Genesis 16:1:7Gen.16.1.W7TAB
וְלָ֛הּ
velah
“and she had”
- Transliteration
- ve-LAH
- Extended
- veh-LAAH
- IPA
- /wə.ˈlaːh/
Meaning by language
- English
- and she had
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ve-LAH
- clause
ve-LAH shif-KHA mits-RIT u-she-MAH ha-GAR
- sentence
ve-sa-RAI E-shet av-RAM LO ya-le-DA LO ve-LAH shif-KHA mits-RIT u-she-MAH ha-GAR
Exegesis
The phrase velah shifchah mitsrit {וְלָהּ שִׁפְחָה מִצְרִית | wə-lāh šip̄-ḥāh miṣ-rît} is a verbless existential construction indicating possession (‘and to her was an Egyptian servant’), emphasizing her lack of offspring contrasted with her acquisition of Hagar.
In context — Genesis 16:1
Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him any child. She had a servant , an Egyptian, named Hagar.
About this coordinate
Genesis 16:1:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Genesis 16:1, so the Hebrew word וְלָ֛הּ (velah) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Gen.16.1.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.16.1.W7.S1) and character.