וַיַּבֵּ֔ט

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיַּבֵּ֔ט

   va-ya-BET

   and he looked
2. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶֽל־נַעֲר֗וֹ עֲלֵֽה־נָא֙ הַבֵּ֣ט דֶּֽרֶךְ־יָ֔ם וַיַּ֙עַל֙ וַיַּבֵּ֔ט וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵ֣ין מְא֑וּמָה

   va-YO-mer el-na-a-RO a-le-NA ha-BET DE-rekh-YAM va-YA-al va-ya-BET va-YO-mer EN me-u-MA

   and he said to his young-man or servant go up, please look toward the way of the sea and he went up and he looked and he said there is not anything
3. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶֽל־נַעֲר֗וֹ עֲלֵֽה־נָא֙ הַבֵּ֣ט דֶּֽרֶךְ־יָ֔ם וַיַּ֙עַל֙ וַיַּבֵּ֔ט וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵ֣ין מְא֑וּמָה וַיֹּ֕אמֶר שֻׁ֖ב שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִֽים׃

   va-YO-mer el-na-a-RO a-le-NA ha-BET DE-rekh-YAM va-YA-al va-ya-BET va-YO-mer EN me-u-MA va-YO-mer SHUV SHE-va pe-a-MIM

   and he said to his young-man or servant go up, please look toward the way of the sea and he went up and he looked and he said there is not anything and he said return or go back seven times

Exegesis

The verse uses a sequence of vav-consecutive forms (vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | vā-yō-mer} ‘and he said’, vaya‘al {וַיַּעַל | vā-ya-‘ăl} ‘and he went up’, vayabet {וַיַּבֵּט | vā-yăb-bēṭ} ‘and he looked’) to move the narrative forward, emphasizing repetition and continuous action.