וְשָׁקַל֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְשָׁקַל֙

   ve-sha-KAL

   and he weighed
2. clause🔊 וְשָׁקַל֙ אֶת־שְׂעַ֣ר רֹאשׁ֔וֹ מָאתַ֥יִם שְׁקָלִ֖ים בְּאֶ֥בֶן הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

   ve-sha-KAL et-se-AR ro-SHO ma-TA-yim she-ka-LIM be-E-ven ha-ME-lekh

   and he weighed the hair of his head two hundred shekels by a stone of the king
3. sentence🔊 וּֽבְגַלְּחוֹ֮ אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ֒ וְֽ֠הָיָה מִקֵּ֨ץ יָמִ֤ים לַיָּמִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְגַלֵּ֔חַ כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד עָלָ֖יו וְגִלְּח֑וֹ וְשָׁקַל֙ אֶת־שְׂעַ֣ר רֹאשׁ֔וֹ מָאתַ֥יִם שְׁקָלִ֖ים בְּאֶ֥בֶן הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

   u-ve-gal-KHO et-RO-sho ve-ha-YA mik-KETS ya-MIM la-ya-MIM a-SHER ye-gal-LE-akh ki-kha-VED a-LA-v ve-gil-KHO ve-sha-KAL et-se-AR ro-SHO ma-TA-yim she-ka-LIM be-E-ven ha-ME-lekh

   and when he cut his hair the head of him and it was from the end of days to the days which he would cut hair for it was heavy upon him and he cut it and he weighed the hair of his head two hundred shekels by a stone of the king

Exegesis

The alternation of Piel imperfect yə-gallê-aḥ {יְגַלֵּ֔חַ | yə-gallê-aḥ} ‘he would shave’, Piel perfect wə-gillā-ḥō {וְגִלְּחוֹ | wə-gillā-ḥō} ‘he shaved it’, and Qal perfect wə-ša-qāl {וְשָׁקַל֙ | wə-ša-qāl} ‘he weighed’ underscores the habitual pattern.