מְצָאתֶ֖ם

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מְצָאתֶ֖ם

   me-tsa-TEM

   you would have found
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹ֥א מְצָאתֶ֖ם

   LO me-tsa-TEM

   not you would have found
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לוּלֵא֙ חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י לֹ֥א מְצָאתֶ֖ם חִידָתִֽי׃

   va-yo-MER la-HEM lu-le kha-ra-she-TEM be-eg-la-TI LO me-tsa-TEM khi-da-TI

   and he said to them if not you had plowed with my heifer not you would have found my riddle
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לוֹ֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י הָעִ֜יר בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּטֶ֙רֶם֙ יָבֹ֣א הַחַ֔רְסָה מַה־מָּת֣וֹק מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה עַ֖ז מֵאֲרִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לוּלֵא֙ חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י לֹ֥א מְצָאתֶ֖ם חִידָתִֽי׃

   va-yo-me-RU LO an-she ha-IR ba-YOM ha-she-vi-I be-TE-rem ya-VO ha-khar-SA ma-ma-TOK mid-da-VASH u-ME AZ me-a-RI va-yo-MER la-HEM lu-le kha-ra-she-TEM be-eg-la-TI LO me-tsa-TEM khi-da-TI

   and they said to him men of the city on the day the seventh before came or would come the sun toward setting what is sweeter than honey and what is strong than a lion and he said to them if not you had plowed with my heifer not you would have found my riddle

Exegesis

In Samson’s reply, the counterfactual lule kharashtem be-eglati lo metsatem hidati {לוּלֵא֙ חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י לֹ֥א מְצָאתֶ֖ם חִידָתִֽי | lule ḥăraštem bəʿeḡlātî lōʾ məṣāʾātem ḥîḏātî} ‘negative conditional’ employs the particle luleʾ with the perfect to express “if you had not plowed…”. The idiom “plow with my heifer” underscores the method of solution. The vav-consecutive imperfect verbs bind the speeches and advance the narrative.