וַתֹּֽאמֶר לָ֥הּ בַּת פַּרְעֹ֖ה לֵ֑כִי וַתֵּ֨לֶךְ֙ הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה וַתִּקְרָ֖א אֶת אֵ֥ם הַיָּֽלֶד
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.
World English Bible · Public Domain
Exodus 2:8
Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex) Exodus 2:8 appears in the Hebrew Old Testament. The text above is from the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Each word links to its Strong’s number, a concise gloss, and parsing drawn from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible morphology. Click any word for its full Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB) entry.
English Translation
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.
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Compare translations 3
The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.
Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.
Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.
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World English Bible Public Domain
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.
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King James Version Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her, “Go.” And the girl went and called the mother of the child.
unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).
Show all 18 translations
Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.
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World English Bible Public Domain
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.
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Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
“Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
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Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
“Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
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King James Version Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
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American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maiden went and called the child's mother.
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Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.
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Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
And Pharaohs daughter sayde to her, Goe. So the maide went and called the childes mother,
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Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
She answered: Go. The maid went and called her mother.
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Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, `Go;' and the virgin goeth, and calleth the mother of the lad,
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Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
and the daughter of Pharaoh says to her, “Go”; and the virgin goes, and calls the mother of the boy,
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Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the young girl went and got the child's mother.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her, “Go.” And the girl went and called the mother of the child.
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Darby Bible Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the damsel went and called the child's mother.
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World Messianic Bible Public Domain
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” The young woman went and called the child’s mother.
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Webster's Bible Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
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Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
“Yes, go and do that,” she replied. So the girl went and called the baby's mother to come.
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Bible in Basic English Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and got the child's mother.
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JPS Tanakh (1917) Public Domain
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her: 'Go.' And the maiden went and called the child's mother.
Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).
Word by word
More ways to search: Search by grammar → Find every occurrence → Compare this word →
Practice this passage: Drill this verse → Learn its vocabulary →
הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה
ʻalmâh
H5959
“the · virgin”
Particle, Definite Article + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Absolute
- Appears 7× in the Hebrew Bible
- First appears at Genesis 24:43
- Part of Speech
- Particle + Noun
- Type
- Common
- Gender
- Feminine
- Number
- Singular
- State
- Absolute
Full BDB Definition
virgin, young woman
- of marriageable age
- maid or newly married
- וַתֹּֽאמֶר ʼâmar H559 “and · to say” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular
- בַּת bath H1323 “daughter of” Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Construct
- פַּרְעֹ֖ה Parʻôh H6547 “Pharaoh” Noun, Proper
- לֵ֑כִי yâlak H3212 “walk” Verb, Qal, Imperative, 2nd Person, Feminine, Singular
- וַתֵּ֨לֶךְ֙ yâlak H3212 “and · to walk” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular
- הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה ʻalmâh H5959 “the · virgin” Particle, Definite Article + Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Absolute
- וַתִּקְרָ֖א qârâʼ H7121 “and · to call” Conjunction + Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular
- אֶת ʼêth H853 “-” Particle, Direct Object
- אֵ֥ם ʼêm H517 “mother of” Noun, Common, Feminine, Singular, Construct
- הַיָּֽלֶד yeled H3206 “the · child” Particle, Definite Article + Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute
About this verse
These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →
- 11
- words
- 9
- distinct lemmas
- Pentateuch
- section
Notable vocabulary
The rarest word here is הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה virgin H5959 — appearing just 7 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.
Shared distinctive vocabulary
הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה virgin H5959 occurs in 7 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:
Grammatical profile
- 4 verbs
- 5 nouns
- 1 preposition
- 1 particle
Verb forms
- וַתֹּֽאמֶר Qal · Sequential Imperfect
- לֵ֑כִי Qal · Imperative
- וַתֵּ֨לֶךְ֙ Qal · Sequential Imperfect
- וַתִּקְרָ֖א Qal · Sequential Imperfect
Repetition
A word recurs within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:
- לֵ֑כִי to walk H3212 ×2
Hebrew & Septuagint length
In English translation the verse runs 14 words from the Hebrew and 19 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.
A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.
Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.
In the original languages it is 11 Hebrew tokens and 17 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.
Cross-references
4Topical passages linked to Exodus 2:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.
- Psalms 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then Yahweh will take me up.
- Isaiah 46:3–4 Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been borne [by me] from their birth, that have been carried from the womb;
- Exodus 6:20 Amram took Jochebed his father's sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
- Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by you, and looked at you, behold, your time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yes, I swore to you, and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord Yahweh, and you became mine.
Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).
Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint
The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.
These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.
ὁ δέ εἶπον αὐτός ὁ θυγάτηρ φαραώ πορεύομαι ἔρχομαι δέ ὁ νεᾶνις καλέω ὁ μήτηρ ὁ παιδίον
And the daughter of Pharao said, Go: and the young woman went, and called the mother of the child.
LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain
Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →
Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)
The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.
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Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
וַאֲמֶרֶת לַהּ בַּת פַּרְעֹה אֵיזִילִי וַאֲזָלַת עוּלֶמְתָּא וּקְרַת יָת אִמֵהּ דְרַבְיָא:
(no public-domain English translation for this verse)
Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.
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Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
וַאֲמָרַת לָהּ בְּרַת פַּרְעה אִיזִילִי וְאָזְלַת טַלְיָתָא וּקְרַת לְאִמֵיהּ דְרַבְיָא
And Pharoh's daughter said, Go; and the damsel went and called the child's mother.
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.
Lesson kit
Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.
Exodus, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 11 words (9 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is ʻalmâh (“virgin”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.
Discussion questions
- How does “virgin” (ʻalmâh) shape what this verse is saying?
- Genesis 24:43 shares the word «virgin» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
- “to walk” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
- These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
- The verb «וַתֹּֽאמֶר» is Qal Sequential Imperfect. How does its form color the action?
- Reading how Trapp's Complete Commentary and Geneva Bible (1599) read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?
Things to notice
- This verse counts 11 Hebrew ↔ 17 Greek words.
- These translations choose different wording for 7 words in this verse.
- “to walk” occurs 2× in this single verse.
- 9 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 11 words in this verse.
Commentary
Notes on Exodus 2:8 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.
Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →
Trapp's Complete Commentary
John Trapp
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Geneva Bible translators
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill's Exposition
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Rashi
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)
Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.