Save "Exodus 2:1 - On the noun אִישׁ
"

וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִ֖ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־בַּת־לֵוִֽי׃

A certain member of the house of Levi went and took to wife a woman of Levi.

(The above rendering comes from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation. Before accounting for this rendering, I will analyze the plain sense of the Hebrew term containing אִישׁ, by employing a situation-oriented construal as outlined in this introduction, pp. 11–16.)


Depicting a situation schematically (as here) is a prototypical usage of אִישׁ as a situating noun.

The reference is specific, so the referent’s gender is germane. Yet that aspect is quickly evident from the predicated act of marrying a woman.


As for rendering into English, the NJPS ‘certain man nowadays sounds awkward, because the situating properties of man have somewhat dissipated. The revised rendering follows NJPS (and RJPS) in 2 Sam 16:5.

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible on our site. Click OK to continue using Sefaria. Learn More.OKאנחנו משתמשים ב"עוגיות" כדי לתת למשתמשים את חוויית השימוש הטובה ביותר.קראו עוד בנושאלחצו כאן לאישור