שָֽׁמְע֔וּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 שָֽׁמְע֔וּ

   sha-me-U

   they listened
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְלֹ֣א שָֽׁמְע֔וּ

   ve-LO sha-me-U

   and not they listened
3. clause🔊 וְלֹ֣א שָֽׁמְע֔וּ וְלֹ֥א הִטּ֖וּ אֶת־אָזְנָ֑ם

   ve-LO sha-me-U ve-LO hi-TU et-o-ZE-nam

   and not they listened and not they inclined the ear of them or their ear
4. sentence🔊 וְלֹ֣א שָֽׁמְע֔וּ וְלֹ֥א הִטּ֖וּ אֶת־אָזְנָ֑ם וַיַּקְשׁוּ֙ אֶת־עָרְפָּ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֣י שומע שְׁמ֔וֹעַ וּלְבִלְתִּ֖י קַ֥חַת מוּסָֽר׃

   ve-LO sha-me-U ve-LO hi-TU et-o-ZE-nam va-yak-SHU et-ar-pe-AM le-vil-TI sho-me-a she-MO-a u-le-vil-TI ka-KHAT mu-SAR

   and not they listened and not they inclined the ear of them or their ear and they hardened the neck of them or their neck so as not to hearing or listening to hear and so as not to to take discipline or instruction

Exegesis

The verse employs a triadic parallelism of negation clauses: the perfect forms in ve-lo shameu {וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ | wə-lōʾ šā-mə-ʿû} ‘and did not hear’ and ve-lo hithu {וְלֹא הִטּוּ | wə-lōʾ hiṭ-ṭû} ‘and did not incline’, followed by the wayyiqtol vayakshu {וַיַּקְשׁוּ | way-yaq-šû} ‘and they stiffened’, which heightens resistance.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ש־מ־עshin–mem–ayin

“hear, obey”

• 🔊 שְׁמַעshemaHearDeuteronomy 6:4