וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ

   va-yit-NU

   they put
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִ֖י

   va-yit-NU et-hak-ke-na-a-NI

   they put the Canaanite
3. clause🔊 וַֽיְהִ֗י כִּ֤י חָזְקוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִ֖י לָמַ֑

   va-ye-HI KI khaz-KU be-NEI yis-ra-EL va-yit-NU et-hak-ke-na-a-NI la-MAS

   And it happened when they became strong the sons of Israel they put the Canaanite to forced labor
4. sentence🔊 וַֽיְהִ֗י כִּ֤י חָזְקוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִ֖י לָמַ֑ וְהוֹרֵ֖שׁ לֹ֥א הוֹרִישֽׁוֹ׃

   va-ye-HI KI khaz-KU be-NEI yis-ra-EL va-yit-NU et-hak-ke-na-a-NI la-MAS ve-ho-RESH LO ho-ri-SHO

   And it happened when they became strong the sons of Israel they put the Canaanite to forced labor but driving out not did they utterly drive him out

Exegesis

The perfect verb chazku {חֽ͏ָזְקוּ֙ | ḥā·zqû} ‘they grew strong’ describes Israel’s rising power and is followed by the vav-consecutive verb vayitnu {וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ | way·yiṯ·nû} ‘and they put’, which takes et {אֶת־ | ʾet} as a direct object marker before the definite noun hakena‘ani {הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י | hak·kən·aʿ·ăn·nî} ‘the Canaanite’, indicating focus on the affected population.