בְּקַרְנָ֑יו

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 בְּקַרְנָ֑יו

   be-kar-NAV

   by its horns
2. clause🔊 וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר נֶאֱחַ֥ז בַּסְּבַ֖ךְ בְּקַרְנָ֑יו

   va-yis-SA av-ra-HAM et-ey-NAV va-YAR ve-hin-neh-A-yil a-KHAR ne-e-KHAZ bas-se-VAKH be-kar-NAV

   Abraham {And He} lifted up his eyes {And} he saw and behold, a ram caught by its horns behind in the thicket
3. sentence🔊 וַיִּשָּׂ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־עֵינָ֗יו וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל אַחַ֕ר נֶאֱחַ֥ז בַּסְּבַ֖ךְ בְּקַרְנָ֑יו וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ אַבְרָהָם֙ וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֶת־הָאַ֔יִל וַיַּעֲלֵ֥הוּ לְעֹלָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת בְּנֽוֹ׃

   va-yis-SA av-ra-HAM et-ey-NAV va-YAR ve-hin-neh-A-yil a-KHAR ne-e-KHAZ bas-se-VAKH be-kar-NAV va-YE-lekh av-ra-HAM va-yik-KAKH et-ha-A-yil va-ya-a-LE-hu le-o-LAH TA-khat be-NO

   Abraham {And He} lifted up his eyes {And} he saw and behold, a ram caught by its horns behind in the thicket Abraham {And He} went {And} he took the ram {And} he offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son

Exegesis

The compact sequence ayil achar neʾeḥaz bas-seḇaḵ bə-qarnāyw {אַיִל אַחַר נֶאֱחַז בַּסְּבַךְ בְּקַרְנָיו | ʾayil ʾaḥar neʾeḥaz bas-seḇaḵ bə-qarnāyw} places the adverb achar ‘behind’ next to ayil to mark spatial relation, while the Niphal perfect neʾeḥaz ‘was caught’ portrays the ram’s passive entrapment, underscoring divine provision. The prepositional phrases bas-seḇaḵ ‘in the thicket’ and bə-qarnāyw ‘by its horns’ detail the means of capture. Repetition of Abraham’s name before vayikkakh forms a rhythmic pause that highlights his deliberate action. In the Hiphil form vayaʿălêhû leʿōlāh, the causative voice conveys the ritual act of offering, and tachat bənô ‘in place of his son’ uses tachat to express substitution, reflecting a key theological motif.