וְשׁ֣וּבוּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְשׁ֣וּבוּ

   ve-SHU-voo

   and return
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְשׁ֣וּבוּ אֵלַ֔י

   ve-SHU-voo e-LAI

   and return to me
3. clause🔊 וַיְצַ֣ו יְהוֹשֻׁ֡עַ אֶת־הַהֹלְכִים֩ לִכְתֹּ֨ב אֶת־הָאָ֜רֶץ לֵאמֹ֗ר לְ֠כוּ וְהִתְהַלְּכ֨וּ בָאָ֜רֶץ וְכִתְב֤וּ אוֹתָהּ֙ וְשׁ֣וּבוּ אֵלַ֔י וּ֠פֹה אַשְׁלִ֨יךְ לָכֶ֥ם גּוֹרָ֛ל לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה בְּשִׁלֹֽה׃

   va-ye-TSA ye-ho-SHU-a ET-ha-hol-KHIM lik-TOV ET-ha-a-RETZ le-EMOR le-KHU ve-hit-hal-KHU va-a-RETZ ve-khit-VOO o-TAH ve-SHU-voo e-LAI u-PO ash-LIKH la-KHEM go-RAL lif-NEI Ye-ho-VAH be-shi-LO

   and commanded Joshua those going to write the land saying Go and walk about in the land and write it and return to me and here I will cast for you lot before LORD in Shiloh
4. sentence🔊 וַיָּקֻ֥מוּ הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ וַיְצַ֣ו יְהוֹשֻׁ֡עַ אֶת־הַהֹלְכִים֩ לִכְתֹּ֨ב אֶת־הָאָ֜רֶץ לֵאמֹ֗ר לְ֠כוּ וְהִתְהַלְּכ֨וּ בָאָ֜רֶץ וְכִתְב֤וּ אוֹתָהּ֙ וְשׁ֣וּבוּ אֵלַ֔י וּ֠פֹה אַשְׁלִ֨יךְ לָכֶ֥ם גּוֹרָ֛ל לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה בְּשִׁלֹֽה׃

   va-ya-KU-mu ha-a-na-SHIM va-ye-LE-khu va-ye-TSA ye-ho-SHU-a ET-ha-hol-KHIM lik-TOV ET-ha-a-RETZ le-EMOR le-KHU ve-hit-hal-KHU va-a-RETZ ve-khit-VOO o-TAH ve-SHU-voo e-LAI u-PO ash-LIKH la-KHEM go-RAL lif-NEI Ye-ho-VAH be-shi-LO

   And arose the men and went and commanded Joshua those going to write the land saying Go and walk about in the land and write it and return to me and here I will cast for you lot before LORD in Shiloh

Exegesis

The infinitive construct lē’êmôr {לֵאמֹ֗ר | lēʾmôr} ‘introducing direct speech’ signals Joshua’s commands, which follow as a coordinated chain of Qal and Hitpael imperatives—lᵉḵû {לְכוּ | lᵉḵû} ‘go’, wəhitḥalləḵû {וְהִתְהַלְּכ֨וּ | wəhitḥalləḵû} ‘walk about’, wəḵittəḇû {וְכִתְב֤וּ | wəḵittəḇû} ‘write’, wəšûḇû {וְשׁוּבוּ | wəšûḇû} ‘return’—creating a stepwise instruction.