Genesis 17:18:7Gen.17.18.W7TAB
לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃
lefanekha
“before you”
- Transliteration
- le-fa-NE-kha
- Extended
- leh-fah-NEH-khah
- IPA
- /lə.faː.ˈnɛ.xaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- before you
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Nun | n as in new | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Kaf Sofit | final form of Kaf — at word end | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' |
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The word
Word in context
- word
le-fa-NE-kha
- phraseyour reading level
yikh-YEH le-fa-NE-kha
- clause
LU yish-ma-EL yikh-YEH le-fa-NE-kha
- sentence
va-YO-mer av-ra-HAM el-ha-e-lo-HIM LU yish-ma-EL yikh-YEH le-fa-NE-kha
Exegesis
The internal word order of the wish clause is lu + subject + verb + prepositional phrase: lu Yishmaʿel yichyeh lefanekha {ל֥וּ יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל יִחְיֶ֥ה לְפָנֶֽיךָ | lû yiš-mā-ʿēl yiḥ-yeh lə-fā-ne-kā}. Placing the particle first foregrounds the emotional tone (“O that…”), followed by Yishmaʿel to highlight Abraham’s concern.
The phrase lefanekha {לְפָנֶיךָ | lə-fā-ne-kā} ‘before you’ draws on the spatial metaphor of God’s “face” to convey relational nearness and favor, so the clause means not merely physical survival but living in God’s acknowledged presence. In English, the optative is rendered with “May” (formal) and “Please, let” (dynamic) to capture the nuance of heartfelt entreaty while maintaining the core structure of Abraham’s plea.
In context — Genesis 17:18
Abraham said to God , “May Ishmael live before You !”
About this coordinate
Genesis 17:18:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Genesis 17:18, so the Hebrew word לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃ (lefanekha) 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 Gen.17.18.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.17.18.W7.S1) and character.