King James Version

Genesis 15:13

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

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Hebrew

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וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvayomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “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…לְאַבְרָ֗םleavramto Abramאַבְרָםpreposition, noun, proper name — “to Abram”H87Abram, the original name of AbrahamAbram.יָדֹ֨עַyadoaknowיָדַעverb, qal, infinitive absolute — “know”, the verb used for emphasisH3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with…תֵּדַ֜עtedaknowיָדַעverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “know”, an unfinished actionH3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with…כִּיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “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…גֵ֣רgeralienגֵּרnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “alien”, the ordinary formH1616properly, a guest; by implication, a foreigneralien, sojourner, stranger.יִהְיֶ֣הyihyehbeהָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be”, an unfinished actionH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.זַרְעֲךָ֗zarakhaseedזֶרַעnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “seed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2233seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity[idiom] carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing-time.בְּאֶ֨רֶץ֙beeretsin earthאֶרֶץpreposition, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “in earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.לֹ֣אlono , -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…לָהֶ֔םlahemtoלָהֶ֔םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “to”toוַעֲבָד֖וּםvaavadumand keep in bondageעָבַדconjunction, verb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and keep in bondage”, a completed actionH5647to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.[idiom] be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, [phrase] husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become) servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er)…וְעִנּ֣וּveinvand abase selfעָנָהconjunction, verb, piel, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “and abase self”, a completed actionH6031to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)abase self, afflict(-ion, self), answer (by mistake for H6030 (עָנָה)), chasten self, deal hardly with, defile, exercise, force, gentleness, humble (self), hurt, ravish, sing (by mistake for H6030 (עָנָה)), speak (by mistake for H6030 (עָנ…אֹתָ֑םotamobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).אַרְבַּ֥עarbafourאַרְבַּעadjective, cardinal, feminine, singular, absolute — “four”, the ordinary formH702fourfour.מֵא֖וֹתmeothundred , -thמֵאָהadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “hundred , -th”, the ordinary formH3967a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fractionhundred((-fold), -th), [phrase] sixscore.שָׁנָֽהshanahyearשָׁנֶהnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “year”, the ordinary formH8141a year (as a revolution of time)[phrase] whole age, [idiom] long, [phrase] old, year([idiom] -ly).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And He said unto Abram: 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Young’s Literal Translation

and He saith to Abram, 'knowing — know that thy seed is a sojourner in a land not theirs, and they have served them, and they have afflicted them four hundred years,

World English Bible

He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

Darby Translation

And he said to Abram, Know assuredly that thy seed will be a sojourner in a land [that is] not theirs, and they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

Douay-Rheims

And it was said unto him: Know thou beforehand that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own, and they shall bring them under bondage, and afflict them four hundred years.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And He said unto Abram: 'Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And it was said to Abram, Thou shalt surely know that thy seed shall be a sojourner in a land not their own, and they shall enslave them, and afflict them, and humble them four hundred years.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐῤῥέθη πρὸς Ἅβραμ· γινώσκων γνώσῃ ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτοὺς, καὶ κακώσουσιν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς, τετρακόσια ἔτη.