18.6 Volitional verbs sometimes followed by נָה

נָה only follows volitional verbs. This helps with parsing.

• נָה may be independent or joined by maqqef
• Scholars debate what this means or whether it means anything
  • “Please” or “now” have been suggested (“prithee” in KJV)
  • וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֙בְתָּ֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֔ק (Genesis 22:2)
    • Remember from Lesson 16, the verb לקח thinks it’s 1נ, therefore the initial ל frequently assimilates just as a נ would.
• We may elect to leave נָה untranslated depending on the context