אֲלָפִים֮

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 אֲלָפִים֮

   a-la-FIM

   thousands
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִים֮

   she-LO-shet a-la-FIM

   three {construct of} thousands
3. clause🔊 וַיִּבְחַר־ל֨וֹ שָׁא֜וּל שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִים֮ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַיִּהְי֨וּ עִם־שָׁא֜וּל אַלְפַּ֗יִם בְּמִכְמָשׂ֙ וּבְהַ֣ר בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל וְאֶ֗לֶף הָיוּ֙ עִם־י֣וֹנָתָ֔ן בְּגִבְעַ֖ת בִּנְיָמִ֑ין

   va-yiv-KHAR-LO sha-UL she-LO-shet a-la-FIM mi-yis-ra-EL va-yih-YU im-sha-UL al-pa-YIM be-mikh-MAS u-ve-HAR BET-EL ve-E-lef ha-YU im-yo-na-TAN be-giv-AT bin-ya-MIN

   and he chose for himself Saul three {construct of} thousands from Israel and they were with Saul two thousand in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeath of Benjamin
4. sentence🔊 וַיִּבְחַר־ל֨וֹ שָׁא֜וּל שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִים֮ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַיִּהְי֨וּ עִם־שָׁא֜וּל אַלְפַּ֗יִם בְּמִכְמָשׂ֙ וּבְהַ֣ר בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל וְאֶ֗לֶף הָיוּ֙ עִם־י֣וֹנָתָ֔ן בְּגִבְעַ֖ת בִּנְיָמִ֑ין וְיֶ֣תֶר הָעָ֔ם שִׁלַּ֖ח אִ֥ישׁ לְאֹהָלָֽיו׃

   va-yiv-KHAR-LO sha-UL she-LO-shet a-la-FIM mi-yis-ra-EL va-yih-YU im-sha-UL al-pa-YIM be-mikh-MAS u-ve-HAR BET-EL ve-E-lef ha-YU im-yo-na-TAN be-giv-AT bin-ya-MIN ve-YE-ter ha-AM shi-LAKH ISH le-o-ha-LAV

   and he chose for himself Saul three {construct of} thousands from Israel and they were with Saul two thousand in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeath of Benjamin and the rest of the people he sent away a man or each man to his tent

Exegesis

It then uses the construct numeral shloshet alafim {שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים | šəlōšēt ʼălāp̄îm} ‘three thousand’, linking a cardinal and unit.

Two parallel prepositional chains—im-Shaul alpayim bemikhmash {עִם־שָׁאוּל אַלְפַּיִם בְּמִכְמָשׂ | ʿim-Šāʼûl ʼalpayim bəmmikk̄ăš} ‘with Saul two thousand in Michmash’ and im-Yonatan begiv‘at Binyamin {עִם־יוֹנָתָן בְּגִבְעַת בִּנְיַמִן | ʿim-Yōnāṭān bə-giḇa‘at Binyāmīn} ‘with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin’—detail troop distribution.

Root and etymology

“unit of weight”