וַ/יִּבָּקְע֖וּ
𐤅/𐤉𐤁𐤒𐤏𐤅
vayibaqeu
and were divided
a primitive root; to cleave; generally, to rend, break, rip or open; make a breach, break forth (into, out, in pieces, through, up), be ready to burst, cleave (asunder), cut out, divide, hatch, rend (asunder), rip up, tear, win.
Exodus 14:21 · Word #20
Lexicon H1234
| Lemma | בָּקַע |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤁𐤒𐤏 |
| Transliteration | bâqaʻ |
| Strong's | H1234 |
| In-context | and were divided |
Morphology HC/VNw3mp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | N — Niphal — Simple passive or reflexive |
| Conjugation | w — Sequential Imperfect — Imperfect with waw-consecutive, narrating past events |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
SIBI-P1 H1234-31
And they were cleft apart
| Root | בקע (b-q-ʿ) |
| Core Meanings | cleaving, splitting, bursting open, breaking through, dividing |
| Semantic Range | to split, cleave, rend, break open, burst forth, divide, make a breach, break through |
| Conceptual Significance | Often used of dramatic acts of division—such as waters, rocks, or the earth being split—this root underscores moments of divine intervention or sudden rupture, marking transitions from confinement to breakthrough or from unity to division in the biblical narrative. |
| Morphological Notes | Verb in the Nifal stem, wayyiqtol (waw-consecutive imperfect) 3rd masculine plural; passive/reflexive sense in past narrative sequence. |
| Rendering Rationale | The root בקע conveys the idea of cleaving or splitting open. The form is Nifal wayyiqtol 3rd masculine plural, indicating a passive/reflexive action in past narrative sequence; thus "were cleft" reflects the passive stem, "they" preserves the masculine plural subject, and "And" reflects the prefixed waw-consecutive. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root בקע (cleaving, splitting, bursting open, breaking through, dividing)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H1237-01 |
babiqeah | in the split-valley |
H1234-01 |
baqa | he split open |
H1234-02 |
baqaeta | you split open |
Word Usage (51 occurrences of H1234)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 7:11 | נִבְקְעוּ֙ | niveqeu | were burst open |
| Genesis 22:3 | וַ/יְבַקַּע֙ | vayevaqa | split |
| Exodus 14:16 | וּ/בְקָעֵ֑/הוּ | uveqaehu | and divide it |