Deuteronomy 31:16

“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.”

Deuteronomy 31:16 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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With the Hebrew beneath

16

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?’

Read all of Deuteronomy 31

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