Numbers 14:2:10Num.14.2.W10TAB
לוּ־מַ֙תְנוּ֙
lumatnu
“if only we had died”
- Transliteration
- lu-MAT-nu
- Extended
- luu-MAHT-nu
- IPA
- /luːˈmatnu/
Meaning by language
- English
- if only we had died
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Nun | n as in new | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
lu-MAT-nu
- clause
va-yo-MRU a-le-HEM KOL-ha-e-DAH lu-MAT-nu be-E-retz mits-RA-yim OH ba-mid-BAR ha-ZEH lu-MAT-nu
- sentence
va-yil-LO-nu al-MO-sheh ve-al-a-ha-RON KOL be-NEI yis-ra-EL va-yo-MRU a-le-HEM KOL-ha-e-DAH lu-MAT-nu be-E-retz mits-RA-yim OH ba-mid-BAR ha-ZEH lu-MAT-nu
Exegesis
The particle lu {לוּ | lû} appears twice to express a vehement wish, each followed by matnu {מַתְנוּ | maṯ·nû} in perfect tense, highlighting completed desire.
Root and etymology
m-w-t
“to die, perish”
In context — Numbers 14:2
And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness .”
About this coordinate
Numbers 14:2:10 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 10 of Numbers 14:2, so the Hebrew word לוּ־מַ֙תְנוּ֙ (lumatnu) 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 Num.14.2.W10, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.14.2.W10.S1) and character.