Bit at a time Bible Hebrew -- Genesis 1:22

Genesis 1:22

 

כב וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים וְהָעוֹף יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ:

 

Transliteration: Va-y’varekh otam elohim lemor p’ru ur’vu u-milu et-hamaim ba-yamim v’ha-of yirev ba-arets.

Translation:    Gd blessed them to say be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas and the flyer multiply on the land.

 

Vocabulary in this lesson:

יְבָרֶךְ	He  blessed (aorist)
לֵאמֹר	To say
פְּרוּ	Be fruitful
רְבוּ	multiply
יִרֶב	Multiply (future)
מִלְאוּ	fill

 

Notice that lemor has a lamed at the start like the infinitive le-hair. 

 

There are three imperatives here so I’ll give you all the forms.

 

Singular	Plural	Gender
פְּרֵה	פְּרוּ	Masculine
פְּרִי	פְּרוּ	Feminine

 

Singular	Plural	Gender
מְלָא	מִלְאוּ	Masculine
מִלְאִי	מִלְאוּ	Feminine

 

Notice the difference in vowels.  The heh at the end of the masculine singular of the first vowel shows that this governs the vowel under the resh.  The alef at the end of the masculine singular of the other verb governs the vowel under the lamed.  So what can you tell me about the third imperative, r’vu?  What do you think the last letter of the masculine singular would be?  Get up, walk around the room, then come back and read the spoiler below.

 

If you guessed that the root of the verb “multiply” is resh bet heh you are right.

 

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights Reserved