ה֗וּא

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 ה֗וּא

   HU

   he
2. clause🔊 ה֗וּא יָנ֛וּ אֶל־אַחַ֥ת הֶעָרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה וָחָֽי׃

   HU ya-NUS el-a-KHAT he-a-RIM-ha-E-leh va-KHAI

   he may flee to one of these cities and live
3. sentence🔊 וַאֲשֶׁר֩ יָבֹ֨א אֶת־רֵעֵ֥הוּ בַיַּעַר֮ לַחְטֹ֣ב עֵצִים֒ וְנִדְּחָ֨ה יָד֤וֹ בַגַּרְזֶן֙ לִכְרֹ֣ת הָעֵ֔ץ וְנָשַׁ֤ל הַבַּרְזֶל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ וּמָצָ֥א אֶת־רֵעֵ֖הוּ וָמֵ֑ת ה֗וּא יָנ֛וּ אֶל־אַחַ֥ת הֶעָרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה וָחָֽי׃

   va-a-SHER ya-VO ET-re-EH-hu ba-ya-AR lakh-TOV ei-TSIM ve-nid-KHAH ya-DO ba-gar-ZEN likh-ROT ha-ETS ve-na-SHAL ha-bar-ZEL min-ha-ETS u-ma-TSA ET-re-EH-hu va-MET HU ya-NUS el-a-KHAT he-a-RIM-ha-E-leh va-KHAI

   and when he comes his neighbor into the forest to cut wood and his hand is thrust away his hand with the axe to cut down the tree and slips loose the iron {axehead} from the wood and strikes his neighbor and he dies he may flee to one of these cities and live

Exegesis

The apodosis is introduced by hu yanus {ה֗וּא יָנ֛וּס | hû yān·ûs} ‘he shall flee’, followed by el-achat he’arim-ha’eleh {אֶל־אַחַ֥ת הֶעָרִים־הָאֵ֖לֶּה | ’el-’aḥ·aṯ hē·’ā·rîm-hā·’ē·lêh} ‘to one of these cities’, concluding with va-chai {וָחָֽי | wā·ḥā·y} ‘and live’. The verse employs a conditional–result structure with purpose infinitives to frame unintentional manslaughter within the asylum provision.