Genesis 20:8:10Gen.20.8.W10TAB
וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ
vayiru
“were afraid”
- Transliteration
- va-yir-U
- Extended
- vah-yeer-UU
- IPA
- /vaj.jiːr.ˈʔuː/
Meaning by language
- English
- were afraid
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| 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
va-yir-U
- phraseyour reading level
va-yir-U ha-a-na-SHIM
- clause
va-yir-U ha-a-na-SHIM me-OD
- sentence
va-yash-KEM a-vi-ME-lekh ba-BO-ker va-yik-RA le-KHOL-a-va-DAV va-ye-da-BER et-khol-ha-de-va-RIM ha-EL-le be-oz-NEI-hem va-yir-U ha-a-na-SHIM me-OD
Exegesis
The concluding clause wayyîrʾû hāʾănāšîm məʾōḏ {וַיִּירְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים מְאֹד | wayyîrʾû hāʾănāšîm məʾōḏ} ‘and the men were very afraid’ places the emotional response at the end, with məʾōḏ intensifying the fear to create an emotional climax. In English, preserving the order of finite verbs sustains narrative momentum while rendering Hebrew idioms into clear, natural English.
Root and etymology
“to fear”
In context — Genesis 20:8
Abimelech rose early in the morning, summoned all his servants, and spoke all these words in their ears . And the men were very much afraid.
About this coordinate
Genesis 20:8:10 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 10 of Genesis 20:8, so the Hebrew word וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ (vayiru) 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.20.8.W10, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.20.8.W10.S1) and character.