עַל־פְּנֵ֤י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 עַל־פְּנֵ֤י

   al-pe-NEI

   upon the face of
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 עַל־פְּנֵ֤י סְדֹם֙

   al-pe-NEI se-DOM

   upon the face of Sodom
3. clause🔊 וַיַּשְׁקֵ֗ף עַל־פְּנֵ֤י סְדֹם֙ וַעֲמֹרָ֔ה וְעַֽל־כָּל־פְּנֵ֖י אֶ֣רֶץ הַכִּכָּ֑ר

   va-yash-KEF al-pe-NEI se-DOM va-a-mo-RA ve-al-kol-pe-NEI E-rets ha-ki-KAR

   and he looked down upon the face of Sodom and Gomorrah and upon all the face of land of the plain
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּשְׁקֵ֗ף עַל־פְּנֵ֤י סְדֹם֙ וַעֲמֹרָ֔ה וְעַֽל־כָּל־פְּנֵ֖י אֶ֣רֶץ הַכִּכָּ֑ר וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה עָלָה֙ קִיטֹ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ כְּקִיטֹ֖ר הַכִּבְשָֽׁן׃

   va-yash-KEF al-pe-NEI se-DOM va-a-mo-RA ve-al-kol-pe-NEI E-rets ha-ki-KAR va-YAR ve-hin-NE a-LA ki-TOR ha-A-rets ke-ki-TOR ha-kiv-SHAN

   and he looked down upon the face of Sodom and Gomorrah and upon all the face of land of the plain and he saw and behold smoke of the land went up like smoke of the furnace

Exegesis

This is followed by the coordinated prepositional phrases al-penei Sodom vaamora {עַל־פְּנֵי סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה | ʿal pə-nê sə-ḏōm wa-ʿă-mō-rāh} ‘over the surface of Sodom and Gomorrah’ and veal kol penei erets hakikkar {וְעַל־כָּל־פְּנֵי אֶרֶץ הַכִּכָּר | wə-ʿal kāl pə-nê ʾe-reṣ hak-kik-kār} ‘and over all the surface of the land of the plain,’ expanding the view from specific cities to the entire region.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 פ-נ-הpe–nun–heh

“to turn, face”

• 🔊 פָּנִיםpanimface, presenceExodus 33:11