וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ

   va-ya-kha-NU

   and they encamped
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל

   va-ya-kha-NU ve-NEI-yis-ra-EL

   and they encamped the sons of Israel
3. clause🔊 וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל נֶגְדָּ֗ם כִּשְׁנֵי֙ חֲשִׂפֵ֣י עִזִּ֔ים וַאֲרָ֖ם מִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

   va-ya-kha-NU ve-NEI-yis-ra-EL neg-DAM kish-NEI kha-si-FEI i-ZIM va-a-RAM mil-E-u et-ha-A-rets

   and they encamped the sons of Israel before them like two of small flocks of goats but Aram filled {direct object} the land
4. sentence🔊 וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הָתְפָּקְדוּ֙ וְכָלְכְּל֔וּ וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ לִקְרָאתָ֑ם וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל נֶגְדָּ֗ם כִּשְׁנֵי֙ חֲשִׂפֵ֣י עִזִּ֔ים וַאֲרָ֖ם מִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

   u-ve-NEI yis-ra-EL hat-pe-kDE-u ve-khol-ke-LU va-ye-le-KHU lik-ra-TAM va-ya-kha-NU ve-NEI-yis-ra-EL neg-DAM kish-NEI kha-si-FEI i-ZIM va-a-RAM mil-E-u et-ha-A-rets

   and sons of Israel were mustered and were provided for and they went to meet them and they encamped the sons of Israel before them like two of small flocks of goats but Aram filled {direct object} the land

Exegesis

The verse unfolds as a series of vav-consecutive verbs — hatpakedu {הָתְפַּקְּדוּ | hāṯ-paq-qĕ-ḏû} ‘were mustered’, vekholkelu {וְכַלְּכְּלוּ | wə-kal-lĕḵ-lû} ‘were provisioned’, vayelekhu {וַיֵּלְכוּ | vay-yĕl-kû} ‘they went’, vayachanu {וַיַּחֲנוּ | vay-ḥa-nû} ‘they camped’ — depicting Israel’s military sequence.