וָ/אֱהִ֨י
𐤅/𐤀𐤄𐤉
hâyâh
and I was
To be, to exist, to happen, to take place; expresses existence, state of being, occurrence, or coming into a particular state. Used for describing the state or process of being, becoming, or coming to pass; also to indicate the occurrence of events or conditions, and, in certain syntactic contexts, serves as a linking or existential verb.
Nehemiah 2:15 · Word #1
Lexicon H1961
| Lemma | הָיָה |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤄𐤉𐤄 |
| Transliteration | hâyâh |
| Strong's | H1961 |
| Definition | To be, to exist, to happen, to take place; expresses existence, state of being, occurrence, or coming into a particular state. Used for describing the state or process of being, becoming, or coming to pass; also to indicate the occurrence of events or conditions, and, in certain syntactic contexts, serves as a linking or existential verb. |
Morphology HC/Vqw1cs
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | w — Sequential Imperfect — Imperfect with waw-consecutive, narrating past events |
| Person | 1 — 1st person — First person ("I" / "we") |
| Gender | c — Common — Common (both genders) |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
Common Translation
| Phrase | and I was |
SIBI-P1 Translation H1961-66
and I became
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect (vav-consecutive), 1st person common singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Qal stem conveys simple being or becoming, and the sequential imperfect (vav-consecutive) gives it past narrative force. "And I became" preserves both the root sense of becoming/existing and the 1st person singular morphology. |
View full lexicon entry for H1961 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
and I was
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | 'and I became' (P1) is possible but in narrative context for first person וָ/אֱהִי, 'and I was' is more natural and aligns with typical sense of 'to be' here; adjusted for context. |