King James Version

Genesis 38:28

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

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Hebrew

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וַיְהִ֥יvayhiand 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.בְלִדְתָּ֖הּvelidtahin bearיָלַדpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “in bear”, the to-form of the verbH3205to 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…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…יָ֑דyadhandיָדnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “hand”, the ordinary formH3027a 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, […וַתִּקַּ֣חvatiqachand takeלָקַחconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and take”, the next action in the storyH3947to take (in the widest variety of applications)accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.הַמְיַלֶּ֗דֶתhamyaledetthe 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…וַתִּקְשֹׁ֨רvatiqshorand bindקָשַׁרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and bind”, the next action in the storyH7194to tie, physically (gird, confine, compact) or mentally (in love, league)bind (up), (make a) conspire(-acy, -ator), join together, knit, stronger, work (treason).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,…יָד֤וֹyadvohandיָדnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “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, […שָׁנִי֙shanicrimsonשָׁנִיnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “crimson”, the ordinary formH8144crimson, properly, the insect or its color, also stuff dyed with itcrimson, scarlet (thread).לֵאמֹ֔רlemorto sayאָמַרpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to say”, the to-form of the verbH559to 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…זֶ֖הzehthe one...the otherזֶהpronoun, demonstrative, masculine, singular — “the one...the other”H2088the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thathe, [idiom] hence, [idiom] here, it(-self), [idiom] now, [idiom] of him, the one...the other, [idiom] than the other, ([idiom] out of) the (self) same, such (a one) that, these, this (hath, man), on this side...on that side, [idiom] thus,…יָצָ֥אyatsabring forthיָצָאverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “bring forth”, a completed actionH3318to 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…רִאשֹׁנָֽהrishonahfirstרִאשׁוֹןadjective, ordinal, masculine, singular, absolute — “first”, the ordinary formH7223first, in place, time or rank (as adjective or noun)ancestor, (that were) before(-time), beginning, eldest, first, fore(-father) (-most), former (thing), of old time, past.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying: 'This came out first.'

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 she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

Young’s Literal Translation

and it cometh to pass in her bearing, that [one] giveth out a hand, and the midwife taketh and bindeth on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, 'This hath come out first.'

World English Bible

When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”

Darby Translation

And it came to pass when she brought forth, that one stretched out [his] hand, and the midwife took it and bound round his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

Douay-Rheims

This shall come forth the first.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying: 'This came out first.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And it came to pass as she was bringing forth, one thrust forth his hand, and the midwife having taken hold of it, bound upon his hand a scarlet thread , saying, This one shall come out first.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ τίκτειν αὐτὴν, ὁ εἷς προεξήνεγκεν τὴν χεῖρα· λαβοῦσα δὲ ἡ μαῖα, ἔδησεν ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ κόκκινον, λέγουσα, οὗτος ἐξελεύσεται πρότερος.