2 Chronicles 18:17:112 Chr.18.17.W11TAB
אִם־לְרָֽע׃
imlera
“if not for evil”
- Transliteration
- im-le-RA
- Extended
- ihm-leh-RAA
- IPA
- /ʔim.ləˈrɑːʕ/
Meaning by language
- English
- if not for evil
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
im-le-RA
- phraseyour reading level
KI im-le-RA
- clause
ha-LO a-MAR-ti e-LE-kha lo-yit-na-BE a-LAI TOV KI im-le-RA
- sentence
va-YO-mer ME-lekh-yis-ra-EL el-ye-ho-sha-FAT ha-LO a-MAR-ti e-LE-kha lo-yit-na-BE a-LAI TOV KI im-le-RA
Exegesis
The conjunction ki {כִּ֥י | kî} combined with im {אִם־ | ʼim} establishes an exclusive contrast, leading to lera {לְרָֽע | lə-rāʼ} ‘for evil’ as the sole fulfillment. The chiastic pairing of “good” and “evil” underscores the king’s ironic complaint.
Root and etymology
r-ʿresh-ayin
“bad, evil”
In context — 2 Chronicles 18:17
And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but only evil ?”
About this coordinate
2 Chronicles 18:17:11 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 11 of 2 Chronicles 18:17, so the Hebrew word אִם־לְרָֽע׃ (imlera) 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 2 Chr.18.17.W11, which extends further down to each syllable (2 Chr.18.17.W11.S1) and character.