21st Century Biblical Hebrew -- Genesis 3:13-14, "eat"

Genesis 3:13-14

 

יג וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָֹ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים לָֽאִשָּׁ֖ה מַה־זֹּ֣את עָשִׂ֑ית וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה הַנָּחָ֥שׁ הִשִּׁיאַ֖נִי וָֽאֹכֵֽל:

יד וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ אֶל־הַנָּחָשׁ֘ כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּאת֒ אָר֤וּר אַתָּה֙ מִכָּל־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וּמִכֹּ֖ל חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה עַל־גְּחֹֽנְךָ֣ תֵלֵ֔ךְ וְעָפָ֥ר תֹּאכַ֖ל כָּל־יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ:

 

Translation:     **** Gd said to the woman what is this you have done; the woman said, The serpent led me astray, I ate.

**** Gd said to the serpent: Because you did this, you are cursed beyond all the domestic animals, and beyond all the wild animals; you shall go on your belly, you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

 

Vocabulary in this lesson:

הִשִּׁיאַנִי	Led me astray
אָרוּר	cursed
מִכָּל	Beyond every
גְּחֹנְךָ	Your belly
עָפָר	dust

 

Notice that Gd doesn’t use imperatives to the serpent. He uses 2^nd person singular masculine imperfect aspect. This is not a one-time thing; this is every time he moves or eats. 

 

I was going to give you akhal before but better now than never.  Notice the chataf patach under the alef in the perfect aspect in 2^nd person feminine and masculine. In a strong verb this would be a shva, but alef is a guttural with no sound of its own and it can’t take shva in this position.

 

Progressive

 

Singular	Plural	Gender
אוֹכֵל	אוֹכְלִים	Masculine
אוֹכֶלֶת	אוֹכְלוֹת	Feminine

 

Perfect

 

Singular	Plural	Person/gender
אָכַלְתִּי	אָכַלְנוּ	First
אָכַלְתָּ	אֲכַלְתֶּם	Second/masculine
אָכַלְתְּ	אֲכַלְתֶּן	Second/feminine
אָכַל	אָכְלוּ	Third/masculine
אָכְלָה	אָכְלוּ	Third/feminine

 

Imperfect

 

Singular	Plural	Person/gender
אוֹכַל	נוֹכַל	First
תֹּאכַל	תֹּאכְלוּ	Second/masculine
תֹּאכְלִי	תֹּאכַלְנָה	Second/feminine
יֹאכַל	יֹאכְלוּ	Third/masculine
תֹּאכְלִי	תֹּאכַלְנָה	Third/feminine