חַי־יְהוָ֔ה

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 חַי־יְהוָ֔ה

   KHAI-ye-ho-VAH

   as the LORD lives
2. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ חַי־יְהוָ֔ה אִם־יִפֹּ֛ל מִשַּׂעֲרַ֥ת בְּנֵ֖ךְ אָֽרְצָה׃

   va-YO-mer KHAI-ye-ho-VAH im-yip-POL mi-sa-a-RAT be-NE-kh AR-tse

   and he said as the LORD lives if will fall from a hair of your son to the ground
3. sentence🔊 וַתֹּאמֶר֩ יִזְכָּר־נָ֨א הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ מהרבית מֵהַרְבַּ֞ת גֹּאֵ֤ל הַדָּם֙ לְשַׁחֵ֔ת וְלֹ֥א יַשְׁמִ֖ידוּ אֶת־בְּנִ֑י וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ חַי־יְהוָ֔ה אִם־יִפֹּ֛ל מִשַּׂעֲרַ֥ת בְּנֵ֖ךְ אָֽרְצָה׃

   va-to-MER yiz-KAR-na ha-ME-lekh et-ye-ho-VAH e-lo-HE-kha me-ha-rBIt me-har-BAT go-EL ha-DAM le-sha-KHET ve-LO yash-mi-DU et-be-NI va-YO-mer KHAI-ye-ho-VAH im-yip-POL mi-sa-a-RAT be-NE-kh AR-tse

   and she said let him remember, please the king {direct object marker} the LORD your God from increasing from the multiplying of the redeemer the blood to destroy and not they will annihilate {direct object marker} my son and he said as the LORD lives if will fall from a hair of your son to the ground

Exegesis

The oath formula chai YHWH {חַי־יְהוָ֔ה | ḥăy Yə-hō-wāh} mirrors a legal idiom, followed by the conditional clause im yipol missa’arat benekha artzah {אִם־יִפֹּל מִשַּׂעֲרַ֥ת בְּנֶ֖ךָ אָֽרְצָה | ʾim yi-ppōl mis-sa-ʿa-rat bĕ-ney-ḵā ʾor-ṣāh}, which underscores absolute divine protection through a hyperbolic hair analogy.