אִם־תֶּחֱזַ֤ק

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 אִם־תֶּחֱזַ֤ק

   im-te-khe-ZAK

   if you are strong or if you prevail
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 אִם־תֶּחֱזַ֤ק מִמֶּ֙נִּי֙

   im-te-khe-ZAK mim-me-NI

   if you are strong or if you prevail from me
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אִם־תֶּחֱזַ֤ק מִמֶּ֙נִּי֙ אֲרָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתָ לִּ֖י לִתְשׁוּעָ֑ה

   va-yo-MER im-te-khe-ZAK mim-me-NI a-RAM ve-ha-YI-ta LI lit-she-shu-A

   and he said if you are strong or if you prevail from me Aram or Syria then you shall be for me for salvation or for help
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אִם־תֶּחֱזַ֤ק מִמֶּ֙נִּי֙ אֲרָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתָ לִּ֖י לִתְשׁוּעָ֑ה וְאִם־בְּנֵ֥י עַמּ֛וֹן יֶֽחֶזְק֥וּ מִמְּךָ֖ וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּֽיךָ׃

   va-yo-MER im-te-khe-ZAK mim-me-NI a-RAM ve-ha-YI-ta LI lit-she-shu-A ve-im-be-NE a-MON ye-khe-ze-KU mim-me-KHA ve-ho-sha-te-KHA

   and he said if you are strong or if you prevail from me Aram or Syria then you shall be for me for salvation or for help but if the sons of Ammon are strong or prevail from you then I will save you or I will help you

Exegesis

It frames two parallel conditional structures with im {אִם־ | ʾim} ‘if’, each employing a Qal imperfect in comparative syntax: techezak {תֶּחֱזַ֤ק | tə-ḥe-zäq} ‘be strong’ in the first clause and yechezku {יֶֽחֶזְק֥וּ | ye-ḥe-zqû} ‘be strong’ in the second, both followed by comparative markers (mimmennī/mimmecha). The apodoses feature a vav-consecutive Qal perfect (vehayita) and a vav + Hiphil perfect (vehoshattikha), forming a chiasm that assigns reciprocal rescue roles. This syntactic parallelism underscores the mutual military support in Joab’s strategy.

Root and etymology

ḥ-z-q🔊 ח־ז־ק

“to be strong, prevail”

• 🔊 חָזָקḥā-zāqstrong, mightyDeuteronomy 31:6