ’el- par·‘ōh way·yō·mə·rū kōh- Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê yiś·rā·’êl ’ā·mar ‘am·mî šal·laḥ ’eṯ- wə·yā·ḥōg·gū lî bam·miḏ·bār
Word by word18 · parsed
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partConjunctive wawAdverb
וְאַחַר — a hinge word, “and afterward,” marking a gap of time after the elders believed (Exodus 4:31). The Pulpit Commentary reads it as implying “some not inconsiderable space of time.”
√ Môsheh — Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiverNounpropermasculine singular
√ ʼAhărôwn — Aharon, the brother of MosesConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalPerfectthird person common plural
“Came in / went in.” Ellicott takes it concretely: they left their usual residence and approached the Court.
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
√ Parʻôh — Paroh, a general title of Egyptian kingsNounpropermasculine singular
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine plural
√ kôh — properly, like this, iAdverb
כֹּה — “thus, like this”; the demonstrative adverb that opens the herald-formula. It points forward to the very words of God, set off as direct speech.
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
יְהוָה — the covenant name, YHWH. This is the load-bearing word of the whole unit: Moses speaks it as a personal name with sovereign authority, and Pharaoh will throw it back in v. 2. To an Egyptian king it would sound like one more deity's name, parallel to Phthah or Ra (Pulpit).
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural construct
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
יִשְׂרָאֵל — “the God of Israel.” Benson marks the firstness: in dealing with the elders God was “the God of your fathers,” but to Pharaoh He is named “God of Israel” — and “it is the first time we find him called so in Scripture,” no longer Israel the man but Israel the people.
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)Nounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
עַמִּי — “my people,” with the first-person suffix. The claim is total: they are God's, not Pharaoh's, and a prior owner is demanding back what was always His.
√ shâlach — to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)VerbPielImperativemasculine singular
שַׁלַּח — the imperative that gives the book its refrain, “Let my people go,” returning again and again to Pharaoh until it is obeyed.
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
√ châgag — properly, to move in acircle, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive imperfectthird person masculine plural
וְיָחֹגּוּ — “that they may keep the pilgrim-feast.” The purpose is worship, not escape: the demand on its face is modest, “a moderate demand, which he might well have granted” (Ellicott).
לִ֖יlîto Me
Prepositionfirst person common singular
√ midbâr — a pasture (iPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
בַּמִּדְבָּר — “in the wilderness,” i.e. beyond inhabited Egypt, so the Hebrews' sacrifices would not provoke the Egyptians, some of whose sacred animals would be slain (cf. Exodus 8:26).