King James Version

Genesis 44:7

And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

וַיֹּאמְר֣וּvayomrvand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “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…אֵלָ֔יוelayvamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, 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).לָ֚מָּהlamahto howמָהpreposition, particle, interrogative — “to 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.יְדַבֵּ֣רyedaberspeakדָבַרverb, piel, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “speak”, an unfinished actionH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.אֲדֹנִ֔יadonilordאָדוֹןnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “lord”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH113sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine)lord, master, owner. Compare also names beginning with 'Adoni-'.כַּדְּבָרִ֖יםkadvarimas causeדָּבָרpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “as cause”, the ordinary formH1697a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a causeact, advice, affair, answer, [idiom] any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, [phrase] chronicles, commandment, [idiom] commune(-ication), [phrase] concern(-ing), [phrase] confer, counsel, [phrase] dea…הָאֵ֑לֶּהhaelehthe theseאֵלֶּהdefinite article, pronoun, demonstrative, common, plural — “the these”H428these or thosean-(the) other; one sort, so, some, such, them, these (same), they, this, those, thus, which, who(-m).חָלִ֨ילָה֙chalilahbe farחָלִילָהparticle, interjection, paragogic he — “be far”H2486literal fora profaned thing; used (interj.) far be it!be far, ([idiom] God) forbid.לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָlaavadeykhato servantעֶבֶדpreposition, noun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to servant”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5650a servant[idiom] bondage, bondman, (bond-) servant, (man-) servant.מֵעֲשׂ֖וֹתmeasotfrom doעָשָׂהpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “from do”, the to-form of the verbH6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationaccomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, f…כַּדָּבָ֥רkadavaras causeדָּבָרpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “as cause”, the ordinary formH1697a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a causeact, advice, affair, answer, [idiom] any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, [phrase] chronicles, commandment, [idiom] commune(-ication), [phrase] concern(-ing), [phrase] confer, counsel, [phrase] dea…הַזֶּֽהhazehthe the one...the otherזֶהdefinite article, pronoun, demonstrative, masculine, singular — “the 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,…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And they said unto him: 'Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

And they said unto him, Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing.

Young’s Literal Translation

and they say unto him, 'Why doth my lord speak according to these words? far be it from thy servants to do according to this word;

World English Bible

They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!

Darby Translation

And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!

Douay-Rheims

And they answered: Why doth our lord speak so, as though thy servants had committed so heinous a fact?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And they said unto him: 'Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And they said to him, Why does our lord speak according to these words? far be it from thy servants to do according to this word.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, ἱνατί λαλεῖ ὁ κύριος κατὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα; μὴ γένοιτο τοῖς παισίν σου ποιῆσαι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο.