אֶ֣לֶף

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 אֶ֣לֶף

   E-lef

   a thousand
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 אֶ֣לֶף אֲלָפִ֔ים

   E-lef a-la-FIM

   a thousand thousands
3. clause🔊 וַיֵּצֵ֨א אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם זֶ֣רַח הַכּוּשִׁ֗י בְּחַ֙יִל֙ אֶ֣לֶף אֲלָפִ֔ים וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת שְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת

   va-ye-TSE a-le-HEM ZE-rakh ha-KU-shi be-KHA-yil E-lef a-la-FIM u-mar-ka-VOT she-LOSH me-OT

   and he went out against them Zerah the Cushite or Ethiopian with an army a thousand thousands and chariots three hundreds
4. sentence🔊 וַיֵּצֵ֨א אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם זֶ֣רַח הַכּוּשִׁ֗י בְּחַ֙יִל֙ אֶ֣לֶף אֲלָפִ֔ים וּמַרְכָּב֖וֹת שְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֑וֹת וַיָּבֹ֖א עַד־מָרֵשָֽׁה׃

   va-ye-TSE a-le-HEM ZE-rakh ha-KU-shi be-KHA-yil E-lef a-la-FIM u-mar-ka-VOT she-LOSH me-OT va-ya-VO ad-ma-RE-sha

   and he went out against them Zerah the Cushite or Ethiopian with an army a thousand thousands and chariots three hundreds and he came as far as Mareshah

Exegesis

The phrase bechayil {בְּחַיִל | bə-ḥayil} ‘with an army’ introduces the military force, quantified by the construct elef alafim {אֶלֶף אַלְפִים | ’ēlêp̄ ’ălāp̄îm} ‘one thousand times thousands’, an idiom for a million, and by umerkavot {וּמֶרְכָּבוֹת | ūmerkā́vōt} ‘and chariots’ with shelosh meot {שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת | šəlōš mēʾōṯ} ‘three hundred’, specifying armament.