1 Samuel 21:11:161 Sam.21.11.W16TABWLC 1 Samuel 21:12
בַּאֲלָפָ֔יו
baalafav
“in his thousands”
- Transliteration
- ba-a-la-FAV
- Extended
- bah-ah-lah-FAAV
- IPA
- /baʔălaːˈfaːw/
Meaning by language
- English
- in his thousands
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Hateph Patach | reduced 'ah' | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ba-a-la-FAV
- sentence
va-YO-meru a-ve-DE a-KHISH e-LAV ha-LO-ze da-VID ME-lekh ha-A-rets ha-LO la-ZE ya-a-NU bam-me-kho-LOT le-MOR hi-KA sha-UL ba-a-la-FAV ve-da-VID be-riv-ve-TAIV
Exegesis
The infinitive lêʾāmôr {לֵאמֹר | lêʾāmôr} ‘saying’ introduces the quotation featuring the perfect verb hiqqāh {הִכָּה | hiqqāh} ‘has struck’ followed by the numerals ʾalāp̄āyw {אֲלָפָיו | ʾalāp̄āyw} ‘his thousands’ and ʾēlep̄ {אֶלֶף | ʾēlep̄} ‘thousands’, linked by ve before “David” to form a parallel structure that emphasizes the reversal of victory counts. The placement of the quotation at the clause end underscores its evidential force.
In context — 1 Samuel 21:11
And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this David, the king of the land? Is he not the one of whom they sing to one another in dances, saying, ‘Saul has struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
About this coordinate
1 Samuel 21:11:16 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 16 of 1 Samuel 21:11, so the Hebrew word בַּאֲלָפָ֔יו (baalafav) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written 1 Sam.21.11.W16, which extends further down to each syllable (1 Sam.21.11.W16.S1) and character.