עַל־בָּנִים֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 עַל־בָּנִים֙

   al-ba-NIM

   because of sons
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹא־יָמ֨וּתוּ אָב֤וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙

   lo-ya-MU-tu a-VOT al-ba-NIM

   shall not die fathers because of sons
3. clause🔊 כִּ֣י כַכָּת֣וּב בַּתּוֹרָ֡ה בְּסֵ֣פֶר מֹשֶׁה֩ אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר לֹא־יָמ֨וּתוּ אָב֤וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙ וּבָנִים֙ לֹא־יָמ֣וּתוּ עַל־אָב֔וֹת כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ בְּחֶטְא֖וֹ יָמֽוּתוּ׃

   KI kha-ka-TUV ba-to-RA be-SE-fer mo-SHE a-SHER-tsi-VA ye-ho-VAH le-MOR lo-ya-MU-tu a-VOT al-ba-NIM u-va-NIM lo-ya-MU-tu al-a-VOT KI ISH be-khe-TO ya-MU-tu

   for as written in the law in the book of Moses which he commanded the LORD to say shall not die fathers because of sons and sons shall not die because of fathers for a man in his sin they shall die
4. sentence🔊 וְאֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֖ם לֹ֣א הֵמִ֑ית כִּ֣י כַכָּת֣וּב בַּתּוֹרָ֡ה בְּסֵ֣פֶר מֹשֶׁה֩ אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר לֹא־יָמ֨וּתוּ אָב֤וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙ וּבָנִים֙ לֹא־יָמ֣וּתוּ עַל־אָב֔וֹת כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ בְּחֶטְא֖וֹ יָמֽוּתוּ׃

   ve-ET-be-ne-HEM LO he-MIT KI kha-ka-TUV ba-to-RA be-SE-fer mo-SHE a-SHER-tsi-VA ye-ho-VAH le-MOR lo-ya-MU-tu a-VOT al-ba-NIM u-va-NIM lo-ya-MU-tu al-a-VOT KI ISH be-khe-TO ya-MU-tu

   and the sons of them not he put to death for as written in the law in the book of Moses which he commanded the LORD to say shall not die fathers because of sons and sons shall not die because of fathers for a man in his sin they shall die

Exegesis

The injunction employs distributive parallelism in lo-yamutu avot al-banim ū-bā-nīm lo-yamutu al-avot {לֹא־יָמוּתוּ אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים וּבָנִים לֹא־יָמוּתוּ עַל־אָבוֹת} ‘fathers shall not die for sons and sons shall not die for fathers’, emphasizing reciprocal justice, and the concluding clause ki ish be-chet’o yamut{u} {כִּי אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ יָמוּתוּ | kî ʾîš bə-ḥê-ṭō yā-mū-tū} ‘for each one shall die for his own sin’ underscores individual responsibility. The translation preserves the Hebrew word order for legal formality and the parallel structure for theological emphasis.