וַיֹּ֣אמֶר

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר

   va-yo-MER

   and he said
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם

   va-yo-MER la-HEM

   and he said to them
3. clause🔊 וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֗ד וַיִּקְרָא֙ אֶל־מַעַרְכֹ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לָ֥מָּה תֵצְא֖וּ לַעֲרֹ֣ךְ מִלְחָמָ֑ה

   va-ya-a-MOD va-yik-RA el-ma-a-re-KHOT yis-ra-EL va-yo-MER la-HEM la-MA te-tse-U la-a-ROKH mil-kha-MA

   and he stood and he called out to the battle lines of Israel and he said to them why do you go out to arrange or to draw up battle
4. sentence🔊 וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֗ד וַיִּקְרָא֙ אֶל־מַעַרְכֹ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לָ֥מָּה תֵצְא֖וּ לַעֲרֹ֣ךְ מִלְחָמָ֑ה הֲל֧וֹא אָנֹכִ֣י הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֗י וְאַתֶּם֙ עֲבָדִ֣ים לְשָׁא֔וּל בְּרוּ־לָכֶ֥ם אִ֖ישׁ וְיֵרֵ֥ד אֵלָֽי׃

   va-ya-a-MOD va-yik-RA el-ma-a-re-KHOT yis-ra-EL va-yo-MER la-HEM la-MA te-tse-U la-a-ROKH mil-kha-MA ha-lo a-no-KHI ha-pe-lish-TI ve-a-TEM a-va-DIM le-sha-UL be-RU-la-KHEM ISH ve-ye-RED e-LAI

   and he stood and he called out to the battle lines of Israel and he said to them why do you go out to arrange or to draw up battle is it not I the Philistine and you servants to Saul or of Saul choose for yourselves a man and let him go down to me

Exegesis

The narrative opens with three vav-consecutive Qal imperfect verbs—vayya’amod {וַֽיַּעֲמֹד | wayyaʿă·mōḏ}, vayyikra {וַיִּקְרָא | wayyiq·rāʾ}, and vayyomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer}—which drive the action forward.