וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם אֶת־הֲדֹרָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הַמַּ֔ס וַיִּרְגְּמוּ־ב֧וֹ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶ֖בֶן וַיָּמֹ֑ת וְהַמֶּ֣לֶךְ רְחַבְעָ֗ם הִתְאַמֵּץ֙ לַֽעֲל֣וֹת בַּמֶּרְכָּבָ֔ה לָנ֖וּס יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (ס)
Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was over the levy; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, so that he died. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
Ibn Ezra
הוי. Some consider the ה as a substitute for א, and explain אוי ═ הוי, ‘woe;’ comp. אדורם and הדורם, N. pr. (2 Chr. 10:18; 1 Kings 12:18); איך and היך, how (1 Chr. 13:12 ; 2 Sam. 6:9); but I think that it is a sign of the vocative case (derived from the verb היה ‘to be’), and that the passage must be rendered, O sinful people, etc. ; comp. הוי הוי ונסו, Ho, ho, flee (Zach. 2:10), הוי ציון המלטי O Zion, deliver thyself (Ibid. 11).13In the two passages quoted by the author, הוי cannot be translated by ‘ woe,’ because it is followed by good tidings.—Ibn Ezra does not mean to say that הוי is never used instead of אוי (woe); for in this same chapter (ver. 24) he admits the identity of these two words.—The connection between היה ‘ to be ’ and הוי ‘ Oh ’ is not clear. Comp. Zahoth, On the Aleph. The second person is, therefore, used in the next verse, Why should ye be stricken any more.