וַאֲנִ֖י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַאֲנִ֖י

   va-a-NI

   and I
2. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֡יו הֶעָרִ֣ים אֲשֶׁר־לָֽקַח־אָבִי֩ מֵאֵ֨ת אָבִ֜יךָ אָשִׁ֗יב וְ֠חוּצוֹת תָּשִׂ֨ים לְךָ֤ בְדַמֶּ֙שֶׂק֙ כַּאֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֤ם אָבִי֙ בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן וַאֲנִ֖י בַּבְּרִ֣ית אֲשַׁלְּחֶ֑ךָּ

   va-yo-MER e-LAV he-a-RIM a-SHER-la-KHAKH-a-VI me-ET a-VI-kha a-SHIV ve-khu-TSOT ta-SIM le-KHA be-da-ME-sek ka-a-SHER-SAM a-VI be-sho-ME-ron va-a-NI ba-be-RIT a-shal-le-KHA

   and he said to him the cities which my father took from your father I will restore and streets or marketplaces you shall set for yourself in Damascus as my father in Samaria and I by the covenant or with the covenant I will send you away
3. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֡יו הֶעָרִ֣ים אֲשֶׁר־לָֽקַח־אָבִי֩ מֵאֵ֨ת אָבִ֜יךָ אָשִׁ֗יב וְ֠חוּצוֹת תָּשִׂ֨ים לְךָ֤ בְדַמֶּ֙שֶׂק֙ כַּאֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֤ם אָבִי֙ בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן וַאֲנִ֖י בַּבְּרִ֣ית אֲשַׁלְּחֶ֑ךָּ וַיִּכְרָת־ל֥וֹ בְרִ֖ית וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵֽהוּ׃

   va-yo-MER e-LAV he-a-RIM a-SHER-la-KHAKH-a-VI me-ET a-VI-kha a-SHIV ve-khu-TSOT ta-SIM le-KHA be-da-ME-sek ka-a-SHER-SAM a-VI be-sho-ME-ron va-a-NI ba-be-RIT a-shal-le-KHA va-yikh-RAT-LO be-RIT va-ye-shal-le-KHE-hu

   and he said to him the cities which my father took from your father I will restore and streets or marketplaces you shall set for yourself in Damascus as my father in Samaria and I by the covenant or with the covenant I will send you away and he cut for him a covenant and he sent him away

Exegesis

The emphatic waʾănî {וַאֲנִי | waʾănî} ‘and I’ foregrounds Ahab’s response, introduced by babbᵉrı̂t {בַּבְּרִית | babbᵉrı̂t} ‘by the covenant,’ and the Piel imperfect ʾăšalləḥêkha {אֲשַׁלְּחֶ֑ךָּ | ʾăšalləḥêkha} ‘I will send you away’ indicates release.