King James Version

Genesis 21:16

And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

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Hebrew

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וַתֵּלֶךְ֩vatelekhand carryיָלַךְconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and carry”, the next action in the storyH3212to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)[idiom] again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, [phrase] follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, [phrase] pursue,…וַתֵּ֨שֶׁבvateshevand dwellיָשַׁבconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and dwell”, the next action in the storyH3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, r…לָ֜הּlahtoלָ֜הּpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “to”toמִנֶּ֗גֶדminegedfrom againstנֶגֶדpreposition, preposition — “from against”H5048a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a counterpart, or mate; usually (adverbial, especially with preposition) over against or beforeabout, (over) against, [idiom] aloof, [idiom] far (off), [idiom] from, over, presence, [idiom] other side, sight, [idiom] to view.הַרְחֵק֙harcheqlooseרָחַקverb, hiphil, infinitive absolute — “loose”, the verb used for emphasisH7368to widen (in any direction), i.e. (intransitively) recede or (transitively) remove (literally or figuratively, of place or relation)(a-, be, cast, drive, get, go, keep (self), put, remove, be too, (wander), withdraw) far (away, off), loose, [idiom] refrain, very, (be) a good way (off).כִּמְטַחֲוֵ֣יkimtachaveas shotטָחָהpreposition, verb, palel, participle, construct — “as shot”, a verb used as a describing wordH2909to stretch a bow, as an archer(bow-) shot.קֶ֔שֶׁתqeshetbowקֶשֶׁתnoun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “bow”, the ordinary formH7198a bow, forshooting (hence, figuratively, strength) or the iris[idiom] arch(-er), [phrase] arrow, bow(-man, -shot).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…אָֽמְרָ֔הamerahsayאָמַרverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “say”, a completed actionH559to 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…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.אֶרְאֶ֖הerehseeרָאָהverb, qal, cohortative, 1st person, common, singular — “see”, a determination or requestH7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), m…בְּמ֣וֹתbemotin deadמָוֶתpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “in dead”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4194death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin(be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d).הַיָּ֑לֶדhayaledthe childיֶלֶדdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the child”, the ordinary formH3206something born, i.e. a lad or offspringboy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).וַתֵּ֣שֶׁבvateshevand dwellיָשַׁבconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and dwell”, the next action in the storyH3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, r…מִנֶּ֔גֶדminegedfrom againstנֶגֶדpreposition, preposition — “from against”H5048a front, i.e. part opposite; specifically a counterpart, or mate; usually (adverbial, especially with preposition) over against or beforeabout, (over) against, [idiom] aloof, [idiom] far (off), [idiom] from, over, presence, [idiom] other side, sight, [idiom] to view.וַתִּשָּׂ֥אvatisaand lift upנָשָׂאconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and lift up”, the next action in the storyH5375to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativeaccept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “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).קֹלָ֖הּqolahsoundקוֹלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “sound”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6963a voice or sound[phrase] aloud, bleating, crackling, cry ([phrase] out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, [phrase] hold peace, (pro-) claim, proclamation, [phrase] sing, sound, [phrase] spark, thunder(-ing), voice, [phrase] yell.וַתֵּֽבְךְּvatevekeand weepבָּכָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and weep”, the next action in the storyH1058to weep; generally to bemoan[idiom] at all, bewail, complain, make lamentation, [idiom] more, mourn, [idiom] sore, [idiom] with tears, weep.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow-shot; for she said: 'Let me not look upon the death of the child.' And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

Young’s Literal Translation

And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.

World English Bible

She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

Darby Translation

and she went and sat down over against [him], a bow-shot off; for she said, Let me not behold the death of the child. And she sat over against [him], and lifted up her voice and wept.

Douay-Rheims

And she went her way, and sat over against him a great way off as far as a bow can carry, for she said: I will not see the boy die: and sitting over against, she lifted up her voice and wept.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And she departed and sat down opposite him at a distance, as it were a bow-shot, for she said, Surely I cannot see the death of my child: and she sat opposite him, and the child cried aloud and wept.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἀπελθοῦσα δὲ ἐκάθητο ἀπέναντι αὐτοῦ μακρόθεν, ὡσεὶ τόξου βολήν· εἶπε γὰρ, οὐ μὴ ἴδω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ παιδίου μου. καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἀπέναντι αὐτοῦ· ἀναβοῆσαν δὲ τὸ παιδίον ἔκλαυσεν.