---
title: Exodus 13:15 (JPS 1917) — and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LO… · tree and pragmatics
description: and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem. Who acts:
---

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# Exodus 13:15 · JPS 1917

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** firstling, Pharaoh, us, LORD, I · **What happens:** come, pass, let, go, slay, bear · **To what, where:** us, firstborn, land, all, LORD, womb

<!-- .vabout -->
This is Exodus 13:15 · JPS 1917 in the English of the Jewish Publication Society's 1917 translation, from Mova's open Bible corpus. The page gives the sentence's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, parsed by Mova and checked by a teacher model — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (firstling, Pharaoh, us, LORD), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it. The original of the verse links back to its own tree and to the Targum.

## The tree {#tree}

```conllu
# sent_id = jps:EXO:377
# text = and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.
1	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	3	cc	_	_
2	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
3	came	come	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	PART	TO	_	5	mark	_	_
5	pass	pass	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	xcomp	_	_
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
7	when	when	SCONJ	WRB	_	11	mark	_	_
8	Pharaoh	Pharaoh	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	11	nsubj	_	_
9	would	would	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
10	hardly	hardly	ADV	RB	_	11	advmod	_	_
11	let	let	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	advcl	_	_
12	us	we	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=1|PronType=Prs	11	obj	_	_
13	go	go	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	11	xcomp	_	_
14	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	17	mark	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	LORD	LORD	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	17	nsubj	_	_
17	slew	slay	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	ccomp	_	_
18	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	20	det:predet	_	_
19	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	20	det	_	_
20	firstborn	firstborn	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obj	_	_
21	in	in	ADP	IN	_	23	case	_	_
22	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	23	det	_	_
23	land	land	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	obl	_	_
24	of	of	ADP	IN	_	25	case	_	_
25	Egypt	Egypt	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	23	nmod	_	_
26	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	31	punct	_	_
27	both	both	CCONJ	CC	_	31	cc:preconj	_	_
28	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	31	det	_	_
29	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	31	amod	_	_
30	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	29	punct	_	_
31	born	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	17	conj	_	_
32	of	of	ADP	IN	_	33	case	_	_
33	man	man	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	31	nmod	_	_
34	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	39	punct	_	_
35	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	39	cc	_	_
36	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	39	det	_	_
37	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	39	amod	_	_
38	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	37	punct	_	_
39	born	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	31	conj	_	_
40	of	of	ADP	IN	_	41	case	_	_
41	beast	beast	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	39	nmod	_	_
42	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	45	punct	_	_
43	therefore	therefore	ADV	RB	_	45	advmod	_	_
44	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	45	nsubj	_	_
45	sacrifice	sacrifice	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	parataxis	_	_
46	to	to	ADP	IN	_	48	case	_	_
47	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	48	det	_	_
48	LORD	LORD	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	45	obl	_	_
49	all	all	DET	DT	PronType=Tot	45	obj	_	_
50	that	that	PRON	WDT	PronType=Rel	51	nsubj	_	_
51	openeth	open	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Style=Arch|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	49	acl:relcl	_	_
52	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	53	det	_	_
53	womb	womb	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	51	obj	_	_
54	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	56	punct	_	_
55	being	be	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	56	cop	_	_
56	males	male	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	51	xcomp	_	_
57	;	;	PUNCT	:	_	68	punct	_	_
58	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	68	cc	_	_
59	all	all	DET	PDT	PronType=Tot	63	det:predet	_	_
60	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	63	det	_	_
61	first	first	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord	63	amod	_	_
62	-	-	PUNCT	HYPH	_	61	punct	_	_
63	born	bear	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	68	amod	_	_
64	of	of	ADP	IN	_	66	case	_	_
65	my	my	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	66	nmod:poss	_	_
66	sons	son	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	63	nmod	_	_
67	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	68	nsubj	_	_
68	redeem	redeem	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
69	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

## Pragmatics {#pragmatics}

<!-- sa -->
- form: statement
- act: assert
- voice: narrator
- polarity: none
- teacher: kept the draft

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **come** | past | firstling |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 2 | **pass** | to-infinitive | firstling *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn occur-48.3-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 3 | **let** | would | Pharaoh | us |  |  |  | hardly *property* | tree rules |
| 4 | **go** | infinitive | us *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme |
| 5 | **slay** | past | the LORD | all firstborn |  | the land of Egypt |  |  | vn murder-42.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent firstborn=Patient |
| 6 | **bear** | participle | the LORD *not said here* |  |  |  |  | of man | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 7 | **bear** | participle | the LORD *not said here* |  |  |  |  | of beast | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 8 | **sacrifice** | present | I | all | the LORD |  |  | therefore *property* | vn contribute-13.2-1-1 «NP V NP PP.recipient»: agent=Agent all=Theme to lord=Recipient |
| 9 | **open** | present |  | the womb |  |  |  |  | vn spatial\_configuration-47.6-1 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location womb=Theme |
| 10 | **is a** | gerund |  | males |  |  |  |  | tree rules |
| 11 | **bear** | participle |  |  |  |  |  | of my sons | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 12 | **redeem** | present | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn steal-10.5 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## The Hebrew of this verse {#hebrew}

<!-- .vhe dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיְהִ֗י כִּֽי־הִקְשָׁ֣ה פַרְעֹה֮ לְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ֒ וַיַּהֲרֹ֨ג יְהֹוָ֤ה כָּל־בְּכוֹר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם מִבְּכֹ֥ר אָדָ֖ם וְעַד־בְּכ֣וֹר בְּהֵמָ֑ה עַל־כֵּן֩ אֲנִ֨י זֹבֵ֜חַ לַֽיהוָ֗ה כָּל־פֶּ֤טֶר רֶ֙חֶם֙ הַזְּכָרִ֔ים וְכָל־בְּכ֥וֹר בָּנַ֖י אֶפְדֶּֽה׃

[Exodus 13:15: the Hebrew tree, its pragmatics and Targum Onkelos →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.13.15/)

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**Source.** The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text, Jewish Publication Society, 1917, from eBible.org: public domain. Sentence `jps:EXO:377` of Mova's parse database.

**The tree and the speech act** come from Mova's cycle: the small model's draft, read by a large model as teacher, passed by Mova's gates (Elamur Cosmic License). **The frames** are read from the tree by Mova's frames reader (`prag`) when this page is built, the chapter read in order, so a pronoun may be resolved from an earlier sentence of the chapter.

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