וַֽיְגַלְּחֵ֔ם

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַֽיְגַלְּחֵ֔ם

   va-ye-gal-le-KHEM

   and he shaved them
2. clause🔊 וַיִּקַּ֨ח חָנ֜וּן אֶת־עַבְדֵ֤י דָוִיד֙ וַֽיְגַלְּחֵ֔ם וַיִּכְרֹ֧ת אֶת־מַדְוֵיהֶ֛ם בַּחֵ֖צִי עַד־הַמִּפְשָׂעָ֑ה

   va-yik-KAKH kha-NUN et-a-ve-DE da-VID va-ye-gal-le-KHEM va-yikh-ROT et-mad-ve-HEM ba-khe-TSI ad-ha-mif-sa-A

   and he took Hanun {direct object marker} servants of David and he shaved them and he cut off {direct object marker} their garments at the half or in the middle up to the buttocks or the hips
3. sentence🔊 וַיִּקַּ֨ח חָנ֜וּן אֶת־עַבְדֵ֤י דָוִיד֙ וַֽיְגַלְּחֵ֔ם וַיִּכְרֹ֧ת אֶת־מַדְוֵיהֶ֛ם בַּחֵ֖צִי עַד־הַמִּפְשָׂעָ֑ה וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵֽם׃

   va-yik-KAKH kha-NUN et-a-ve-DE da-VID va-ye-gal-le-KHEM va-yikh-ROT et-mad-ve-HEM ba-khe-TSI ad-ha-mif-sa-A va-ye-shal-le-KHEM

   and he took Hanun {direct object marker} servants of David and he shaved them and he cut off {direct object marker} their garments at the half or in the middle up to the buttocks or the hips and he sent them away

Exegesis

The verse uses a rapid sequence of vav-consecutive verbs to drive the narrative: wayyiqquḥ {וַיִּקַּח | wayyiqquḥ} ‘and he took’, wayyigallêḥēm {וַיְגַלְּחֵם | wayyigallêḥēm} ‘and he shaved them’, wayyiqrôt {וַיִּכְרֹת | wayyiqrôt} ‘and he cut off’, wayyishallēḥēm {וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם | wayyishallēḥēm} ‘and he sent them away’.

Root and etymology

g-l-ḥ🔊 ג־ל־חgimel–lamed–ḥet

“to shave”

• 🔊 מְגַלֵּחַmegalleachbarberEzekiel 5:1