1 Kings 18:21:81 Kgs.18.21.W8TAB
עַל־שְׁתֵּ֣י
alshetei
“upon two”
- Transliteration
- al-she-TEI
- Extended
- ahl-sheh-TEH
- IPA
- /ʕal.ʃəˈteː/
Meaning by language
- English
- upon two
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī |
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The word
Word in context
- word
al-she-TEI
- phraseyour reading level
al-she-TEI has-se-i-PIM
- clause
va-yig-GASH e-li-YA-hu el-KOL-ha-AM va-yo-MER ad-ma-TAI a-TEM po-se-KHIM al-she-TEI has-se-i-PIM im-Ye-ho-VAH ha-e-lo-HIM le-KHU a-kha-RAV ve-im-hab-BA-al le-KHU a-kha-RAV
- sentence
va-yig-GASH e-li-YA-hu el-KOL-ha-AM va-yo-MER ad-ma-TAI a-TEM po-se-KHIM al-she-TEI has-se-i-PIM im-Ye-ho-VAH ha-e-lo-HIM le-KHU a-kha-RAV ve-im-hab-BA-al le-KHU a-kha-RAV ve-LO-a-NU ha-AM o-TO da-VAR
Exegesis
The participle potschim {פֹּסְחִים | pôṣḥîm} ‘limping’ with the phrase al-shtei hassēʿîpîm {עַל־שְׁתֵּי הַסְּעִיפִּים | ʿal-štê hassǝʿîpîm} ‘on two branches’ conveys a vivid metaphor of vacillation.
In context — 1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah drew near to all the people and said, “How long will you continue limping on two branches ? If the LORD God is God, follow Him; but if Baal is god, then follow Him.” Yet the people gave him no reply.
About this coordinate
1 Kings 18:21:8 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 8 of 1 Kings 18:21, so the Hebrew word עַל־שְׁתֵּ֣י (alshetei) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written 1 Kgs.18.21.W8, which extends further down to each syllable (1 Kgs.18.21.W8.S1) and character.