כֵּ֖ן

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כֵּ֖ן

   KEN

   so
2. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם׃

   va-YO-mer la-HEM ka-a-SHER a-SU LI KEN a-SI-ti la-HEM

   and he said to them as they did to me so I did to them
3. sentence🔊 וַיֵּרְד֡וּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת֩ אֲלָפִ֨ים אִ֜ישׁ מִֽיהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־סְעִיף֮ סֶ֣לַע עֵיטָם֒ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשִׁמְשׁ֗וֹן הֲלֹ֤א יָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ כִּֽי־מֹשְׁלִ֥ים בָּ֙נוּ֙ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וּמַה־זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֑נוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁר֙ עָ֣שׂוּ לִ֔י כֵּ֖ן עָשִׂ֥יתִי לָהֶֽם׃

   va-yer-DU she-lo-SHET a-la-FIM ISH mi-ye-hu-DA el-se-IF SE-la e-TAM va-yom-RU le-shim-SHON ha-LO ya-DAT-ta ki-mo-she-LIM BA-nu pe-lish-TIM u-ma-ZOT a-SI-ta LA-nu va-YO-mer la-HEM ka-a-SHER a-SU LI KEN a-SI-ti la-HEM

   and they went down three of thousands men from Judah to the cleft of the rock Etam and they said to Samson is it not you know that ruling over us the Philistines and what is this you have done to us and he said to them as they did to me so I did to them

Exegesis

Samson’s response, introduced by vayomer {וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer}, employs chiastic parallelism kaasher asu li ken asiti lahem {כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ לִי כֵּן עָשִׂיתִי לָהֶם | ka-ʾăšer ʿāšû lī kên ʿāśîtî lā-hem}, underscoring reciprocal retribution.