לִפְנֵ֥י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לִפְנֵ֥י

   lif-NEI

   before
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

   lif-NEI ha-eh-lo-HIM

   before God
3. clause🔊 וַיָּבֹ֨א אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכֹ֣ל זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֶאֱכָל־לֶ֛חֶם עִם־חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

   va-ya-VO a-ha-RON ve-KHOL zik-NEI yis-ra-EL le-eh-khol-LE-khem im-kho-TEN mo-SHE lif-NEI ha-eh-lo-HIM

   Aaron {And He} came and all the elders of Israel to eat bread with father-in-law of Moses before God
4. sentence🔊 וַיִּקַּ֞ח יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֛ה עֹלָ֥ה וּזְבָחִ֖ים לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וַיָּבֹ֨א אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכֹ֣ל זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֶאֱכָל־לֶ֛חֶם עִם־חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

   va-yik-KAKH yit-RO kho-TEN mo-SHE oh-LA oo-ze-va-KHIM leh-eh-lo-HIM va-ya-VO a-ha-RON ve-KHOL zik-NEI yis-ra-EL le-eh-khol-LE-khem im-kho-TEN mo-SHE lif-NEI ha-eh-lo-HIM

   Jethro {And He} took father-in-law of Moses a burnt offering and sacrifices to God Aaron {And He} came and all the elders of Israel to eat bread with father-in-law of Moses before God

Exegesis

The prepositional phrase imchoten moshe {עִם־חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֖ה | ʿim ḥōtēn mōšeh} ‘with father-in-law of Moses’ situates the shared meal, and lifnei haelohim {לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽים | lip̄nê hāʾĕlōhîm} ‘before the God’ frames the event within divine presence. The wayyiqtol sequence is rendered with past narrative verbs, construct chains are preserved in relational phrases, and lifnei is translated as “before God” (formal) and “in the presence of God” (dynamic) to maintain theological emphasis.