1 Samuel 15:22:131 Sam.15.22.W13TAB

ט֔וֹב

tov

better

Transliteration
TOV
Extended
TOHV
IPA
/ˈtˤoːv/

Meaning by language

English
better

Alphabet Analysis

Tett — emphatic
Vavv as in vine; marks long ō / ū
Holemlong 'oh' as in go
Betb with dagesh; v without dagesh

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Vowels (Niqqud)

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    TOV

  2. phraseyour reading level

    mi-ZE-vakh TOV

  3. clause

    hi-NE she-MO-a mi-ZE-vakh TOV le-hak-SHIV me-KHE-lev E-lim

  4. sentence

    va-yo-MER she-mu-EL ha-KHE-fets la-ye-ho-VAH be-o-LOT u-ze-va-KHIM ki-she-MO-a be-KOL ye-ho-VAH hi-NE she-MO-a mi-ZE-vakh TOV le-hak-SHIV me-KHE-lev E-lim

Exegesis

A chiastic parallelism links šə-mō-ʿ mî-zᵉ-baḥ ṭōḇ {שְׁמֹעַ מִזֶּבַח טוֹב} ‘to obey is better than sacrifice’ with lə-haqq-šîḇ mē-ḥē-leḇ ʾē-lîm {לְהַקְשִׁיב מֵחֵלֶב אֵילִים} ‘to heed is better than the fat of rams.’ The min prepositions mî- and mē- form comparative clauses, emphasizing volitional obedience over cultic rites.

Root and etymology

Roottet–vav–bet

good, best

In context1 Samuel 15:22

And Samuel said, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

About this coordinate

1 Samuel 15:22:13 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 13 of 1 Samuel 15:22, so the Hebrew word ט֔וֹב (tov) 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 Sam.15.22.W13, which extends further down to each syllable (1 Sam.15.22.W13.S1) and character.