King James Version

Exodus 1:19

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

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וַתֹּאמַ֤רְןָvatomarnaand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙hamyaldotthe bearיָלַדdefinite article, verb, piel, participle, absolute — “the bear”, a verb used as a describing wordH3205to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineagebear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (wom…אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).פַּרְעֹ֔הparoPharaohפַּרְעֹהnoun, proper name — “Pharaoh”H6547Paroh, a general title of Egyptian kingsPharaoh.כִּ֣יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…לֹ֧אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…כַנָּשִׁ֛יםkhanashimas eachאִשָּׁהpreposition, with the article, noun, common, feminine, plural, absolute — “as each”, the ordinary formH802a woman(adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.הַמִּצְרִיֹּ֖תhamitsriyotthe of Egyptמִצְרִיdefinite article, noun, gentilic, feminine, plural, absolute — “the of Egypt”, the ordinary formH4713a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of MitsrajimEgyptian, of Egypt.הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑תhaivriyotthe Hebrewעִבְרִיdefinite article, noun, gentilic, feminine, plural, absolute — “the Hebrew”, the ordinary formH5680an Eberite (i.e. Hebrew) or descendant of EberHebrew(-ess, woman).כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…חָי֣וֹתchayotlivelyחָיֶהadjective, adjective, feminine, plural, absolute — “lively”, the ordinary formH2422vigorouslively.הֵ֔נָּהhenahtheirהֵנָּהpronoun, personal, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “their”H2007themselves (often used emphatic for the copula, also in indirect relation)[idiom] in, [idiom] such (and such things), their, (into) them, thence, therein, these, they (had), on this side, whose, wherein.בְּטֶ֨רֶםbeteremin beforeטֶרֶםpreposition, adverb — “in before”H2962properly, non-occurrence; used adverbially, not yet or beforebefore, ere, not yet.תָּב֧וֹאtavoto comeבּוֹאverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “to come”, an unfinished actionH935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat,…אֲלֵהֶ֛ןalehenamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, plural — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הַמְיַלֶּ֖דֶתhamyaledetthe bearיָלַדdefinite article, verb, piel, participle, absolute — “the bear”, a verb used as a describing wordH3205to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineagebear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (wom…וְיָלָֽדוּveyaladvand bearיָלַדconjunction, verb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “and bear”, a completed actionH3205to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineagebear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (wom…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.

Young’s Literal Translation

And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, 'Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them — they have borne!'

World English Bible

The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

Darby Translation

And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian; for they are strong, and they have borne before the midwife comes to them.

Douay-Rheims

They answered: The Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women: for they themselves are skillful in the office of a midwife; and they are delivered before we come to them.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἶπαν δὲ αἱ μαῖαι τῷ Φαραῷ, οὐχ ὡς γυναῖκες Αἰγύπτου αἱ Ἐβραῖαι· τίκτουσι γὰρ πρὶν ἢ εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς μαίας· καὶ ἔτικτον.