לִ֧י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לִ֧י

   LI

   for me
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 קְחִי־נָ֨א לִ֧י מְעַט־מַ֛יִם

   ke-KHI-NA LI me-AT-ma-YIM

   please take for me a little water
3. clause🔊 וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר קְחִי־נָ֨א לִ֧י מְעַט־מַ֛יִם בַּכְּלִ֖י וְאֶשְׁתֶּֽה׃

   va-yik-RA e-LE-ha va-yo-MAR ke-KHI-NA LI me-AT-ma-YIM ba-khe-LI ve-esh-TE

   and he called to her and he said please take for me a little water in a vessel that I may drink
4. sentence🔊 וַיָּ֣קָם וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ צָרְפַ֗תָה וַיָּבֹא֙ אֶל־פֶּ֣תַח הָעִ֔יר וְהִנֵּֽה־שָׁ֛ם אִשָּׁ֥ה אַלְמָנָ֖ה מְקֹשֶׁ֣שֶׁת עֵצִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֤א אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר קְחִי־נָ֨א לִ֧י מְעַט־מַ֛יִם בַּכְּלִ֖י וְאֶשְׁתֶּֽה׃

   va-ya-KAM va-ye-LEKH tsar-fa-TA va-ya-BO el-PE-takh ha-IR ve-hin-NE-SHAM i-SHA al-ma-NA me-ko-SHE-shet e-TSIM va-yik-RA e-LE-ha va-yo-MAR ke-KHI-NA LI me-AT-ma-YIM ba-khe-LI ve-esh-TE

   and he arose and he went to Zarephath and he came to the entrance of the city and behold, there a woman a widow gathering sticks or wood and he called to her and he said please take for me a little water in a vessel that I may drink

Exegesis

The polite request kechi-na {קְחִי־נָא | qᵉ-ḥî-nâ} ‘please take’, combined with the entreaty particle, and the precise reference me’at-mayim {מְעַט־מַיִם | mə-ʿaṭ-may-im} ‘a little water’ in bakkeli {בַּכְּלִי | baqqə-lî} ‘the vessel’ reflect exactness and courtesy. English renderings preserve the verb sequence, render the construct phrase idiomatically, and maintain the nuance of the request.

Root and etymology

ʿ-l-h🔊 ע־ל־הʿ-l-h

“to go up, ascend”

• 🔊 עָלָהʿā-lāhhe went upGenesis 13:1