לֹֽא־הָיָ֨ה

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֹֽא־הָיָ֨ה

   lo-ha-YA

   there was not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְכָמֹהוּ֩ לֹֽא־הָיָ֨ה לְפָנָ֜יו

   ve-kha-MO-hu lo-ha-YA le-fa-NAV

   and like him there was not before him
3. clause🔊 וְכָמֹהוּ֩ לֹֽא־הָיָ֨ה לְפָנָ֜יו מֶ֗לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֤ב אֶל־יְהוָה֙ בְּכָל־לְבָב֤וֹ וּבְכָל־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ וּבְכָל־מְאֹד֔וֹ כְּכֹ֖ל תּוֹרַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֑ה

   ve-kha-MO-hu lo-ha-YA le-fa-NAV ME-lekh a-sher-SHAV el-ye-ho-VAH be-khol-le-va-VO u-ve-khol-naf-SHO u-ve-khol-me-OD ke-KHOL to-RAT mo-SHE

   and like him there was not before him a king who returned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to all law of Moses
4. sentence🔊 וְכָמֹהוּ֩ לֹֽא־הָיָ֨ה לְפָנָ֜יו מֶ֗לֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֤ב אֶל־יְהוָה֙ בְּכָל־לְבָב֤וֹ וּבְכָל־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ וּבְכָל־מְאֹד֔וֹ כְּכֹ֖ל תּוֹרַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֑ה וְאַחֲרָ֖יו לֹֽא־קָ֥ם כָּמֹֽהוּ׃

   ve-kha-MO-hu lo-ha-YA le-fa-NAV ME-lekh a-sher-SHAV el-ye-ho-VAH be-khol-le-va-VO u-ve-khol-naf-SHO u-ve-khol-me-OD ke-KHOL to-RAT mo-SHE ve-a-kha-RAV lo-KAM ka-MO-hu

   and like him there was not before him a king who returned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might according to all law of Moses and after him did not arise like him

Exegesis

The verse begins with the existential negation ve-kamohu lo-hayah lefanav melekh {וְכָמֹהוּ לֹֽא־הָיָ֨ה לְפָנָ֜יו מֶ֗לֶךְ | wə-ḵā-mō-hû lō-ḥā-yāh lə-pānā-ḇāw mē-leḵ} ‘and like him there was no king before him,’ using lo-hayah ‘was not’ and lefanav ‘before him’ to frame Josiah’s uniqueness.