Genesis 19:8:21Gen.19.8.W21TAB
בָּ֖אוּ
bau
“they came”
- Transliteration
- ba-U
- Extended
- bah-OO
- IPA
- /baː.ˈʔuː/
Meaning by language
- English
- they came
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ba-U
- phraseyour reading level
ki-al-KEN ba-U
- clause
RAK la-a-na-SHIM ha-EL al-ta-a-SU da-VAR ki-al-KEN ba-U be-TSEL ko-ra-TI
- sentence
hi-neh-NA LI she-TE va-NOT a-SHER lo-ya-de-U ISH o-tsi-a-NA e-te-HEN a-lei-KHEM va-a-SU la-HEN ka-TOV be-ei-nei-KHEM RAK la-a-na-SHIM ha-EL al-ta-a-SU da-VAR ki-al-KEN ba-U be-TSEL ko-ra-TI
Exegesis
Finally, the causal clause ki al-ken bau be-tsel korati {כִּי עַל־כֵּן בָּאוּ בְּצֵל קֹרָתִי | kî ʿal-kēn bā-ʾû bə-ṣēl qō-rā-ṯî} explains that the men ‘have come under the shadow of my roof’, a metaphor for the host’s protective obligation. The progression from offer to restriction to rationale underscores the tension between hospitality duty and moral collapse.
Root and etymology
bet–vav–alephbet–vav–aleph
“to come”
In context — Genesis 19:8
Behold, please, I have two daughters who have not known a man . Let me, please, bring them out to you, and you may do to them as is good in your eyes . Only, do not do anything to these men, because for this reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.
About this coordinate
Genesis 19:8:21 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 21 of Genesis 19:8, so the Hebrew word בָּ֖אוּ (bau) 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.19.8.W21, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.19.8.W21.S1) and character.