And YHWHוַ יְהוָהsaidיֹּאמֶרtoאֶלMoses,מֹשֶׁה“Look,הִנְּyouךָare about to lie downשֹׁכֵבwithעִםyour fathers,אֲבֹתֶיךָand thisוְ הַזֶּהpeopleהָעָםwill riseקָםand prostitute themselvesוְזָנָהafterאַחֲרֵיthe foreignנֵכַרgodsאֱלֹהֵיof the landהָאָרֶץwhereאֲשֶׁר שָׁמָּהtheyהוּאare going,בָאin its midst,בְּקִרְבּוֹand they will forsake meוַעֲזָבַנִיand breakוְהֵפֵרmy covenantבְּרִיתִיthatאֲשֶׁרI madeכָּרַתִּיwith them.אִתּוֹ
Deuteronomy 31:16
Study it in the app“And YHWH said to Moses, “Look, you are about to lie down with your fathers, and this people will rise and prostitute themselves after the foreign gods of the land where they are going, in its midst, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I made with them.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Deuteronomy 31:16, word by word
- And YHWHיְהוָהyehva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yehva” appears- saidיֹּאמֶרyomer
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomer” appears- Mosesמֹשֶׁהmoshe
Moses
Moses, the man God called to bring Israel out of Egypt and through whom he gave the Law. His name sounds like "draw out" (Exodus 2:10).
Where else “moshe” appears- are about to lie downשֹׁכֵבshochev
sleep in death
To die, like lying down to sleep beside one's ancestors.
Where else “shochev” appears- your fathersאֲבֹתֶיavote
forefather
Ancestors, those who came before in the family.
Where else “avote” appears- peopleעָםam
crowd
The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.
Where else “am” appears- will riseקָםkam
rise
To go from sitting or lying to standing, or to set out.
Where else “kam” appears- and prostitute themselvesזָנָהzana
prostitute oneself
To give one's body to others outside marriage, often for pay; the woman who does so.
Where else “zana” appears- the foreignנֵכַרnechar
foreign
What is foreign; "son of a foreigner" is someone of another people.
Where else “nechar” appears- godsאֱלֹהֵיelohe
gods
The gods of other peoples.
Where else “elohe” appears- of the landאָרֶץarets
land
A region or nation, above all Israel's.
Where else “arets” appears- are goingבָאva
enter
To go into a place.
Where else “va” appears- in its midstקִרְבּkirb
midst
In the midst of: "among the people".
Where else “kirb” appears- and they will forsake meעֲזָבַazava
forsake
To turn one's back on YHWH, someone or a place.
Where else “azava” appears- and breakהֵפֵרhefer
annul
To void a covenant or vow; spoil a plan.
Where else “hefer” appears- my covenantבְּרִיתִberiti
covenant
The commitment God makes with his people, with promises and commands.
Where else “beriti” appears- I madeכָּרַתִּיkarati
make a covenant
Literally "cut": to seal a solemn agreement, splitting animals.
Where else “karati” appears
The context
15And YHWH appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
16 · This verse (above)
17And my anger will burn against them on that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured, and many evils and troubles will find them; and they will say on that day, ‘Is it not because my Elohim is not in my midst that these evils have found me?’