וַיַּ֞רְא

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיַּ֞רְא

   va-yar-E

   and he saw
2. clause🔊 וַיִּשָּׂ֨א דָוִ֜יד אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּ֞רְא אֶת־מַלְאַ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙ עֹמֵ֗ד בֵּ֤ין הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ נְטוּיָ֖ה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם

   va-yi-SA da-VID et-E-NAI-v va-yar-E et-mal-AKH Ye-ho-VAH o-MED BEN ha-A-rets u-VEN ha-sha-MA-yim ve-khar-BO she-lu-FA be-ya-DO ne-tu-YA al-ye-ru-sha-LA-im

   and he lifted up David {direct object marker} his eyes and he saw {direct object marker} messenger of the LORD standing between the earth and between the heavens and his sword drawn in his hand stretched out upon Jerusalem
3. sentence🔊 וַיִּשָּׂ֨א דָוִ֜יד אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּ֞רְא אֶת־מַלְאַ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙ עֹמֵ֗ד בֵּ֤ין הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ וּבֵ֣ין הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ נְטוּיָ֖ה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וַיִּפֹּ֨ל דָּוִ֧יד וְהַזְּקֵנִ֛ים מְכֻסִּ֥ים בַּשַּׂקִּ֖ים עַל־פְּנֵיהֶֽם׃

   va-yi-SA da-VID et-E-NAI-v va-yar-E et-mal-AKH Ye-ho-VAH o-MED BEN ha-A-rets u-VEN ha-sha-MA-yim ve-khar-BO she-lu-FA be-ya-DO ne-tu-YA al-ye-ru-sha-LA-im va-yi-POL da-VID ve-haz-ze-ke-NIM me-khu-SIM ba-sak-KIM al-pe-ne-HEM

   and he lifted up David {direct object marker} his eyes and he saw {direct object marker} messenger of the LORD standing between the earth and between the heavens and his sword drawn in his hand stretched out upon Jerusalem and fell David and the elders covered in sackcloths upon their faces

Exegesis

The Hebrew narrative opens with the consecutive imperfect verbs wayyissāʾ {וַיִּשָּׂא | wayyissāʾ} ‘and he lifted’ and wayyārʾ {וַיַּרְא | wayyārʾ} ‘and he saw,’ signaling sequential past actions.