הַבְּכ֗וֹר

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הַבְּכ֗וֹר

   ha-be-KHOR

   the firstborn
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 אֱלִיאָ֣ב הַבְּכ֗וֹר

   e-li-AV ha-be-KHOR

   Eliab the firstborn
3. clause🔊 וְשֵׁ֣ם שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת בָּנָ֗יו אֲשֶׁ֤ר הָלְכוּ֙ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה אֱלִיאָ֣ב הַבְּכ֗וֹר וּמִשְׁנֵ֙הוּ֙ אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖י שַׁמָּֽה׃

   ve-SHEM she-LO-shet ba-NAV a-SHER hal-KHU ba-mil-kha-MA e-li-AV ha-be-KHOR u-mish-NE-hu a-vi-na-DAV ve-ha-she-li-SHI sha-MA

   and name of three of his sons who or which went in the battle Eliab the firstborn and his second one or and next to him Abinadab and the third Shammah
4. sentence🔊 וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת בְּנֵֽי־יִשַׁי֙ הַגְּדֹלִ֔ים הָלְכ֥וּ אַחֲרֵי־שָׁא֖וּל לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה וְשֵׁ֣ם שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת בָּנָ֗יו אֲשֶׁ֤ר הָלְכוּ֙ בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔ה אֱלִיאָ֣ב הַבְּכ֗וֹר וּמִשְׁנֵ֙הוּ֙ אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁ֖י שַׁמָּֽה׃

   va-YE-le-khu she-LO-shet be-NEI-yi-shai ha-ge-do-LIM hal-KHU a-kha-REI-sha-ul la-mil-kha-MA ve-SHEM she-LO-shet ba-NAV a-SHER hal-KHU ba-mil-kha-MA e-li-AV ha-be-KHOR u-mish-NE-hu a-vi-na-DAV ve-ha-she-li-SHI sha-MA

   and they went three of sons of Jesse the great ones or the older ones went after Saul to the battle and name of three of his sons who or which went in the battle Eliab the firstborn and his second one or and next to him Abinadab and the third Shammah

Exegesis

The conjunction ve-shem {וְשֵׁם | wə·šēm} introduces names appositionally, with the ordinals ha-bechor {הַבְּכוֹר | ha·bə·ḵôr}, u-mishnehu {וּמִשְׁנֵהוּ | ū·mish·nê·hû}, and ve-ha-shlishi {וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁי | wə·haš·lî·šî} specifying birth order. The English smooths genitives and ordinals while preserving the Hebrew’s hierarchical and appositional emphasis.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ב־כ־רbet–kaph–resh

“firstborn”

• 🔊 בִּכְרָהbiḵ·rāhbirthrightGenesis 25:31