Exodus 20:26:1Exod.20.26.W1TAB
וְלֹֽא־תַעֲלֶ֥ה
velotaaleh
“and do not go up”
- Transliteration
- ve-lo-ta-a-LEH
- Extended
- veh-loh-tah-ah-LEH
- IPA
- /wə.loː.ta.ʕă.ˈlɛ/
Meaning by language
- English
- and do not go up
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Hateph Patach | reduced 'ah' | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ve-lo-ta-a-LEH
- phraseyour reading level
ve-lo-ta-a-LEH ve-ma-a-LOT
- clause
ve-lo-ta-a-LEH ve-ma-a-LOT al-miz-be-KHI
- sentence
ve-lo-ta-a-LEH ve-ma-a-LOT al-miz-be-KHI a-SHER lo-tig-ga-LEH er-va-te-KHA a-LAV
Exegesis
The verse begins with velo {וְלֹֽא | wə-lōʾ} ‘and not’ linking this prohibition to the preceding commands.
The Qal imperfect taaleh {תַעֲלֶ֥ה | ta-ʿă-leh} ‘you shall go up’ takes bemaalot {בְּמַעֲלֹ֖ת | bə-ma-ʿă-lōṯ} ‘on steps’ to specify the manner of ascent, and the prepositional phrase al mizbechi {עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֑י | ʿal-miz-bē-aḥ-î} ‘upon my altar’ marks the sacred goal.
Root and etymology
l-ʾlamed–aleph
“not, negation”
In context — Exodus 20:26
And you shall not go up to My altar by steps, so that your nakedness is not uncovered upon it.
About this coordinate
Exodus 20:26:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Exodus 20:26, so the Hebrew word וְלֹֽא־תַעֲלֶ֥ה (velotaaleh) 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 Exod.20.26.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Exod.20.26.W1.S1) and character.