מָצָ֔אוּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מָצָ֔אוּ

   ma-tsa-U

   they found
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְלֹ֣א מָצָ֔אוּ

   ve-LO ma-tsa-U

   and not they found
3. clause🔊 וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מָצָ֔אוּ וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

   va-ye-vak-SHU ve-LO ma-tsa-U va-ya-SHU-vu ye-ru-sha-LA-im

   and they searched and not they found and they returned Jerusalem
4. sentence🔊 וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ עַבְדֵי֩ אַבְשָׁל֨וֹם אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֜ה הַבַּ֗יְתָה וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אַיֵּ֗ה אֲחִימַ֙עַץ֙ וִיה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה עָבְר֖וּ מִיכַ֣ל הַמָּ֑יִם וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מָצָ֔אוּ וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

   va-ya-BO-u av-DE av-sha-LOM el-ha-i-SHA ha-BAI-ta va-yo-me-RU a-YE a-khi-ma-ATS vi-yo-na-TAN va-to-MER la-HEM ha-i-SHA av-RU mi-KHAL ha-MA-yim va-ye-vak-SHU ve-LO ma-tsa-U va-ya-SHU-vu ye-ru-sha-LA-im

   and they came servants of Absalom to the woman to the house and they said where Ahimaaz and Jonathan and she said to them the woman they crossed over from beyond, from past the water and they searched and not they found and they returned Jerusalem

Exegesis

The vav-consecutive imperfect vayyivqašū {וַיְבַקְשׁוּ | vayyivqašū} ‘and they sought’ paired with wə-lōʾ māṣāʾū {וְלֹא מָצָאוּ | wə-lōʾ māṣāʾū} ‘and did not find’ reflects the fruitless search, culminating in vayyāšūvū {וַיָּשֻׁבוּ | vayyāšūvū} ‘and they returned’, which closes the narrative loop and mirrors the Hebrew telic flow.