וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙

   va-TO-mer

   and she said
2. clause🔊 וַתֵּבְךְּ֩ אֵ֨שֶׁת שִׁמְשׁ֜וֹן עָלָ֗יו וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ רַק־שְׂנֵאתַ֙נִי֙ וְלֹ֣א אֲהַבְתָּ֔נִי הֽ͏ַחִידָ֥ה חַ֙דְתָּ֙ לִבְנֵ֣י עַמִּ֔י וְלִ֖י לֹ֣א הִגַּ֑דְתָּה

   va-TEV-kh E-shet shim-SHON a-LAV va-TO-mer rak-se-NE-ta-ni ve-LO a-hav-TA-ni ha-khi-DA KHAD-ta liv-NE a-MI ve-LI LO hi-GAD-ta

   and she wept wife of Samson over him and she said only you hate me and not you love me the riddle you set forth to the sons of my people and to me not you have told
3. sentence🔊 וַתֵּבְךְּ֩ אֵ֨שֶׁת שִׁמְשׁ֜וֹן עָלָ֗יו וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ רַק־שְׂנֵאתַ֙נִי֙ וְלֹ֣א אֲהַבְתָּ֔נִי הֽ͏ַחִידָ֥ה חַ֙דְתָּ֙ לִבְנֵ֣י עַמִּ֔י וְלִ֖י לֹ֣א הִגַּ֑דְתָּה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָ֗הּ הִנֵּ֨ה לְאָבִ֧י וּלְאִמִּ֛י לֹ֥א הִגַּ֖דְתִּי וְלָ֥ךְ אַגִּֽיד׃

   va-TEV-kh E-shet shim-SHON a-LAV va-TO-mer rak-se-NE-ta-ni ve-LO a-hav-TA-ni ha-khi-DA KHAD-ta liv-NE a-MI ve-LI LO hi-GAD-ta va-YO-mer LAH hi-NE le-a-VI u-le-i-MI LO hi-GAD-ti ve-LAKH a-GID

   and she wept wife of Samson over him and she said only you hate me and not you love me the riddle you set forth to the sons of my people and to me not you have told and he said to her behold to my father and to my mother not I have told and to you shall I tell

Exegesis

The narrative sequence opens with the waw-consecutive form vatevkh {וַתֵּבְךְּ֩ | watteḇêḵ} ‘and she wept’ immediately followed by vatomer {וַתֹּאמֶר֙ | wattōmer} ‘and she said,’ linking emotional response to direct speech.