Genesis 39:20:12Gen.39.20.W12TAB
וַֽיְהִי־שָׁ֖ם
vayehisham
“he was there”
- Transliteration
- va-ye-hi-SHAM
- Extended
- vah-yeh-hee-SHAAM
- IPA
- /vaj.ə.hiː.ˈʃaːm/
Meaning by language
- English
- he was there
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 | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
va-ye-hi-SHAM
- clause
va-ye-hi-SHAM be-VEIT ha-SO-har
- sentence
va-yik-KAKH a-do-NEI yo-SEF o-TO va-yit-te-NE-hu el-BEIT ha-SO-har me-KOM a-sher-a-si-REI ha-ME-lekh a-su-RIM va-ye-hi-SHAM be-VEIT ha-SO-har
Exegesis
The closing wayyiqtol clause vayhi sham beveit hasohar {וֽ͏ַיְהִי־שָׁ֖ם בְּבֵ֥ית הַסֹּהַר | way-hĭ-šām bə-bêt has-sō-har} functions as a summary statement, emphasizing Joseph’s continued presence in that prison and marking a transition to the next phase of the narrative in chapter 40.
In context — Genesis 39:20
And the master of Joseph took him and put him into the house of the prison , the place where the king’s prisoners were bound. And he was there in the house of the prison.
About this coordinate
Genesis 39:20:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of Genesis 39:20, so the Hebrew word וַֽיְהִי־שָׁ֖ם (vayehisham) 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.39.20.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.39.20.W12.S1) and character.