Deuteronomy 21:16:12Deut.21.16.W12TAB
עַל־פְּנֵ֥י
alpenei
“before”
- Transliteration
- al-pe-NEI
- Extended
- ahl-peh-NEH-ee
- IPA
- /ʕal.pəˈneː/
Meaning by language
- English
- before
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Nun | n as in new | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
al-pe-NEI
- phraseyour reading level
al-pe-NEI ben-ha-se-nu-AH
- clause
LO yu-KHAL le-va-KER ET-ben-ha-a-hu-VAH al-pe-NEI ben-ha-se-nu-AH ha-be-KHOR
- sentence
ve-ha-YA be-YOM han-KHI-lo ET-ba-NAV ET a-SHER-ye-HYEH LO LO yu-KHAL le-va-KER ET-ben-ha-a-hu-VAH al-pe-NEI ben-ha-se-nu-AH ha-be-KHOR
Exegesis
The prepositional phrase al-penei {עַל־פְּנֵ֥י | ʿal-pə-nê} underscores the idiom of preference and culminates in ha-bekhor {הַבְּכֹר | ha-ḇə-ḵōr}, the definitive legal heir. English translation preserves Hebrew parallelism and the force of prohibition.
Root and etymology
Rootʿ-v-l
“yoke, burden”
In context — Deuteronomy 21:16
And it shall be on the day that he causes his sons to inherit what belongs to him, he shall not be able to treat as firstborn the son of his beloved wife in preference to the son of his unloved wife, the firstborn.
About this coordinate
Deuteronomy 21:16:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of Deuteronomy 21:16, so the Hebrew word עַל־פְּנֵ֥י (alpenei) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Deut.21.16.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (Deut.21.16.W12.S1) and character.