וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ

   va-yih-YU

   and they were
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ הָרָצִ֜ים

   va-yih-YU ha-ra-TSIM

   and they were the runners
3. clause🔊 וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ הָרָצִ֜ים עֹבְרִ֨ים מֵעִ֧יר לָעִ֛יר בְּאֶֽרֶץ־אֶפְרַ֥יִם וּמְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וְעַד־זְבֻל֑וּן

   va-yih-YU ha-ra-TSIM o-ve-RIM me-IR la-IR be-E-rets-e-fe-ra-YIM u-me-na-SHE ve-ad-ze-vu-LUN

   and they were the runners passing through from a city to a city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun
4. sentence🔊 וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ הָרָצִ֜ים עֹבְרִ֨ים מֵעִ֧יר לָעִ֛יר בְּאֶֽרֶץ־אֶפְרַ֥יִם וּמְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וְעַד־זְבֻל֑וּן וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ מַשְׂחִיקִ֣ים עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם וּמַלְעִגִ֖ים בָּֽם׃

   va-yih-YU ha-ra-TSIM o-ve-RIM me-IR la-IR be-E-rets-e-fe-ra-YIM u-me-na-SHE ve-ad-ze-vu-LUN va-yih-YU ma-se-khi-KIM a-le-HEM u-mal-i-GIM BAM

   and they were the runners passing through from a city to a city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun and they were laughing at them and mocking them

Exegesis

The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb vayihyu {וַיִּֽהְי֨וּ | wayyihyû} ‘and they were’, introducing a continuous narrative action.

A second vav-consecutive vayihyu {וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ | wayyihyû} ‘and they were’ introduces the reaction, expressed by maskhikim {מַשְׂחִיקִ֣ים | mas-ḥî-qîm} ‘mocking’ and umaligim {וּמַלְעִגִ֖ים | ūm-la-‘î-gîm} ‘ridiculing’, each reinforced by ʿalêhem {עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם | ʿă-lê-hêm} ‘against them’ and bām {בָּֽם | bām} ‘at them’. The parallelism and repetition underscore the couriers’ determined mission contrasted with the populace’s derision.