וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ

   va-ya-VO-u

   and they entered
2. clause🔊 וּבְנֵ֨י עַמּ֤וֹן רָאוּ֙ כִּי־נָ֣ אֲרָ֔ם וַיָּנ֣וּסוּ גַם־הֵ֗ם מִפְּנֵי֙ אַבְשַׁ֣י אָחִ֔יו וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ הָעִ֑ירָה

   u-ve-NEI a-MON RA-u ki-NAS a-RAM va-ya-NU-su gam-HEM mi-pe-NEI av-SHAI a-KHI-v va-ya-VO-u ha-I-ra

   and sons of Ammon they saw that fled Aram or Syria then they fled also they from before Abishai his brother and they entered into the city
3. sentence🔊 וּבְנֵ֨י עַמּ֤וֹן רָאוּ֙ כִּי־נָ֣ אֲרָ֔ם וַיָּנ֣וּסוּ גַם־הֵ֗ם מִפְּנֵי֙ אַבְשַׁ֣י אָחִ֔יו וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ הָעִ֑ירָה וַיָּבֹ֥א יוֹאָ֖ב יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

   u-ve-NEI a-MON RA-u ki-NAS a-RAM va-ya-NU-su gam-HEM mi-pe-NEI av-SHAI a-KHI-v va-ya-VO-u ha-I-ra va-ya-VO yo-AV ye-ru-sha-LIM

   and sons of Ammon they saw that fled Aram or Syria then they fled also they from before Abishai his brother and they entered into the city and came Joab Jerusalem

Exegesis

The narrative then moves swiftly through a series of vav-consecutive imperfect verbs—wayyanūsu {וַיָּנ֣וּסוּ | way-yā-nū-sû}, “and they fled,” wayyabou {וַיָּבֹאוּ | way-yā-bō-ʾū}, “and they entered,” and wayyavo {וַיָּבֹא | way-yā-bō}, “and he came”—creating a rapid sequence of events.