Tag Archives: Genesis 44:4

Genesis 44:4 הֵ֠ם יָֽצְא֣וּ אֶת־הָעִיר֮ לֹ֣א הִרְחִיקוּ֒ וְיֹוסֵ֤ף אָמַר֙ לַֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־בֵּיתֹ֔ו ק֥וּם רְדֹ֖ף אַחֲרֵ֣י הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֑ים וְהִשַּׂגְתָּם֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לָ֛מָּה שִׁלַּמְתֶּ֥ם רָעָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת טֹובָֽה׃ Clause One: הֵם יָצְאוּ אֶת־הָעִיר הֵם (“they”) is the subject pronoun. יָצְאוּ (Qal perfect 3mp of י־צ־א) means “they went out.” The preposition אֶת here functions unusually with a place — אֶת־הָעִיר (“from the city”), which normally takes מִן. This construction likely carries narrative style and idiomatic influence. Negative Perfect: לֹא הִרְחִיקוּ לֹא negates the verb הִרְחִיקוּ (Hiphil perfect 3mp from ר־ח־ק, “to go far”), meaning “they had not gone far.”… Learn Hebrew