Genesis 31:49

Summary

The verse explains the naming of ha-Mitzpah ("the Mizpah", H4709H), a place called this because of words spoken invoking Yehovah (H3068G) as a watcher between two parties. The statement expresses a wish that Yehovah observe the relationship between the speaker and another person once they separate.

Key words

• Mitzpah ("Mizpah", H4709H) — proper name derived from the root meaning "watchtower" or "lookout point"; the definite article ha (H9009) marks it as "the Mizpah," suggesting the name functions almost as a common noun ("the watchpost") as well as a place name.
• Yitzef ("may he keep watch", H6822) — qal jussive form of the verb for "watching" or "keeping guard." The jussive mood expresses a wish or request rather than a statement of fact, distinguishing it from a simple future.
• beini / veineka ("between me" / "and between you", H0996G with suffixes H9030, H9031) — the construct noun bein ("between") appears twice, once with each pronominal suffix, creating a balanced phrase marking the space or relationship being watched.
• nissater ("we will be hidden", H5641) — niphal (passive/reflexive) imperfect of the root for "to hide." The niphal stem indicates the action happens to the subjects reflexively or passively — they become hidden from one another, rather than actively hiding themselves.
• ish mere'ehu ("each from his neighbor", H0376I + H7453 + H9023) — an idiomatic construction using ish ("man/each") paired with re'a ("neighbor/companion") plus a possessive suffix, a standard Hebrew way of expressing reciprocity ("one from the other").

What the text says

The verse is structured as an explanation clause: ha-Mitzpah is named, followed by asher amar ("that he said", H0834A + H0559), introducing direct speech. The quoted speech itself is compact: the jussive verb yitzef comes before its subject Yehovah, a common word order in Hebrew wishes and blessings, placing the verb's mood (wish/request) in emphatic first position.

The phrase beini u-veineka ("between me and between you") repeats the preposition bein with each pronoun separately rather than using a single shared preposition, a construction typical in Biblical Hebrew for marking mutual or reciprocal relationships between two distinct parties.

The subordinate clause beginning with ki (H3588A, "for/when") explains the circumstance under which the watching is requested: nissater ish mere'ehu, literally "each will be hidden from his neighbor." The niphal form nissater frames the future separation as something that will happen to both parties equally, rather than one party actively leaving the other.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders Mitzpah not as a proper name but as ἡ δράσις ("the vision/sight"), reflecting an interpretation of the root as "seeing" rather than treating it as a place name transliteration. The LXX also renders Yehovah as ὁ θεός ("God") rather than transliterating the divine name. The Vulgate omits any equivalent to Mitzpah as a name entirely, beginning instead with "Intueatur et judicet Dominus" ("May the Lord watch and judge"), adding a verb ("judge") not present in the Hebrew or reflected in the word-by-word data.