וַתָּ֙חֶל֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וַתָּ֙חֶל֙

   va-ta-KHEL

   and she began
2. clause🔊 וַתָּ֙חֶל֙ לְעַנּוֹת֔וֹ וַיָּ֥סַר כֹּח֖וֹ מֵעָלָֽיו׃

   va-ta-KHEL le-a-NO-to va-ya-SAR ko-KHO me-a-LAIV

   and she began to torment him and departed his strength from upon him
3. sentence🔊 וַתְּיַשְּׁנֵ֙הוּ֙ עַל־בִּרְכֶּ֔יהָ וַתִּקְרָ֣א לָאִ֔ישׁ וַתְּגַלַּ֕ח אֶת־שֶׁ֖בַע מַחְלְפ֣וֹת רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וַתָּ֙חֶל֙ לְעַנּוֹת֔וֹ וַיָּ֥סַר כֹּח֖וֹ מֵעָלָֽיו׃

   va-te-yash-SHE-ne-HU al-BIR-ke-HA va-tik-RA la-ISH va-te-gal-LAKH et-SHE-va makh-le-FOT ro-SHO va-ta-KHEL le-a-NO-to va-ya-SAR ko-KHO me-a-LAIV

   and she made him sleep on her knees and she called to the man and she shaved off {direct object marker} seven locks of hair of his head and she began to torment him and departed his strength from upon him

Exegesis

The verse unfolds through a sequence of five vav-consecutive verbs driving the narrative momentum: vateyashshenehu {וַתְּיַשְּׁנֵ֙הוּ֙ | vaṯ-tə-yaš-šə-nē-hû} ‘and she made him sleep’, vatikra {וַתִּקְרָ֣א | vaṯ-ti-krā} ‘and she called’, vategallach {וַתְּגַלַּ֕ח | vaṯ-te-gallāḥ} ‘and she shaved’, vatachel {וַתָּ֙חֶל֙ | vaṯ-ṯā-ḥél} ‘and she began’, and vayasar {וַיָּ֥סַר | vā-ya-sār} ‘and he departed’. The Piel stem in vateyashshenehu and vategallach imparts deliberate intensity.