וַיִּ֣בֶן

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיִּ֣בֶן

   va-yi-VEN

   and he built
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיִּ֣בֶן בָּהֶ֔ם

   va-yi-VEN ba-HEM

   and he built with them
3. clause🔊 וַיִּ֣בֶן בָּהֶ֔ם אֶת־גֶּ֖בַע וְאֶת־הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃

   va-yi-VEN ba-HEM ET-GE-va ve-ET-ha-mits-PA

   and he built with them Geba and Mizpah
4. sentence🔊 וְאָסָ֣א הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ לָקַח֙ אֶת־כָּל־יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּשְׂא֞וּ אֶת־אַבְנֵ֤י הָֽרָמָה֙ וְאֶת־עֵצֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּנָ֖ה בַּעְשָׁ֑א וַיִּ֣בֶן בָּהֶ֔ם אֶת־גֶּ֖בַע וְאֶת־הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃

   ve-a-SA ha-ME-lekh la-KAKH ET-kol-ye-hu-DA va-yis-E-u ET-av-NEI ha-ra-MA ve-ET-e-TSE-ha a-SHER ba-NA ba-SHA va-yi-VEN ba-HEM ET-GE-va ve-ET-ha-mits-PA

   and Asa the king took all Judah and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timbers which he built or had built Baasha and he built with them Geba and Mizpah

Exegesis

The concluding vayiven {וַיִּבֶן | wayyiven} ‘he built’ with bahem {בָּהֶ֔ם | bāhēm} ‘with them’ presents et-gevah {אֶת־גֶּ֖בַע | ʼet-geḇa‘} ‘Geba’ and ve-et-hammîṣpāh {וְאֶת־הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃ | wə-ʼet-hammîṣpāh} ‘Mizpah’, emphasizing the repurposing of Ramah’s resources into Judah’s defenses. This syntax preserves the Hebrew verb-subject-object sequence for narrative immediacy and highlights the strategic reuse of enemy materials.