וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר

   va-a-SHER

   and whom
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּאֹ֖ר

   va-a-SHER ta-OR

   and whom you curse
3. clause🔊 כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־תְּבָרֵךְ֙ מְבֹרָ֔ךְ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּאֹ֖ר יוּאָֽר׃

   KI ya-DA-ti ET a-sher-te-va-REKH me-vo-RACH va-a-SHER ta-OR yu-AR

   for I know whom you bless is blessed and whom you curse is cursed
4. sentence🔊 וְעַתָּה֩ לְכָה־נָּ֨א אָֽרָה־לִּ֜י אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֗ה כִּֽי־עָצ֥וּם הוּא֙ מִמֶּ֔נִּי אוּלַ֤י אוּכַל֙ נַכֶּה־בּ֔וֹ וַאֲגָרְשֶׁ֖נּוּ מִן־הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־תְּבָרֵךְ֙ מְבֹרָ֔ךְ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּאֹ֖ר יוּאָֽר׃

   ve-a-TAH le-KHA-NA a-RAH-LI ET-ha-AM ha-ZEH ki-a-TSUM HU mi-me-NI u-LAI u-KHAL na-KEH-BO va-a-gar-SHE-nu min-ha-A-retz KI ya-DA-ti ET a-sher-te-va-REKH me-vo-RACH va-a-SHER ta-OR yu-AR

   and now go, please curse for me this people this for mighty he than me perhaps I may be able to strike him and I will drive him out from the land for I know whom you bless is blessed and whom you curse is cursed

Exegesis

A second ki clause, ki yadatti {כִּי יָדַעְתִּי | kî yā-ḏa-ttî} ‘for I know’, frames parallel relative constructions ashertevarekh…mevorakh {אֲשֶׁר־תְּבָרֵךְ מְבֹרָךְ | ’ă-šer-tə-ḇā-rē-ḵ mə-ḇō-rā-ḵ} ‘that whoever you bless is blessed’ and waasher taor yu’ar {וַאֲשֶׁר תָּאֹר יוּאָֽר | wā-’ă-šer tā-’ôr yū-’ār} ‘and whoever you curse is cursed’, creating a chiastic parallelism that underscores divine authority.

Root and etymology

s-r🔊 ש־רshin-resh

“prince, leader”

• 🔊 שָׂרִיםsarimprincesGenesis 12:15