how to say “insiders” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-1.m4a” /]מְקֹרָבִים

The basic Hebrew word for close is קרוב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-2.m4a” /], as in:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-3.m4a” /]מקום העבודה שלי נמצא קרוב לבית.

My place of work is (situated) close to home.

And family members, people who are close genetically or through marriage, are קרובי משפחה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-4.m4a” /].

For people close to someone of stature – insiders – the word is מקורבים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-5.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-6.m4a” /]הוא ממקורבי ראש הממשלה.

He is among the prime minister’s insiders.

The word מקורבים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-1.m4a” /] and its singular form מקורב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-7.m4a” /] come from the passive-intensive verb structure, the same structure as that of the title of this week’s Torah portion – מצורע [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורבים-8.m4a” /], someone stricken with leprosy.