וַיָּ֥שֶׁב אֶת־הַכֶּ֖סֶף לְאִמֹּ֑ו וַתִּקַּ֣ח אִמֹּו֩ מָאתַ֨יִם כֶּ֜סֶף וַתִּתְּנֵ֣הוּ לַצֹּורֵ֗ף וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֨הוּ֙ פֶּ֣סֶל וּמַסֵּכָ֔ה וַיְהִ֖י בְּבֵ֥ית מִיכָֽיְהוּ׃
And he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, and he made it a carved image and a cast idol, and it was in the house of Mikhayehu.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Judges 17:4 features a series of wayyiqtol verbs (consecutive imperfects), a hallmark of Hebrew narrative style. It also illustrates subject-verb gender agreement, where the verb form changes to match the gender of the subject.
Note how the verbs shift between masculine and feminine depending on whether the subject is the son or the mother.
Examples from Judges 17:4
| Verb | Parsing | Subject | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּשֶׁב | Wayyiqtol, Qal, 3ms | The son | “And he returned” – initiates the narrative sequence |
| וַתִּקַּח | Wayyiqtol, Qal, 3fs | His mother | “And she took” – verb agrees in gender with the feminine subject |
| וַתִּתְּנֵהוּ | Wayyiqtol, Qal, 3fs + obj. suffix | His mother | “And she gave it” – feminine verb + masculine object suffix |
| וַיַּעֲשֵׂהוּ | Wayyiqtol, Qal, 3ms + obj. suffix | The silversmith | “And he made it” – action transferred to a new male subject |
| וַיְהִי | Wayyiqtol, Qal, 3ms | Unspecified subject (the idol) | “And it was” – concludes the sequence by stating result/location |
Related Grammatical Insight
– Wayyiqtol (וַיִּקְטֹל) is the dominant form for narrating past events in Hebrew narrative, showing sequential, chronological actions.
– Hebrew verbs must agree in gender and number with their subject. Thus:
– וַיָּשֶׁב is masculine (the son)
– וַתִּקַּח is feminine (his mother)
This alternation between masculine and feminine verb forms not only maintains grammatical coherence but also clearly tracks the agent of action in a dense narrative.
