King James Version

Judges 5:16

Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

Study

Hebrew

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

לָ֣מָּהlamahto 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.יָשַׁ֗בְתָּyashavtadwellיָשַׁבverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “dwell”, a completed actionH3427properly, 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…בֵּ֚יןbeynbetweenבֵּיןpreposition — “between”H996between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles); also as a conjunction, either...oramong, asunder, at, between (-twixt...and), [phrase] from (the widest), [idiom] in, out of, whether (it be...or), within.הַֽמִּשְׁפְּתַ֔יִםhamishpetayimthe burdenמִשְׁפָּתdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, dual, absolute — “the burden”, the ordinary formH4942a stall for cattle (only dual)burden, sheepfold.לִשְׁמֹ֖עַlishmoato hearשָׁמַעpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to hear”, the to-form of the verbH8085to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)[idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) n…שְׁרִק֣וֹתsheriqotbleatingשְׁרוּקָהnoun, common, feminine, plural, construct — “bleating”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH8292a whistling (in scorn); by analogy, a pipingbleating, hissing.עֲדָרִ֑יםadarimdroveעֵדֶרnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “drove”, the ordinary formH5739an arrangement, i.e. muster (of animals)drove, flock, herd.לִפְלַגּ֣וֹתliflagotto divisionפְּלֻגָּהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, plural, construct — “to division”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6391a sectiondivision.רְאוּבֵ֔ןreuvenReubenרְאוּבֵןnoun, proper name — “Reuben”H7205Reuben, a son of JacobReuben.גְּדוֹלִ֖יםgedolimgreatגָּדוֹלadjective, adjective, masculine, plural, absolute — “great”, the ordinary formH1419great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent[phrase] aloud, elder(-est), [phrase] exceeding(-ly), [phrase] far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, [idiom] sore, ([idiom]) very.חִקְרֵיchiqrefinding outחֵקֶרnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “finding out”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2714examination, enumeration, deliberationfinding out, number, (un-) search(-able, -ed, out, -ing).לֵֽבlevcomfortablyלֵבnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “comfortably”, the ordinary formH3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything[phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom]…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the pipings for the flocks? At the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

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

American Standard Version (1901)

Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

Young’s Literal Translation

Why hast thou abode between the boundaries, To hear lowings of herds? For the divisions of Reuben, Great [are] the searchings of heart!

World English Bible

Why did you sit among the sheepfolds? To hear the whistling for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben, there were great searchings of heart.

Darby Translation

Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, To hear the bleating of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben there were great deliberations of heart!

Douay-Rheims

Why dwellest thou between two borders, that thou mayest hear the bleatings of the flocks? Ruben being divided against himself, there was found a strife of courageous men.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the pipings for the flocks? At the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Why did they sit between the sheep-folds to hear the bleating of flocks for the divisions of Ruben? there were great searchings of heart.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἰς τί ἐκάθισαν ἀναμέσον τῆς διγομίας τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι συρισμοῦ ἀγελῶν εἰς διαιρέσεις Ῥουβήν; μεγάλοι ἐξετασμοὶ καρδίας.