אָכֹ֨ל

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 אָכֹ֨ל

   a-KHOL

   eating
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לוּא֩ אָכֹ֨ל אָכַ֤ל הַיּוֹם֙

   LU a-KHOL a-KHAL ha-YOM

   if eating had eaten today
3. clause🔊 אַ֗ף כִּ֡י לוּא֩ אָכֹ֨ל אָכַ֤ל הַיּוֹם֙ הָעָ֔ם מִשְּׁלַ֥ל אֹיְבָ֖יו אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָצָ֑א

   AF KI LU a-KHOL a-KHAL ha-YOM ha-AM mish-le-LAL o-ye-VAV a-SHER ma-TSA

   even that if eating had eaten today the people from the spoil of his enemies which he found
4. sentence🔊 אַ֗ף כִּ֡י לוּא֩ אָכֹ֨ל אָכַ֤ל הַיּוֹם֙ הָעָ֔ם מִשְּׁלַ֥ל אֹיְבָ֖יו אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָצָ֑א כִּ֥י עַתָּ֛ה לֹֽא־רָבְתָ֥ה מַכָּ֖ה בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃

   AF KI LU a-KHOL a-KHAL ha-YOM ha-AM mish-le-LAL o-ye-VAV a-SHER ma-TSA KI a-TA lo-RA-ve-ta ma-KA ba-pe-lish-TIM

   even that if eating had eaten today the people from the spoil of his enemies which he found for now has not been great the blow among the Philistines

Exegesis

The infinitive absolute akhol {אָכֹל | ʾā-ḵōl} plus the perfect akhal {אָכַל | ʾā-ḵāl} forms a Hebraic idiom for emphatic desire. The construct phrase mishlal oyvav signals “from the plunder of his enemies.” The relative clause asher matsa ‘which he found’ specifies the available spoils. A second ki introduces the result clause where ravtah ‘has increased’ functions as a perfect verb indicating extent, and makkah marks the substantive result. The prepositional phrase ba-pelishtim ‘in the Philistines’ identifies the target. English adds “if only” and “then” to reflect the Hebrew hypothetical and result structure.

Root and etymology

א-כ-ל🔊 aleph–kaph–lamed

“eat”

• 🔊 מַאֲכָלma-ʾa-ḵālfoodGenesis 41:35