Genesis 39:2:4Gen.39.2.W4TAB
וַיְהִ֖י
vayehi
“he became”
- Transliteration
- va-ye-HI
- Extended
- vah-yeh-HEE
- IPA
- /vajəˈhiː/
Meaning by language
- English
- he 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-HI Ye-ho-VAH et-yo-SEF va-ye-HI ISH mats-LI-akh
- sentence
va-ye-HI Ye-ho-VAH et-yo-SEF va-ye-HI ISH mats-LI-akh va-ye-HI be-VEIT a-do-NAV ham-mits-RI
Exegesis
The verse opens with wayyêhi {וַיְהִי | wayhî} ‘and it came to pass’, a narrative marker introducing a new episode.
The clause wayyêhi ʾîš matslî’aḥ {וַיְהִי אִישׁ מַצְלִיחַ | wayhî ʾîš matslî’aḥ} employs a Hifil participle predicate to describe his continual prosperity.
The final locative clause wayyêhi bĕbēṯ ădōnāv hammîṣrî {וַיְהִי בְּבֵית אֲדֹנָיו הַמִּצְרִי | wayhî bə-bēṯ ădōnāw hammîṣrî} situates him in his Egyptian master’s house. This triplet of wayyêhi clauses creates a thematic progression from divine accompaniment to personal success and social placement.
In context — Genesis 39:2
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a man prospering , and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
About this coordinate
Genesis 39:2:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Genesis 39:2, 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.39.2.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.39.2.W4.S1) and character.