לֹ֣א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֹ֣א

   LO

   not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֣א כִבֵּ֔

   LO khi-BES

   not he washed
3. clause🔊 וְלֹא־עָשָׂ֨ה רַגְלָ֜יו וְלֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה שְׂפָמ֗וֹ וְאֶת־בְּגָדָיו֙ לֹ֣א כִבֵּ֔ לְמִן־הַיּ֖וֹם לֶ֣כֶת הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ

   ve-LO-a-SA rag-la-VAIV ve-LO-a-SA se-fa-MO ve-ET-be-ga-DAV LO khi-BES le-min-ha-YOM LE-khet ha-ME-lekh

   and he had not done his feet and he had not done his moustache or his beard and his garments not he washed from the day of going of the king
4. sentence🔊 וּמְפִיבֹ֙שֶׁת֙ בֶּן־שָׁא֔וּל יָרַ֖ד לִקְרַ֣את הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְלֹא־עָשָׂ֨ה רַגְלָ֜יו וְלֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה שְׂפָמ֗וֹ וְאֶת־בְּגָדָיו֙ לֹ֣א כִבֵּ֔ לְמִן־הַיּ֖וֹם לֶ֣כֶת הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ עַד־הַיּ֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥א בְשָׁל֖וֹם׃

   u-me-fi-VO-shet ben-sha-UL ya-RAD lik-ra-AT ha-ME-lekh ve-LO-a-SA rag-la-VAIV ve-LO-a-SA se-fa-MO ve-ET-be-ga-DAV LO khi-BES le-min-ha-YOM LE-khet ha-ME-lekh ad-ha-YOM a-SHER-ba be-sha-LOM

   and Mephibosheth son of Saul came down to meet the king and he had not done his feet and he had not done his moustache or his beard and his garments not he washed from the day of going of the king until the day when he came in peace

Exegesis

The repeated velo-asah {וְלֹא־עָשָׂה | wə-lō-‘ā-sâh} ‘and he did not’ introduces a triadic list of neglected tasks: raglav {רַגְלָיו | ra-ḡə-lāyw} ‘his feet’, sefamo {שְׂפָמוֹ | sə-pā-mō} ‘his beard’, and begadav {בְּגָדָיו | bə-ḡā-dāyw} ‘his clothes’, the latter marked by direct object ve-et {וְאֶת | wə-’eṯ}.

Root and etymology

l-ʾ-k🔊 lamed-aleph-kaf

“messenger, angel”

• 🔊 מְלָאכָהmelakhahwork, occupationGenesis 4:2