וָחַ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וָחַ֣י

   va-KHAI

   and lives
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֔ם

   va-KHAI ba-HEM

   and lives by them, in them
3. clause🔊 וַיַּמְרוּ־בִ֨י בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֣י לֹֽא־הָלָ֙כוּ֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֗סוּ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה אֹתָם֙ הָאָדָ֔ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֔ם וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י חִלְּל֣וּ מְאֹ֑ד

   va-yam-RU-VI BEIT-yis-ra-EL ba-mid-BAR be-khu-ko-TAI LO-ha-la-KHU ve-et-mish-pa-TAI ma-A-SU a-SHER ya-a-SE o-TAM ha-a-DAM va-KHAI ba-HEM ve-et-shab-be-to-TAI khil-le-LU me-OD

   and they rebelled against me the house of Israel in the wilderness in my statutes they did not walk and my judgments they rejected which he does them the human, the man and lives by them, in them and my Sabbaths they profaned greatly, very much
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּמְרוּ־בִ֨י בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֣י לֹֽא־הָלָ֙כוּ֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֗סוּ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה אֹתָם֙ הָאָדָ֔ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֔ם וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י חִלְּל֣וּ מְאֹ֑ד וָאֹמַ֗ר לִשְׁפֹּ֤ךְ חֲמָתִי֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר לְכַלּוֹתָֽם׃

   va-yam-RU-VI BEIT-yis-ra-EL ba-mid-BAR be-khu-ko-TAI LO-ha-la-KHU ve-et-mish-pa-TAI ma-A-SU a-SHER ya-a-SE o-TAM ha-a-DAM va-KHAI ba-HEM ve-et-shab-be-to-TAI khil-le-LU me-OD va-o-MAR lish-POKH kha-ma-TI a-le-HEM ba-mid-BAR le-khal-lo-TAM

   and they rebelled against me the house of Israel in the wilderness in my statutes they did not walk and my judgments they rejected which he does them the human, the man and lives by them, in them and my Sabbaths they profaned greatly, very much and I said to pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness to bring them to an end, to finish them

Exegesis

The relative clause ʼăšer yaʿăseh ʼōṯam hāʼāḏām wāḥay bāhem {אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם | ʾă-šer ya-ʿă-seh ʾō-ṯām hā-ʾā-ḏām wā-ḥay bā-hem} ‘which if a person does them, he will live by them’ encodes the principle that obedience grants life.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ח־י־הḥ-y-h

“to live, be alive”

• 🔊 חַיִּיםḥa-yi-yimlifeGenesis 2:7
• 🔊 חַיḥailivingJoshua 3:10