לִפְנֵ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לִפְנֵ֣י

   lif-NE

   before
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לִפְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒

   lif-NE yis-ra-EL

   before Israel
3. clause🔊 וַיַּ֣רְא אֲרָ֗ם כִּ֣י נִגְּפוּ֮ לִפְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַֽיִּשְׁלְחוּ֙ מַלְאָכִ֔ים וַיּוֹצִ֣יאוּ אֶת־אֲרָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר מֵעֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֑ר

   va-YAR-e a-RAM KI nig-ge-FU lif-NE yis-ra-EL va-yish-le-KHU mal-a-KHIM va-yo-tsi-U et-a-RAM a-SHER me-E-ver ha-na-HAR

   and he saw Aram or Syria that they were struck down or defeated before Israel and they sent messengers and they brought out {direct object marker} Aram or Syria who or which from beyond the river
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּ֣רְא אֲרָ֗ם כִּ֣י נִגְּפוּ֮ לִפְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַֽיִּשְׁלְחוּ֙ מַלְאָכִ֔ים וַיּוֹצִ֣יאוּ אֶת־אֲרָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר מֵעֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֑ר וְשׁוֹפַ֛ךְ שַׂר־צְבָ֥א הֲדַדְעֶ֖זֶר לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃

   va-YAR-e a-RAM KI nig-ge-FU lif-NE yis-ra-EL va-yish-le-KHU mal-a-KHIM va-yo-tsi-U et-a-RAM a-SHER me-E-ver ha-na-HAR ve-sho-FAKH sar-tse-VA ha-dad-E-zer lif-ne-HEM

   and he saw Aram or Syria that they were struck down or defeated before Israel and they sent messengers and they brought out {direct object marker} Aram or Syria who or which from beyond the river and Shophach commander of the army Hadadezer before them

Exegesis

The clause introduced by ki {כִּי | kî} supplies the perceived reality: niggefu {נִגְּפוּ | niggəpû} ‘they were struck down,’ a passive that presents Aram as the recipient of defeat, reinforced by the spatial idiom lifnei {לִפְנֵי | lipnê} ‘before/in the presence of’ Israel, commonly used for being overmatched in confrontation. A rapid sequence of coordinated wayyiqtol clauses (vayishlechu …