לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃

   le-mag-GE-fa

   to a plague
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֥א לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃

   LO le-mag-GE-fa

   not to a plague
3. clause🔊 יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַ֗י תְּהִ֨י נָ֤א יָֽדְךָ֙ בִּ֚י וּבְבֵ֣ית אָבִ֔י וּֽבְעַמְּךָ֖ לֹ֥א לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃

   ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HAI te-HI NA yad-KHA BI u-ve-VET a-VI u-ve-am-ME-kha LO le-mag-GE-fa

   LORD my God let it be please your hand against me or in me and in the house of my father and among your people not to a plague
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֣יד אֶֽל־הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים הֲלֹא֩ אֲנִ֨י אָמַ֜רְתִּי לִמְנ֣וֹת בָּעָ֗ם וַאֲנִי־ה֤וּא אֲשֶׁר־חָטָ֙אתִי֙ וְהָרֵ֣עַ הֲרֵע֔וֹתִי וְאֵ֥לֶּה הַצֹּ֖אן מֶ֣ה עָשׂ֑וּ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהַ֗י תְּהִ֨י נָ֤א יָֽדְךָ֙ בִּ֚י וּבְבֵ֣ית אָבִ֔י וּֽבְעַמְּךָ֖ לֹ֥א לְמַגֵּפָֽה׃

   va-YO-mer da-VID el-ha-e-lo-HIM ha-LO a-NI a-MAR-ti lim-NOT ba-AM va-a-NI-HU a-sher-kha-TA-ti ve-ha-RE-a ha-re-O-ti ve-EL-le ha-TSON ME a-SU ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HAI te-HI NA yad-KHA BI u-ve-VET a-VI u-ve-am-ME-kha LO le-mag-GE-fa

   and he said David to God is it not I I said to count among the people or the people and I am he who sinned and the doing of evil or and the evil I have done evil and these the flock what have they done LORD my God let it be please your hand against me or in me and in the house of my father and among your people not to a plague

Exegesis

Finally, the construct phrase uvebeit avi uveamkha lo le-magefa {וּבְבֵית אָבִי וּבְעַמְּךָ לֹא לְמַגֵּפָה | ūbəbēṯ ʾāvî ūbəʿammkha lō ləmaḡēpāh} ‘and in my father’s house and in your people, not for plague’ delineates who should bear the punishment. The English versions preserve the Hebrew parallelism, metaphor, and plea-tone while offering natural idiom.

Root and etymology

m-g-p🔊 מ־ג־פ

“blow, plague”

• 🔊 מַגְּפָהmagefahplagueExodus 9:15
• 🔊 מְגָפִיםmegaphimplaguesExodus 7:14