לֶ֣כֶת

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֶ֣כֶת

   LE-khet

   of going
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֶ֣כֶת הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ

   LE-khet ha-ME-lekh

   of going of the king
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

Temporal framing appears in the prepositional phrases min-hayom-lēkhet-hammelech {מִן־הַיּוֹם לֵכֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ | min-hayom lē-kheth-ham-mé-lekh} ‘from the day of the king’s departure’ and ad-hayom-asher-ba {עַד־הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר־בָּא | ’aḏ-hayom ’a-šer-bā} ‘until the day he came’ plus be-shalom {בְּשָׁלוֹם | bə-šā-lōm} ‘in peace’. The paratactic negations and parallel temporal clauses convey the prolonged duration of Mephibosheth’s mourning and loyalty.