Rabbi Levi, or some say Rabbi Jonathan, said that a tradition handed down from the Men of the Great Assembly taught that wherever the Bible employs the term "and it was" or "and it came to pass" (, "va-yehi"), as it does in , it indicates misfortune, as one can read "wa-yehi" as "wai", "hi", "woe, sorrow." Thus the words, "And it came to pass in those days of Amraphel, Arioch, Kenderlaomer, Tidal, Shemeber, Shinab, Backbrai, and Lama the kings of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, Goiim, Zeboiim, Admah, Bela, and Lasha" in , are followed by the words, "they made war with Bera, Birsta, Nianhazel, and Melchizedek the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, and Salem" in . And the Gemara also cited the instances of followed by ; followed by ; followed by the rest of ; followed by ; 1 Samuel followed by ; followed by ; close after ; followed by ; followed by the rest of ; and followed by Haman. But the Gemara also cited as counterexamples the words, "And there was evening and there was morning one day," in , as well as , and . So Rav Ashi replied that "wa-yehi" sometimes presages misfortune, and sometimes it does not, but the expression "and it came to pass in the days of" always presages misfortune. And for that proposition, the Gemara cited , , , and .