וַיְקַלַּ֔ע

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיְקַלַּ֔ע

   va-ye-kal-LA

   and he slung
2. clause🔊 וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶת־יָד֜וֹ אֶל־הַכֶּ֗לִי וַיִּקַּ֨ח מִשָּׁ֥ם אֶ֙בֶן֙ וַיְקַלַּ֔ע וַיַּ֥ךְ אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י אֶל־מִצְח֑וֹ

   va-yish-LAKH da-VID et-YA-do el-ha-KE-li va-yik-KAKH mish-SHAM E-ven va-ye-kal-LA va-YAKH et-ha-pe-lish-TI el-mits-KHO

   and he sent David the his hand to the vessel or bag and he took from there a stone and he slung and he struck the Philistine to his forehead
3. sentence🔊 וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶת־יָד֜וֹ אֶל־הַכֶּ֗לִי וַיִּקַּ֨ח מִשָּׁ֥ם אֶ֙בֶן֙ וַיְקַלַּ֔ע וַיַּ֥ךְ אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י אֶל־מִצְח֑וֹ וַתִּטְבַּ֤ע הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ בְּמִצְח֔וֹ וַיִּפֹּ֥ל עַל־פָּנָ֖יו אָֽרְצָה׃

   va-yish-LAKH da-VID et-YA-do el-ha-KE-li va-yik-KAKH mish-SHAM E-ven va-ye-kal-LA va-YAKH et-ha-pe-lish-TI el-mits-KHO va-tit-Ba ha-E-ven be-mits-KHO va-yip-POL al-pa-NAV AR-tse

   and he sent David the his hand to the vessel or bag and he took from there a stone and he slung and he struck the Philistine to his forehead and it sank the stone in his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground

Exegesis

The verse unfolds through a series of vav-consecutive verbs—vayyishlach {וַיִּשְׁלַח | wayyišlāḥ} ‘and he sent’, vayyikach {וַיִּקַּח | wayyīqāḥ} ‘and he took’, vayyekalla {וַיְקַלַּע | wayyikallaʿ} ‘and he slung’, and vayyakh {וַיַּךְ | wayyāḵ} ‘and he struck’—which drive the rapid narrative.

Root and etymology

q-l-ʿ🔊 ק־ל־ע

“sling”

• 🔊 קָלַעkila‘to slingJudges 20:16