1 Samuel 22:17:211 Sam.22.17.W21TAB

וְלֹֽא־אָב֞וּ

veloavu

and they were not willing

Transliteration
ve-lo-A-VU
Extended
veh-loh-aa-VOO
IPA
/wəloː.ʔaːˈvuː/

Meaning by language

English
and they were not willing

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
וְ + לֹֽא + אָ + ב֞וּ
ve + lo + a + vu
veloavu

Alphabet Analysis

Vavv as in vine; marks long ō / ū
Shevavocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable
Lamedl as in law
Holemlong 'oh' as in go
Alephsilent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points
Alephsilent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points
Qametslong 'ah'
Betb with dagesh; v without dagesh
Vavv as in vine; marks long ō / ū

Tap any letter to hear its name and sound

Vowels (Niqqud)

Now you try — trace the word:

The word

Word in context

  1. word

    ve-lo-A-VU

  2. clause

    ve-lo-A-VU av-DEI ha-ME-lekh lish-lo-AKH et-ya-DAM lif-GO-a be-kho-ha-NEI ye-ho-VAH

  3. sentence

    va-YO-mer ha-ME-lekh la-ra-TSIM ha-ni-tsa-VIM a-LAV SO-bu ve-ha-MI-tu ko-ha-NEI ye-ho-VAH KI gam-ya-DAM im-da-VID ve-KI ya-de-U ki-bo-RE-akh HU ve-LO ga-LU et-oz-NO oz-NI ve-lo-A-VU av-DEI ha-ME-lekh lish-lo-AKH et-ya-DAM lif-GO-a be-kho-ha-NEI ye-ho-VAH

Exegesis

The subsequent wə-lōʾ-ʼāvû ʿavdê hammélekh {וְלֹֽא־אָב֞וּ עַבְדֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ | wə-lōʾ-ʼāvû ʿavdê hammélekh} ‘and the king’s servants were unwilling’ signals moral reluctance.

Root and etymology

Rootʾ-b

father

In context1 Samuel 22:17

And the king said to the runners standing before him, “Turn and put to death the priests of the LORD , for their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not report it to my ear .” But the servants of the king were not willing to send forth their hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

About this coordinate

1 Samuel 22:17:21 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 21 of 1 Samuel 22:17, so the Hebrew word וְלֹֽא־אָב֞וּ (veloavu) 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.22.17.W21, which extends further down to each syllable (1 Sam.22.17.W21.S1) and character.