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Verse 14لَمْ تَقْرَأْ جَنِينًاA foetus / pregnancy in the camel image
Verse 20إِلَّا جَنِينًاA son interred after death
The root j-n-n has the underlying sense of concealment. An unborn child is hidden in the womb; a dead person may be concealed in the grave. The commentary on verse 20 supports the second sense. Context, not a familiar dictionary gloss alone, determines the translation.
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ʿAmr ibn Kulthūm: Uncertain Time, the Beloved and Grief (Verses 12–22)
ContextExpressionSense here
Verse 14لَمْ تَقْرَأْ جَنِينًاA foetus / pregnancy in the camel image
Verse 20إِلَّا جَنِينًاA son interred after death
The root j-n-n has the underlying sense of concealment. An unborn child is hidden in the womb; a dead person may be concealed in the grave. The commentary on verse 20 supports the second sense. Context, not a familiar dictionary gloss alone, determines the translation.