Genesis 21:20:7Gen.21.20.W7TAB
וַיְהִ֖י
vayehi
“became”
- Transliteration
- va-ye-HI
- Extended
- vah-yeh-HEE
- IPA
- /vajəˈhiː/
Meaning by language
- English
- became
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 | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī |
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The word
Word in context
- word
va-ye-HI
- clause
va-ye-SHEV ba-mid-BAR va-ye-HI ro-VE ka-SHAT
- sentence
va-ye-HI e-lo-HIM et-ha-NA-ar va-yig-DAL va-ye-SHEV ba-mid-BAR va-ye-HI ro-VE ka-SHAT
Exegesis
The verse unfolds with a sequence of wayyiqtol verbs: vayhi {וַיְהִי | wayhî} ‘and he was,’ vayigdal {וַיִּגְדָּל | wayyigdāl} ‘and he grew,’ vayeshev {וַיֵּשֶׁב | wayyēšeḇ} ‘and he dwelled,’ and vayehi {וַיְהִי | wayhî} ‘and he became.’
The idiomatic clause vayhi Elohim et-hanaar {וַיְהִי אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הַנַּעַר | wayhî ʾĕlōhîm ʾeṯ-han-naʿar} uses the direct-object-marker et-hanaar to convey ‘God was with the boy.’
In context — Genesis 21:20
And God was present with the youth throughout his growth; he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
About this coordinate
Genesis 21:20:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Genesis 21:20, so the Hebrew word וַיְהִ֖י (vayehi) 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.21.20.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.21.20.W7.S1) and character.