וְנָמֵ֖

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְנָמֵ֖

   ve-na-MES

   and worthless
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 נְמִבְזָ֥ה וְנָמֵ֖

   ne-miv-ZA ve-na-MES

   despised and worthless
3. clause🔊 וְכָל־הַמְּלָאכָ֛ה נְמִבְזָ֥ה וְנָמֵ֖ אֹתָ֥הּ הֶחֱרִֽימוּ׃

   ve-khol-ha-me-la-KHA ne-miv-ZA ve-na-MES o-TAH he-khe-ri-MU

   and all the work despised and worthless it devoted to destruction
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּחְמֹל֩ שָׁא֨וּל וְהָעָ֜ם עַל־אֲגָ֗ג וְעַל־מֵיטַ֣ב הַצֹּאן֩ וְהַבָּקָ֨ר וְהַמִּשְׁנִ֤ים וְעַל־הַכָּרִים֙ וְעַל־כָּל־הַטּ֔וֹב וְלֹ֥א אָב֖וּ הַחֲרִימָ֑ם וְכָל־הַמְּלָאכָ֛ה נְמִבְזָ֥ה וְנָמֵ֖ אֹתָ֥הּ הֶחֱרִֽימוּ׃

   va-yakh-MOL sha-UL ve-ha-AM al-a-GAG ve-al-mei-TAV ha-TSON ve-ha-ba-KAR ve-ha-mish-NEEM ve-al-ha-ka-RIM ve-al-kol-ha-TOV ve-LO a-VU ha-kha-ri-MAM ve-khol-ha-me-la-KHA ne-miv-ZA ve-na-MES o-TAH he-khe-ri-MU

   Saul and the people spared over Agag and over the best of the flock and the cattle and the second ones and over the rams and over all the good and not were willing to devote them to destruction and all the work despised and worthless it devoted to destruction

Exegesis

The noun hammelekhah {הַמְּלָאכָ֛ה | ham-me-lā-ḵāh} “property” is then qualified by the participle nĕ-mîv-zāh {נְמִבְזָ֥ה | nĕ-mîv-zāh} “despised” and the perfect wə-nā-mēs {וְנָמֵ֖ס | nā-mēs} “worthless,” culminating in the Hiphil perfect hē-ḥe-rî-mû {הֶחֱרִימוּ | hĕ-ḥe-rî-mû} “they utterly destroyed.” The parallel structure highlights the tension between selective mercy and uncompromising execution of the ban on what was deemed contemptible.