וַיַּכּ֧וֹ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיַּכּ֧וֹ

   va-yak-KO

   and he struck him
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיַּכּ֧וֹ הָאֶחָ֛ד

   va-yak-KO ha-e-KHAD

   and he struck him the one
3. clause🔊 וַיַּכּ֧וֹ הָאֶחָ֛ד אֶת־הָאֶחָ֖ד וַיָּ֥מֶת אֹתֽוֹ׃

   va-yak-KO ha-e-KHAD et-ha-e-KHAD va-ya-MET o-TO

   and he struck him the one {direct object marker} the other one and he died him
4. sentence🔊 וּלְשִׁפְחָֽתְךָ֙ שְׁנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים וַיִּנָּצ֤וּ שְׁנֵיהֶם֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וְאֵ֥ין מַצִּ֖יל בֵּֽינֵיהֶ֑ם וַיַּכּ֧וֹ הָאֶחָ֛ד אֶת־הָאֶחָ֖ד וַיָּ֥מֶת אֹתֽוֹ׃

   u-le-shif-kha-TE-kha she-NE va-NIM va-yin-NA-tsu she-NE-hem ba-sa-DE ve-EN ma-TSIL be-ne-HEM va-yak-KO ha-e-KHAD et-ha-e-KHAD va-ya-MET o-TO

   and to your female servant two of sons and they fought or quarreled both of them in the field and there was no one delivering or rescuing between them and he struck him the one {direct object marker} the other one and he died him

Exegesis

The Hiphil imperfect vayakko {וַיַּכּ֧וֹ | wayyakkō} conveys causative action ‘he struck him,’ and the Qal imperfect vayamet {וַיָּ֥מֶת | wayyāmet} narrates the fatal outcome ‘he died.’ This syntactic chain of perfective prefixes maintains narrative momentum and heightens dramatic tension through absence of aid.