Exodus 14:26-31

So you want to give a public reading in Classical Hebrew to a huge audience? I'm sorry I can't be there with you to go over this, but here is what I would have said over and over again in person.

The transliteration

I wrote each phrase on a separate line. The words ending with an asterisk* have their accent on the next-to-last syllable. All other words have their accent on the last syllable.
  1. Pronounce the consonant ch as in "The Loch Ness Monster".
  2. Pronounce the vowel a as in "father".
  3. Pronounce the vowel aw as in "aw shucks", even in Sephardic. Only two examples: mi kawl ha ameem ("from all other peoples") in the first Torah blessing; and va yashawv* ("and returned") in 14:27.
  4. Pronounce the vowel ee as in "screaming meemies".
  5. Pronounce the vowel ei as in "Make hay while the sun shines".
  6. Pronounce the vowel i as in "It: the Terror from Beyond Space".
  7. Pronounce the vowel o as in "O boy!".
  8. Pronounce the vowel u as in "The Cavorite sphere rolled on the moon".
Two consecutive vowels are separated with a dash to show that they are not one big vowel. Examples:
  1. va yna-eir Adonai ("and the Lord hurled") in 14:27
  2. ha ba-eem ("who came") in 14:28
  3. Yisra-el ("Israel") in 14:29, 14:30, and 14:31
  4. va ya-ameenu* bAdonai ("and they had faith in the Lord") in 14:31

The language itself

Prefixes

In the Hebrew spelling, each of the little words discussed below is stuck onto the following word as a prefix. But for legibility I transliterated them as separate words.

The

The word for "the" is ha. Examples:
  1. ha Torah ("the Torah") in the Torah blessings
  2. ha yam ("the sea") in 14:26, 14:27, 14:29, and 14:30
  3. ha mayim* ("the water") in 14:26, 14:28, and 14:29
  4. ha rechev* ("the chariot") in 14:28
  5. ha parasheem ("the horsemen") in 14:28
  6. ha yad ("the hand") in 14:31
  7. ha am ("the people") in 14:31

In

The word for "in" is b. Examples:
  1. ba yam ("in the sea") in 14:28
  2. halchu va yabasha ("walked on dry ground") in 14:29. The b has mutated into a v, as gubernatorial/governor.
  3. b toch ha yam ("in the middle of the sea") in 14:27 and 14:29
  4. ba yom ha hu ("in that day") in 14:30
  5. bAdonai ("in the Lord") in 14:31
  6. uv Moshe ("and in Moses") in 14:31 (the b has mutated into a v)
  7. nata b tocheinu* ("planted in our middle") in the second Torah blessing

And

The word for "and" is v, pronounced with a schwa. But if the following word starts with a v or m, then the word "and" mutates from v to u. Examples:
  1. u Mitsrayim* ("and the Egyptians") in 14:27
  2. u Vnei Yisra-el ("and the Israelites") in 14:29
  3. uv Moshe ("and in Moses") in 14:31

A similar mutation happens in English. Our word for "the" is usually the, but when the following word starts with a vowel you change the the to a thee. For example, say "the umbrella". Doesn't it sound dumb when you don't change the the to a thee (e.g., "the umbrella". Duh...)?

Finally, the word for "and" is va when the following word is a past-tense verb. The verb will usually start with a y (meaning "he", "it", or "they"), so you'll combine them to vay (not vei, as in oy vei!). Compare:

  1. v yashuvu* ha mayim* ("and the waters will come back") in 14:26
  2. va yashuvu* ha mayim* ("and the waters came back") in 14:28
I'll have more to say about the vay sound below.

Suffixes

Number and Gender

Feminine nouns often end with a, as in Spanish. Examples:
  1. ha Tora ("the Torah") in the Torah blessings
  2. yabasha ("dry land") in 14:29
  3. choma ("wall") in 14:29
Masculine plural nouns end in eem. Verbs, too, when they're not at the start of a phrase (i.e., when they're not part of the "backbone" discussed below). Examples:
  1. ameem ("peoples") in the first Torah blessing
  2. naseem ("fled") in 14:27
  3. parasheem ("horsemen") in 14:28
  4. ba-eem ("came") in 14:28

Possessives

The suffix cha means "your". Example: yadcha ("your hand") in 14:26

The suffix o means "his" or "its". Examples:

  1. Torato ("his Torah") in the first Torah blessing
  2. richbo ("his chariot") in 14:26
  3. yado ("his hand") in 14:27
  4. l eitano ("to its normal state") in 14:27
  5. likrato ("at its approach") in 14:27
  6. avdo ("his servant") in 14:31

The suffix am means "their". Examples:

  1. meemeenam ("on their right") in 14:29
  2. u mismolam ("and on their left") in 14:29

The suffix hem means "them". Examples:

  1. achareihem ("after them") in 14:28
  2. lo nishar bahem ("not one of them remained") in 14:28
  3. v ha mayim lahem choma ("and the waters were for them a wall") in 14:29

Verb suffixes

The suffix u makes a verb plural. Examples:
  1. Barchu ("Bless, you-all" [as they would say in Atlanta]) in the first Torah blessing
  2. v yashuvu* ha mayim* ("and the waters will come back") in 14:26
  3. va yashuvu* ha mayim* ("and the waters came back") in 14:28
  4. va ychasu ("and they covered") in 14:28
  5. u vnei Yisra-el halchu ("and the Children of Israel walked") in 14:28
  6. va yeeru ha am ("and the people feared") in 14:31
  7. va ya-ameenu* bAdonai ("and they had faith in the Lord") in 14:31

Syntax

Singular and Plural

The word for "water" is plural and takes plural verbs, adjectives, and pronouns: mayim* ("waters"), just like we say "congratulations" in English. On the other hand, the word for "Egyptians" is singular and takes singular verbs, adjectives, and pronouns: Mitsrayim* ("Egypt, Incorporated").

There is no word for "of".

You have to say "breast chicken", "tunnel love", or "Duke Earl". Examples:
  1. melech ha olam ("king [of] the world") in the Torah blessings
  2. mi kawl ha ameem ("from all [of] the other peoples") in the first Torah blessing
  3. notein ha Tora ("giver [of] the Torah") in the Torah blessings
  4. b toch ha yam ("in the middle [of] the sea") in 14:27 and 14:29
  5. chol cheil Paro ("all [of] the army [of] Pharaoh") in 14:28
  6. u Vnai Yisra-el ("and the Children [of] Israel") in 14:29
  7. mi yad Mitsrayim* ("from the hand [of] the Egyptians" [this is the idiom for "from the clutches of"]) in 14:30
  8. al sfat ha yam ("on the lip [of] the sea" [this is the idiom for "on the sea shore"]) in 14:30
  9. torat emet ("a Torah [of] truth" [this is the idiom for "a true Torah"]) in the second Torah blessing
  10. chayei olam ("life [of] eternity" [this is the idiom for "eternal life"]) in the second Torah blessing

The definite direct object of a verb

You have to say et immediately before the definite direct object of a verb. The object of a verb is the person, place, or thing that's on the receiving end of the action: "Joe hit a ball". A definite direct object is a direct object that starts with the word "the", or has a possesive adjective ("your", "my", etc.), or is somone's name. Examples: Joe hit the ball, Joe hit his ball, Joe hit Lila.

Oddly enough, they have exactly the same thing in Spanish. It's called "the personal a".

  1. Barchu et Adonai ha mvorach ("Bless et the Lord who is blessed") in the first Torah blessing
  2. v natan lanu* et torato ("and gave us et his Torah") in the first Torah blessing
  3. Ntei et yadcha ("Extend et your hand") in 14:26
  4. Va yeit Moshe et yado ("And [in other words, "So"] Moses extended et his hand") in 14:27
  5. Va yna-eir Adonai et Mitsrayim* ("And the Lord hurled et the Egyptians") in 14:27
  6. Va ychasu et ha rechev* v et ha parasheem ("And covered et the chariots and et the horsemen") in 14:28
  7. Va yosha* Adonai ... et Yisra-el ("And the Lord saved .. et Israel") in 14:30
  8. Va yar Yisra-el et Mitsrayim* ("And Israel saw et the Egyptians") in 14:30
  9. Va yar Yisra-el et ha yad ("And Israel saw et the hand" [this is the idiom for "power"]) in 14:31
  10. Va yeeru ha am et Adonai ("And the people feared et the Lord") in 14:31

Rhetoric (this is the most important part!)

The verb is almost always at the start of the phrase. And as mentioned above, the verb will almost always begin with vay. This sound cue alerts the hearer that a new phrase is starting, and the vay words form the backbone of the plot. Allow me to demonstrate:
  1. Va yomer* Adonai ("And said the Lord") in 14:26
  2. V yashuvu* ha mayim* ("And will come back the waters") in 14:26
  3. Va yeit Moshe ("And extended Moses") in 14:27
  4. Va yashawv* ha yam ("And came back the sea") in 14:27
  5. Va yna-eir Adonai ("And hurled the Lord") in 14:27
  6. Va yashuvu* ha mayim* ("And came back the waters") in 14:28
  7. Va ychasu et ha rechev* ("And covered they the chariots") in 14:28
  8. Va yosha* Adonai ("And saved the Lord") in 14:30
  9. Va yar Yisra-el ("And saw Israel") in 14:30
  10. Va yar Yisra-el ("And saw Israel") in 14:31
  11. Va yeeru ha am ("And feared the people") in 14:31
  12. Va ya-ameenu* bAdonai ("And they had faith in the Lord") in 14:31

The language of the Torah blessings is different: they were written a thousand years later. (And the next chapter, Exodus 15, is a thousand years earlier. It's the Beowulf of the Torah.) The phrase-leaders here are Baruch and asher ("who"), and the sound to listen for is the anu* suffix ("us"):

  1. asher bachar* banu* ("who chose us") in the first Torah blessing
  2. asher natan* lanu* ("who gave us") in the second Torah blessing
  3. asher kidshanu* ("who sanctified us") in the just about every blessing
  4. she hecheyanu* ("who has kept us alive") in the Shehecheyanu. she is short for asher.
  5. she bra-anu* ("who created us") near the start of the Bar Mitzvah service.

Exodus 14:26-31 and the surrounding blessings

Can't see the Hebrew?

First Torah Blessing
ךרבמה יי תא וכרב
Barchu et Adonai ha mvorach.
Bless the Blessed Lord.
barchu=bless, ha=who, mvorach=is blessed

דעו םלועל ךרבמה יי ךורב
Baruch Adonai ha mvorach l olam va ed.
Blessed is the blessed Lord forever and ever.
Baruch=is blessed, ha=who is, mvorach=blessed, l olam=for ever, va ed=and ever

םלועה ךלמ וניהלא יי התא ךורב
Baruch ata Adonai eloheinu* melech* ha olam,
Blessed are you, Lord our god, king of the world,
Baruch=are blessed, ata=you, eloheem=god, eloheinu*=our god, melech=king of, olam=world

םימעה לכמ ונב רחב רשא
asher bachar* banu* mi kawl ha ameem
who chose us from all other peoples
asher=who, bachar*=chose, banu*=us, mi=from, kawl=all of, ameem=peoples (as in 14:31)

ותרות תא ונל ןתנו
v natan lanu* et Torato.
and gave us his Torah.
natan=gave, l=to, lanu*=us, Torato=his Torah

הרותה ןתונ יי התא ךורב
Baruch ata Adonai, notein ha tora.
Blessed are you, Lord, the Torah giver.
ata=you, notein=giver of

14:26
השמ לא הוהי רמאיו
Va yomer* Adonai el Moshe:
The Lord said to Moses,
yomer*=said, el=to

םיה לע ךדי תא הטנ
"Ntei et yadcha al ha yam
"Hold out your arm over the sea,
ntei=stretch, yad=hand, yadcha=your hand, al=over, yam=sea

םירצמ לע םימה ובשיו
V yashuvu* ha mayim* al Mitsrayim*
that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians
yashuvu*=will come back (like va yashawv* in 14:27 and va yashuvu* in 14:28), mayim*=waters, al=on, Mitsrayim*=Egypt

וישרפ לעו ובכר לע
al richbo v al parashav."
and upon their chariots and upon their horsemen."
rechev*=chariot (in 14:28), richbo=his chariot, parash=horseman, parashav=his horsemen.
The letter yod in parashav is silent.

14:27
םיה לע ודי תא השמ טיו
Va yeit Moshe et yado al ha yam
So Moses held out his arm over the sea,
yeit=extended (like ntei in 14:26), yad=hand, yado=his hand, al=on, yam=sea

ונתיאל רקב תונפל םיה בשיו
va yashawv* ha yam lifnot boker* l eitano
and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state,
yashawv*=came back (like va yashuvu* in 14:26 and 14:28), yam=sea, lifnot=towards, boker*=morning l=to, eitan=normal strength, eitano=its normal strength

ותארקל םיסנ םירצמו
U Mitsrayim* naseem likrato.
and the Egyptians fled at its approach.
Mitsrayim*=Egyptians, naseem=fled, likrat=at the approach of (as in the song Lecha Dodi), likrato=at the approach of it

םיה ךותב םירצמ תא הוהי רעניו
Va yna-eir Adonai et Mitsrayim* b toch ha yam.
But the Lord hurled the Egyptians into the sea.
yna-eir=hurled, Mitsrayim*=Egypt, b=in, toch=middle of (as in the second Torah blessing: nata btocheinu*), yam=sea

14:28
םימה ובשיו
Va yashuvu* ha mayim*
The waters turned back
yashuvu*=returned, mayim*=waters

םישרפה תאו בכרה תא וסכיו
Va ychasu et ha rechev* v et ha parasheem
and covered the chariots and the horsemen--
ychasu=covered, rechev*=chariot (like richbo in 14:26), parasheem=horsemen (like parashav in 14:26)

םיב םהירחא םיאבה הערפ ליח לכל
lchol cheil Paro ha ba-eem achareihem ba yam
Pharaoh's entire army that followed them into the sea;
chol=all (as in the 4 questions: shebchol ha leilot; and the first Torah blessing: mikawl ha ameem), cheil=soldier, Paro=Pharaoh, ha=who (as in the first sentence of the first Torah blassing), ba-eem=came, achar=after, achareihem=after them

דחא דע םהב ראשנ אל
lo nishar bahem ad echad.
not one of them remained.
lo=no, nishar=remained, ba=of, hem=them, ad=even, echad=one (as in the Shma)

14:29
םיה ךותב השביב וכלה לארשי ינבו
U Vnei Yisra-el halchu va yabasha b toch ha yam
But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground,
bnei=children of, halchu=walked, va=in the, yabasha=dry ground, b=in, toch=middle of, yam=sea

םלאמשמו םנימימ המח םהל םימהו
v ha mayim* lahem choma meemeenam u mismolam.
the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
mayim*=waters, lahem=for them, choma=wall, ymeen=right hand, ymeenam=their right hand, meemeenam=on their right hand, smol=left hand, smolam=their left hand, mismolam=on their left hand

14:30
םירצמ דימ לארשי תא אוהה םויב הוהי עשויו
Ya yosha* Adonai ba yom ha hu et Yisra-el miyad Mitsrayim
Thus the Lord delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians.
yosha*=saved (this is where the word "hosanna" comes from), ba=on, yom=day, ha hu=that, mi=from, yad=clutches of (literally, hand of), Mitsrayim=Egypt
The ba yom ha hu in the past in Exodus 14:30 connects to the ba yom ha hu in the future in Zachariah 14:9.

םיה תפש לע תמ םירצמ תא לארשי אריו
Va yar Yisra-el et Mitsrayim* meit al sfat ha yam.
Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea.
yar=saw, Mitsrayim*=Egypt, meit=dead (this is where the word "checkmate" comes from), al=on, sfat=lip of, yam=sea

14:31
הלדגה דיה תא לארשי אריו
Va yar Yisra-el et ha yad ha gdola
And when Israel saw the wondrous power
yar=saw, yad=hand, gdola=great

םירצמב הוהי השע רשא
asher asa Adonai bMitsrayim*
which the Lord had wielded against the Egyptians,
asher=which (as in every prayer that starts with Baruch), asa b=did things to, Mitsrayim*=Egypt

הוהי תא םעה וארייו
Va yeeru ha am et Adonai
the people feared the Lord;
yeeru=feared, am=people (as in the first Torah blessing: mikol ha ameem)

ודבע השמבו הוהיב ונימאיו
Va ya-ameenu* bAdonai uv Moshe avdo.
they had faith in the Lord and his servant Moses.
ya-ameenu*=had faith (this is where the word "amen" comes from), u=and, v=in, eved*=servant, avdo=his servant

Second Torah Blessing
םלועה ךלמ וניהלא יי התא ךורב
Baruch ata Adonai eloheinu* melech* ha olam,
Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the world,
baruch=blessed, ata=you, eloheem=god, eloheinu*=our god, melech*=king of, olam=world

תמא תרות ונל ןתנ רשא
asher natan lanu* torat emet
who gave us a true Torah
asher=who (as in 14:31) natan=gave, l=to, lanu*=to us, torat=Torah of, emet=truth

ונכותב עטנ םלוע ייחו
v chayei olam nata btocheinu*.
and planted eternal life in us.
cheyei=life of, olam=eternity, nata=planted, b=in, toch=middle of (as in 14:29), einu*=us

הרותה ןתונ יי התא ךורב
Baruch ata Adonai, notein ha tora.
Blessed are you, Lord, the Torah giver.
ata=you, notein=giver of

Straight Hebrew

ךרבמה יי תא וכרב
דעו םלועל ךרבמה יי ךורב
םלועה ךלמ וניהלא יי התא ךורב
םימעה לכמ ונב רחב רשא
ותרות תא ונל ןתנו
הרותה ןתונ יי התא ךורב

השמ לא הוהי רמאיו
םיה לע ךדי תא הטנ
םירצמ לע םימה ובשיו
וישרפ לעו ובכר לע

םיה לע ודי תא השמ טיו
ונתיאל רקב תונפל םיה בשיו
ותארקל םיסנ םירצמו
םיה ךותב םירצמ תא הוהי רעניו

םימה ובשיו
םישרפה תאו בכרה תא וסכיו
םיב םהירחא םיאבה הערפ ליח לכל
דחא דע םהב ראשנ אל

םיה ךותב השביב וכלה לארשי ינבו
םלאמשמו םנימימ המח םהל םימהו

םירצמ דימ לארשי תא אוהה םויב הוהי עשויו
םיה תפש לע תמ םירצמ תא לארשי אריו

הלדגה דיה תא לארשי אריו
םירצמב הוהי השע רשא
הוהי תא םעה וארייו
ודבע השמבו הוהיב ונימאיו

םלועה ךלמ וניהלא יי התא ךורב
תמא תרות ונל ןתנ רשא
ונכותב עטנ םלוע ייחו
הרותה ןתונ יי התא ךורב