Numbers 16:28

Summary

Moses announces that a coming sign will demonstrate that Yehovah sent him to perform all the deeds attributed to him, and that these actions do not originate from his own will or initiative.

Key words

• zoT ("this", H2063) — demonstrative particle introducing the proof-clause; paired with be- ("by") it points forward to the event about to happen, functioning like "by this [coming sign]."
• te.de.'U ("you will know", H3045) — qal imperfect, second person masculine plural, marking an action not yet completed; the attached paragogic nun (item 7) adds emphasis to the verb form.
• she.la.Cha.ni ("he has sent me", H7971G + H9030) — qal perfect with first-person suffix; the perfect aspect presents the sending as a completed, settled fact prior to the moment of speaking.
• 'a.Sot ("to do", H6213A) — qal infinitive, expressing purpose ("in order to do") for the sending action described by she.la.Cha.ni.
• mi.li.B.i ("from my own heart", H9006 + H3820A + H9020) — construct noun with pronominal suffix, literally "from my heart," denoting personal origin or initiative.

What the text says

The verse is built as a speech introduced by va.i.yo.Mer ("and he said", H0559), a standard narrative verb form marking direct discourse by mo.Sheh ("Moses", H4872). The core of Moses' statement is a two-part ki ("that/for", H3588A) construction: the first ki clause states what will be known — that Yehovah ("Yehovah", H3068G) she.la.Cha.ni ("has sent me", H7971G+H9030) — and the second ki clause, introduced again by ki, gives a contrasting reason: lo' mi.li.B.i ("not from my own heart", H3808+H9006+H3820A+H9020).

The phrase be.zoT te.de.'U ("by this you will know", H9003+H2063+H3045) sets up a demonstration formula: an event about to occur will serve as verifiable proof of Moses' claim. The imperfect form of te.de.'U indicates that the knowing is not yet realized but anticipated, reinforced by the paragogic nun ending, which Hebrew grammar uses here for emphasis on the verb rather than adding new meaning.

The object of the sending is expressed through the infinitive 'a.Sot ("to do", H6213A), governing the phrase kol ha.ma.'a.Sim ha.'E.leh ("all these works", H3605+H9009+H4639G+H9009+H0428) — a construct chain marking totality ("all of") followed by a plural noun and demonstrative, referring to actions already visible or about to happen. The final clause, lo' mi.li.B.i ("not from my own heart"), uses the construct noun li.B ("heart", H3820A) with the first-person suffix to deny personal initiative, contrasting human origin with the divine sending stated in the first clause.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders mi.li.B.i ("from my own heart") as ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ ("from myself"), shifting the Hebrew's bodily/inner-life idiom ("heart") to a more abstract reflexive expression. The Vulgate's ex proprio... corde ("from [my] own heart") preserves the "heart" idiom more closely than the LXX. The Vulgate also adds quæ cernitis ("which you see"), a phrase not present in the Hebrew's kol ha.ma.'a.Sim ha.'E.leh ("all these works"), introducing an explicit reference to visual perception absent from the source text.