King James Version

Genesis 19:17

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

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Hebrew

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וַיְהִי֩vayhiand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be”, the next action in the storyH1961to 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.כְהוֹצִיאָ֨םkhehotsiamas bring forthיָצָאpreposition, verb, hiphil, infinitive construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “as bring forth”, the to-form of the verbH3318to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.[idiom] after, appear, [idiom] assuredly, bear out, [idiom] begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), [phrase] be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail…אֹתָ֜םotamobject 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).הַח֗וּצָהhachutsahthe abroadחוּץdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute, directional ending — “the abroad”, the ordinary formH2351properly, separate by awall, i.e. outside, outdoorsabroad, field, forth, highway, more, out(-side, -ward), street, without.וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙vayomerand 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…הִמָּלֵ֣טhimaletescapeמָלַטverb, niphal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “escape”, a commandH4422properly, to be smooth, i.e. (by implication) to escape (as if by slipperiness); causatively, to release or rescue; specifically, to bring forth young, emit sparksdeliver (self), escape, lay, leap out, let alone, let go, preserve, save, [idiom] speedily, [idiom] surely.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָnafshekhacreatureנֶפֶשׁnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “creature”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…אַלalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.תַּבִּ֣יטtabitlookנָבַטverb, hiphil, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “look”, a wish or indirect commandH5027to scan, i.e. look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care(cause to) behold, consider, look (down), regard, have respect, see.אַחֲרֶ֔יךָachareykhaafterאַחַרpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “after”H310properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, [phrase] out (over) live, [phrase] persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, the…וְאַֽלvealand notאַלconjunction, particle, negative — “and not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.תַּעֲמֹ֖דtaamodstandעָמַדverb, qal, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “stand”, a wish or indirect commandH5975to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, [phrase] serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, m…בְּכָלbekhalin allכֹּלpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “in all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הַכִּכָּ֑רhakikarthe loafכִּכָּרdefinite article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “the loaf”, the ordinary formH3603a circle, i.e. (by implication) a circumjacent tract or region, especially the Ghor or valley of the Jordan; also a (round) loaf; also a talent (or large [round] coin)loaf, morsel, piece, plain, talent.הָהָ֥רָהhaharahthe hillהַרdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute, directional ending — “the hill”, the ordinary formH2022a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion.הִמָּלֵ֖טhimaletescapeמָלַטverb, niphal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “escape”, a commandH4422properly, to be smooth, i.e. (by implication) to escape (as if by slipperiness); causatively, to release or rescue; specifically, to bring forth young, emit sparksdeliver (self), escape, lay, leap out, let alone, let go, preserve, save, [idiom] speedily, [idiom] surely.פֶּןpenthat...notפֵּןconjunction — “that...not”H6435properly, removal; used only (in the construction) adverb as conjunction, lest(lest) (peradventure), that...not.תִּסָּפֶֽהtisafehperishסָפָהverb, niphal, imperfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “perish”, an unfinished actionH5595properly, to scrape (literally, to shave; but usually figuratively) together (i.e. to accumulate or increase) or away (i.e. to scatter, remove, or ruin; intransitively, to perish)add, augment, consume, destroy, heap, join, perish, put.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said: 'Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Young’s Literal Translation

And it cometh to pass when he hath brought them out without, that he saith, 'Escape for thy life; look not expectingly behind thee, nor stand thou in all the circuit; to the mountain escape, lest thou be consumed.'

World English Bible

It came to pass, when they had taken them out, that he said, “Escape for your life! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be consumed!”

Darby Translation

And it came to pass when they had brought them outside, that he said, Escape for thy life: look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou perish.

Douay-Rheims

And they brought him forth, and set him without the city: and there they spoke to him, saying: Save thy life: look not back, neither stay thou in all the country about: but save thyself in the mountain, lest thou be also consumed.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And it came to pass when they brought them out, that they said, Save thine own life by all means; look not round to that which is behind, nor stay in all the country round about, escape to the mountain, lest perhaps thou be overtaken together with them.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡνίκα ἐξήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἔξω, καὶ εἶπαν, σώζων σῶζε τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν· μὴ περιβλέψῃ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, μηδὲ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ· εἰς τὸ ὄρος σώζου, μή ποτε συμπαραληφθῇς.