King James Version

Genesis 49:4

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Study

Hebrew

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

פַּ֤חַזpachazunstableפַּחַזnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “unstable”, the ordinary formH6349ebullition, i.e. froth (figuratively, lust)unstable.כַּמַּ֨יִם֙kamayimas waterמַיִםpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “as water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).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.תּוֹתַ֔רtotarexcelיָתַרverb, hiphil, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “excel”, a wish or indirect commandH3498to jut over or exceed; by implication, to excel; (intransitively) to remain or be left; causatively, to leave, cause to abound, preserveexcel, leave (a remnant), left behind, too much, make plenteous, preserve, (be, let) remain(-der, -ing, -nant), reserve, residue, rest.כִּ֥יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “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…עָלִ֖יתָalitaascend upעָלָהverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “ascend up”, a completed actionH5927to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurativearise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make t…מִשְׁכְּבֵ֣יmishkevebedמִשְׁכָּבnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “bed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4904a bed (figuratively, a bier); abstractly, sleep; by euphemism, carnal intercoursebed(-chamber), couch, lieth (lying) with.אָבִ֑יךָavikhafatherאָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “father”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationchief, (fore-) father(-less), [idiom] patrimony, principal. Compare names in 'Abi-'.אָ֥זazat which timeאָזadverb — “at which time”H227at that time or place; also as a conjunction, thereforebeginning, for, from, hitherto, now, of old, once, since, then, at which time, yet.חִלַּ֖לְתָּchilaltabeginחָלַלverb, piel, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “begin”, a completed actionH2490properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute)begin ([idiom] men began), defile, [idiom] break, defile, [idiom] eat (as common things), [idiom] first, [idiom] gather the grape thereof, [idiom] take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute…יְצוּעִ֥יyetsuibedיָצוּעַnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “bed”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3326spread, i.e. a bed; (architecture) an extension, i.e. wing or lean-to (a single story or collectively)bed, chamber, couch.עָלָֽהalahascend upעָלָהverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “ascend up”, a completed actionH5927to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurativearise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make t…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it — he went up to my couch.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Young’s Literal Translation

Unstable as water, thou art not abundant; For thou hast gone up thy father's bed; Then thou hast polluted: My couch he went up!

World English Bible

Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

Darby Translation

Impetuous as the waters, thou shalt have no pre-eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father's couch: Then defiledst thou [it]: he went up to my bed.

Douay-Rheims

Thou art poured out as water, grow thou not: because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed, and didst defile his couch.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Unstable as water, have not thou the excellency; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it — he went up to my couch.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Thou wast insolent like water, burst not forth with violence, for thou wentest up to the bed of thy father; then thou defiledst the couch, whereupon thou wentest up.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐξύβρισας ὡς ὕδωρ, μὴ ἐκζέσῃς, ἀνέβης γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν κοίτην τοῦ πατρός σου· τότε ἐμίανας τὴν στρωμνὴν, οὗ ἀνέβης.