וַיֹּ֥אמֶר

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר

   va-yo-MER

   and he said
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלֶ֖יהָ

   va-yo-MER e-LE-ha

   and he said to her
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלֶ֖יהָ תְּנִֽי־לִ֣י אֶת־בְּנֵ֑ךְ

   va-yo-MER e-LE-ha te-NI-LI et-be-NEKH

   and he said to her give {feminine singular imperative} to me {direct object marker} your son
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלֶ֖יהָ תְּנִֽי־לִ֣י אֶת־בְּנֵ֑ךְ וַיִּקָּחֵ֣הוּ מֵחֵיקָ֗הּ וַֽיַּעֲלֵ֙הוּ֙ אֶל־הָעֲלִיָּ֗ה אֲשֶׁר־הוּא֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב שָׁ֔ם וַיַּשְׁכִּבֵ֖הוּ עַל־מִטָּתֽוֹ׃

   va-yo-MER e-LE-ha te-NI-LI et-be-NEKH va-yik-ka-KHE-hu me-khe-KA va-ya-le-HU el-ha-a-li-YA a-SHER-HU yo-SHEV SHAM va-yash-ke-VE-hu al-mit-ta-TO

   and he said to her give {feminine singular imperative} to me {direct object marker} your son and he took him from her bosom and he brought him up to the upper chamber where he was staying there and he laid him down upon his bed

Exegesis

The narrative unfolds through a series of vav-consecutive verbs—vayyomer {וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | wayyōʾmer} “and he said,” vayikkahehu {וַיִּקָּחֵ֣הוּ | wayyiqqāḥēhu} “and he took him,” vayaalehu {וַיַּעֲלֵ֙הוּ֙ | wayyaʿălêhu} “and he brought him up,” vayyashkivehu {וַיַּשְׁכִּבֵ֖הוּ | wayyaškîvēhu} “and he laid him down”—which propel the action.