Exodus 20:4:2Exod.20.4.W2TAB
תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣
taaselekha
“make for yourself”
- Transliteration
- ta-a-SE-le-kha
- Extended
- tah-ah-SEH-leh-khah
- IPA
- /ta.ʕăˈsɛː.lə.xaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- make for yourself
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Hateph Patach | reduced 'ah' | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Kaf Sofit | final form of Kaf — at word end | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ta-a-SE-le-kha
- phraseyour reading level
LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel
- clause
LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel ve-khol-te-mu-NA a-SHER ba-sha-MA-yim mim-ma-AL va-a-SHER ba-A-rets mit-TA-khat
- sentence
LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel ve-khol-te-mu-NA a-SHER ba-sha-MA-yim mim-ma-AL va-a-SHER ba-A-rets mit-TA-khat va-a-SHER bam-MA-yim mit-TA-khat la-A-rets
Exegesis
The clause begins with lo {לֹֽא | lōʾ} in initial position, expressing prohibition, governing the Qal imperfect taʿăseh {תַּעֲשֶׂה | ta-ʿăśeh} ‘you shall make.’
The prepositional phrase lekha {לְךָ | lə-ḵā} ‘for yourself’ personalizes the command.
Root and etymology
ayin–sin–heʿayin–sin–he
“to do, make”
In context — Exodus 20:4
You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness —whether of what is in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath the earth.
About this coordinate
Exodus 20:4:2 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 2 of Exodus 20:4, so the Hebrew word תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ (taaselekha) 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.20.4.W2, which extends further down to each syllable (Exod.20.4.W2.S1) and character.