1 Samuel 15:22:161 Sam.15.22.W16TAB
אֵילֽ͏ִים׃
elim
“rams”
- Transliteration
- E-lim
- Extended
- EE-lihm
- IPA
- /ˈʔeː.liːm/
Meaning by language
- English
- rams
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
E-lim
- phraseyour reading level
me-KHE-lev E-lim
- clause
hi-NE she-MO-a mi-ZE-vakh TOV le-hak-SHIV me-KHE-lev E-lim
- 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.
In context — 1 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 15:22:16 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 16 of 1 Samuel 15:22, so the Hebrew word אֵילֽ͏ִים׃ (elim) 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.W16, which extends further down to each syllable (1 Sam.15.22.W16.S1) and character.