הִ֛יא

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הִ֛יא

   HI

   it was
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּֽי־מִצְוַ֨ת הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ הִ֛יא

   ki-mits-VAT ha-ME-lekh HI

   for command of the king it was
3. clause🔊 כִּֽי־מִצְוַ֨ת הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ הִ֛יא לֵאמֹ֖ר לֹ֥א תַעֲנֻֽהוּ׃

   ki-mits-VAT ha-ME-lekh HI le-MOR LO ta-a-NU-hu

   for command of the king it was saying not you shall answer him
4. sentence🔊 וַֽיַּחֲרִ֔ישׁוּ וְלֹֽא־עָנ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ דָּבָ֑ר כִּֽי־מִצְוַ֨ת הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ הִ֛יא לֵאמֹ֖ר לֹ֥א תַעֲנֻֽהוּ׃

   va-ya-kha-ri-SHU ve-LO-a-NU o-TO da-VAR ki-mits-VAT ha-ME-lekh HI le-MOR LO ta-a-NU-hu

   and they kept silent and not answered him a word for command of the king it was saying not you shall answer him

Exegesis

The particle hî {הִ֛יא | hî} ‘it’ functions as a copula for emphasis, preceding the infinitive construct lēʾemor {לֵאמֹ֖ר | lēʾemor} ‘to say’, which introduces the direct prohibition lo taʿănûhû {לֹ֥א תַעֲנֻֽהוּ | lō taʿănûhû} ‘you shall not answer him’, where the imperfect expresses a continuous ban. The placement of hî and the leʾemor clause foregrounds the king’s decree before the quoted command.