Jeremiah 23:38:1Jer.23.38.W1TAB
וְאִם־מַשָּׂ֣א
veimmasa
“and if the burden”
- Transliteration
- ve-im-ma-SA
- Extended
- veh-ihm-mah-SAA
- IPA
- /vəʔim.maˈsːaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- and if the burden
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 | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ve-im-ma-SA
- phraseyour reading level
ve-im-ma-SA ye-ho-VAH
- clause
ve-im-ma-SA ye-ho-VAH to-me-RU la-KHEN KO a-MAR ye-ho-VAH YA-an a-MAR-khem et-ha-da-VAR ha-ZE ma-SA ye-ho-VAH
- sentence
ve-im-ma-SA ye-ho-VAH to-me-RU la-KHEN KO a-MAR ye-ho-VAH YA-an a-MAR-khem et-ha-da-VAR ha-ZE ma-SA ye-ho-VAH va-esh-LAKH a-LEI-khem le-MOR LO to-me-RU ma-SA ye-ho-VAH
Exegesis
The verse begins with the conditional clause veim {וְאִם־ | wə-ʾim} ‘and if,’ setting a hypothetical claim, followed by the construct chain massa {מַשָּׂא | maś-śāʾ} + YHWH {יְהוָה֮ | Yə-hō-wāh} ‘burden of the LORD,’ a common prophetic introduction.
The conjunction vaeshlach {וָאֶשְׁלַ֤ח | wā-ʾeš-laḥ} ‘and I sent’ with aleikhem {אֲלֵיכֶם֙ | ʾă-lê-ḵem} ‘to you’ + infinitive leemor {לֵאמֹ֔ר | lē-ʾmōr} ‘saying’ signals divine corrective instruction, followed by the negative lo {לֹ֥א | lōʾ} + imperfect tomeru {תֹאמְר֖וּ | tō-mə-rū} ‘you shall say,’ reiterating massa YHWH {מַשָּׂא יְהוָֽה | maś-śāʾ Yə-hō-wāh} for emphasis. The repetition and layered construct chains underscore prophetic authority and divine correction.
Root and etymology
Rootnun–shin–aleph
“to lift; bear”
In context — Jeremiah 23:38
But if you say, “The burden of the LORD ,” then thus says the LORD: “Because you have said this word , ‘The burden of the LORD,’ and I sent to you, saying, ‘You shall not say “The burden of the LORD.”’”
About this coordinate
Jeremiah 23:38:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Jeremiah 23:38, so the Hebrew word וְאִם־מַשָּׂ֣א (veimmasa) 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 Jer.23.38.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Jer.23.38.W1.S1) and character.