כֵּֽן׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כֵּֽן׃

   KEN

   thus or so
2. clause🔊 וְלֹֽא־מָצְא֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן׃

   ve-LO-ma-tse-U la-HEM KEN

   and they did not find for them thus or so
3. sentence🔊 וַיָּ֤שָׁב בִּנְיָמִן֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ לָהֶם֙ הַנָּשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר חִיּ֔וּ מִנְּשֵׁ֖י יָבֵ֣שׁ גִּלְעָ֑ד וְלֹֽא־מָצְא֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן׃

   va-ya-SHAV bin-ya-MIN ba-ET ha-HI va-yit-NU la-HEM ha-na-SHIM a-SHER khi-YU min-ne-SHE ya-VESH gil-AD ve-LO-ma-tse-U la-HEM KEN

   and returned Benjamin at the time that and they gave to them the women whom they kept alive from the women of Jabesh Gilead and they did not find for them thus or so

Exegesis

The conjunctive negative velo-matsu lahem ken {וְלֹֽא־מָצְא֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן | wĕlō’ māṣ’û lāhem kên} ‘and did not find for them thus’ uses kên as an adverb of measure to underscore insufficiency. The sequence moves from return to distribution to shortfall, preserving narrative cohesion.