King James Version

Genesis 38:18

And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

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Hebrew

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וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvayomerand 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…מָ֣הmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.הָֽעֵרָבוֹן֮haeravonthe pledgeעֲרָבוֹןdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the pledge”, the ordinary formH6162a pawn (given as security)pledge.אֲשֶׁ֣רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…אֶתֶּןetengiveנָתַןverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “give”, an unfinished actionH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לָּךְ֒lakhetoלָּךְ֒preposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “to”toוַתֹּ֗אמֶרvatomerand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, 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…חֹתָֽמְךָ֙chotamekhasealחוֹתָםnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “seal”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2368a signature-ringseal, signet.וּפְתִילֶ֔ךָufetilekhaand boundפָּתִילconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and bound”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6616twinebound, bracelet, lace, line, ribband, thread, wire.וּמַטְּךָ֖umatkhaand rodמַטֶּהconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and rod”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4294a branch (as extending); figuratively, a tribe; also a rod, whether for chastising (figuratively, correction), ruling (a sceptre), throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff; figuratively, a support of life, e.g. bread)rod, staff, tribe.אֲשֶׁ֣רasherbecauseאֲשֶׁרparticle, relative — “because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…בְּיָדֶ֑ךָbeyadekhain handיָדpreposition, noun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “in hand”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3027a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),([phrase] be) able, [idiom] about, [phrase] armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, [idiom] bounty, [phrase] broad, (broken-) handed, [idiom] by, charge, coast, [phrase] consecrate, [phrase] creditor, custody, debt, dominion, […וַיִּתֶּןvayitenand giveנָתַןconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and give”, the next action in the storyH5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, [idiom] avenge, [idiom] be (healed), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, [phrase] cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, [idiom] doubtless, [idiom] wi…לָּ֛הּlahtoלָּ֛הּpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “to”toוַיָּבֹ֥אvayavoand to comeבּוֹאconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and to come”, the next action in the storyH935to 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,…אֵלֶ֖יהָeleyhaamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “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).וַתַּ֥הַרvataharand be with childהָרָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and be with child”, the next action in the storyH2029to be (or become) pregnant, conceive (literally or figuratively)been, be with child, conceive, progenitor.לֽוֹlvotoלֽוֹpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to”to

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And he said: 'What pledge shall I give thee?' And she said: 'Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand.' And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

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, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

Young’s Literal Translation

and he saith, 'What [is] the pledge that I give to thee?' and she saith, 'Thy seal, and thy ribbon, and thy staff which [is] in thy hand;' and he giveth to her, and goeth in unto her, and she conceiveth to him;

World English Bible

He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

Darby Translation

And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy lace, and thy staff which is in thy hand. And he gave [it] her, and went in to her; and she conceived by him.

Douay-Rheims

Juda said: What wilt thou have for a pledge? She answered: Thy ring and bracelet, and the staff which thou holdest in thy hand. The woman therefore at one copulation conceived.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And he said: 'What pledge shall I give thee?' And she said: 'Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand.' And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And he said, What is the earnest that I shall give thee? and she said, Thy ring, and thy bracelet, and the staff in thy hand; and he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ὁ δὲ εἶπε, τίνα τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνά σοι δώσω; ἡ δὲ εἶπε, τὸν δακτύλιόν σου, καὶ τὸν ὁρμίσκον, καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν ἐν τῇ χειρίσου. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ, καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτήν· καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ.