לִ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לִ֣י

   LI

   for myself
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לִ֣י וְלִבְנִ֔י

   LI ve-liv-NI

   for myself and for my son
3. clause🔊 וְהִנְנִ֨י מְקֹשֶׁ֜שֶׁת שְׁנַ֣יִם עֵצִ֗ים וּבָ֙אתִי֙ וַעֲשִׂיתִ֙יהוּ֙ לִ֣י וְלִבְנִ֔י וַאֲכַלְנֻ֖הוּ וָמָֽתְנוּ׃

   ve-hin-NE me-ko-SHE-shet she-NA-yim E-tsim u-va-TI va-a-si-TI-hu LI ve-liv-NI va-a-khal-NU-hu va-MAT-nu

   and behold, I am gathering two sticks or pieces of wood and I will go in and I will prepare it for myself and for my son and we will eat it and we will die
4. sentence🔊 וַתֹּ֗אמֶר חַי־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אִם־יֶשׁ־לִ֣י מָע֔וֹג כִּ֣י אִם־מְלֹ֤א כַף־קֶ֙מַח֙ בַּכַּ֔ד וּמְעַט־שֶׁ֖מֶן בַּצַּפָּ֑חַת וְהִנְנִ֨י מְקֹשֶׁ֜שֶׁת שְׁנַ֣יִם עֵצִ֗ים וּבָ֙אתִי֙ וַעֲשִׂיתִ֙יהוּ֙ לִ֣י וְלִבְנִ֔י וַאֲכַלְנֻ֖הוּ וָמָֽתְנוּ׃

   va-to-MER KHAI-ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HE-kha im-yesh-LI ma-OG KI im-me-LO kaf-KE-makh ba-KAD u-me-AT-SHE-men ba-tsa-PA-khat ve-hin-NE me-ko-SHE-shet she-NA-yim E-tsim u-va-TI va-a-si-TI-hu LI ve-liv-NI va-a-khal-NU-hu va-MAT-nu

   and she said as the LORD lives your God if there is for me a cake or baked bread for only a handful of flour in the jar and a little oil in the jug and behold, I am gathering two sticks or pieces of wood and I will go in and I will prepare it for myself and for my son and we will eat it and we will die

Exegesis

The conditional clause im-yesh-li maog {אִם־יֶשׁ־לִי מָע֔וֹג | ʾim-yēš-lî mā-ʿōg} ‘if there is for me a baked loaf’ frames her lack, followed by ki im melo kaf kemach {כִּי אִם־מְלֹא כַף־קֶמַח | kī ʾim mə-lōʾ kaph kē-māḥ} specifying scarcity of flour. Locative phrases ba-kad and ba-tsappachat mark the containers.

Root and etymology

ʿ-l-h🔊 ע־ל־הʿ-l-h

“to go up, ascend”

• 🔊 עָלָהʿā-lāhhe went upGenesis 13:1