וָבָ֔א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וָבָ֔א

   va-VA

   and coming in
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 יוֹצֵ֣א וָבָ֔א

   yo-TSE va-VA

   going out and coming in
3. clause🔊 לְבִלְתִּ֗י תֵּ֚ת יוֹצֵ֣א וָבָ֔א לְאָסָ֖א מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃

   le-vil-TI TET yo-TSE va-VA le-a-SA ME-lekh ye-hu-DA

   so as not to give or allow going out and coming in to Asa king of Judah
4. sentence🔊 בִּשְׁנַ֨ת שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וָשֵׁשׁ֙ לְמַלְכ֣וּת אָסָ֔א עָלָ֞ה בַּעְשָׁ֤א מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ עַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּ֖בֶן אֶת־הָרָמָ֑ה לְבִלְתִּ֗י תֵּ֚ת יוֹצֵ֣א וָבָ֔א לְאָסָ֖א מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃

   bish-NAT she-lo-SHIM va-SHESH le-mal-KHUT a-SA a-LA ba-SHA ME-lekh-yis-ra-EL al-ye-hu-DA va-yiv-BEN et-ha-ra-MA le-vil-TI TET yo-TSE va-VA le-a-SA ME-lekh ye-hu-DA

   in year of thirty and six for reign of Asa went up Baasha king of Israel against Judah and built Ramah so as not to give or allow going out and coming in to Asa king of Judah

Exegesis

Purpose is expressed by levilti tet {לְבִלְתִּ֗י תֵּ֚ת | ləviltî tēt} ‘so as not to permit’, which takes as its complement the participial pair yotzei vava {יוֹצֵ֣א וָבָ֔א | yōṣēʾ wāḇāʾ} ‘going out and coming in’; this merism summarizes all movement, explaining the strategic intent to restrict access to Asa.