וְחֶמְאָֽה׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְחֶמְאָֽה׃

   ve-khem-A

   and curds
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 דְּבַ֣שׁ וְחֶמְאָֽה׃

   de-VASH ve-khem-A

   honey and curds
3. clause🔊 נַהֲרֵ֥י נַ֝חֲלֵ֗י דְּבַ֣שׁ וְחֶמְאָֽה׃

   na-ha-RE na-kha-LE de-VASH ve-khem-A

   rivers of wadis of or streams of honey and curds
4. sentence🔊 אַל־יֵ֥רֶא בִפְלַגּ֑וֹת נַהֲרֵ֥י נַ֝חֲלֵ֗י דְּבַ֣שׁ וְחֶמְאָֽה׃

   al-ye-RE vif-lag-GOT na-ha-RE na-kha-LE de-VASH ve-khem-A

   let him not see in channels rivers of wadis of or streams of honey and curds

Exegesis

The final pair dvash {דְּבַשׁ | dəḇaš} ‘honey’ and khem’ah {חֶמְאָה | ḥemʾāh} ‘curds’ functions as the climactic object of the construct chain: not merely watercourses, but watercourses imagined as flowing with delicacies. In English, the formal rendering keeps the asyndetic accumulation (“streams, rivers, wadis”) to reflect the Hebrew crescendo, while the dynamic rendering reshapes the construct stacking into natural parallel phrases without introducing a new action beyond “see,” preserving the verse’s point: complete deprivation of the very symbols of prosperity.

Root and etymology

consonants🔊 ח־מ־אchet–mem–aleph

“curds, cream”

• 🔊 חֶמְאָהkhem’ahcurdsDeuteronomy 32:14