וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֖וּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֖וּ

   va-yil-la-kha-MU

   and they fought
2. clause🔊 וַיַּעֲרֹ֨ךְ דָּוִ֜יד לִקְרַ֤את אֲרָם֙ מִלְחָמָ֔ה וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֖וּ עִמּֽוֹ׃

   va-ya-a-ROKH da-VID lik-RAT a-RAM mil-kha-MA va-yil-la-kha-MU IM-mo

   and he drew up or arranged David to meet or toward Aram or Syria battle or war and they fought with him
3. sentence🔊 וַיֻּגַּ֣ד לְדָוִ֗יד וַיֶּאֱסֹ֤ף אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וַיַּעֲבֹ֣ר הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וַיָּבֹ֣א אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם וַיַּעֲרֹ֨ךְ דָּוִ֜יד לִקְרַ֤את אֲרָם֙ מִלְחָמָ֔ה וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֖וּ עִמּֽוֹ׃

   va-yug-GAD le-da-VID va-ye-e-SOF ET-kol-yis-ra-EL va-ya-a-VOR ha-yar-DEN va-ya-VO a-le-HEM va-ya-a-ROKH a-le-HEM va-ya-a-ROKH da-VID lik-RAT a-RAM mil-kha-MA va-yil-la-kha-MU IM-mo

   and it was told to David and he gathered all Israel and he crossed over the Jordan and he came to them and he drew up or arranged against them and he drew up or arranged David to meet or toward Aram or Syria battle or war and they fought with him

Exegesis

The Nifal imperfect way-yil-lā-ḥa-mû {וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֖וּ | way-yil-lā-ḥa-mû} ‘and they fought’ indicates reciprocal engagement. The repetition of way-ya-ʿă-rōḵ highlights two phases of deployment, and the chain of conjunctions mirrors the continuous Hebrew narrative flow.