2 Kings 18:20:22 Kgs.18.20.W2TAB
אַךְ־דְּבַר־שְׂפָתַ֔יִם
akhdevarsefatayim
“only a word of lips”
- Transliteration
- akh-de-VAR-se-fa-TA-yim
- Extended
- ahkh-deh-VAR-seh-fah-TAA-yeem
- IPA
- /ʔax.dəˈvar.ʃəfaːˈtajim/
Meaning by language
- English
- only a word of lips
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Kaf Sofit | final form of Kaf — at word end | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Dalet | d as in door | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
akh-de-VAR-se-fa-TA-yim
- clause
a-MAR-ta akh-de-VAR-se-fa-TA-yim E-tsa u-ge-vu-RA la-mil-kha-MA
- sentence
a-MAR-ta akh-de-VAR-se-fa-TA-yim E-tsa u-ge-vu-RA la-mil-kha-MA a-TA al-MI va-TAKH-ta KI ma-RAD-ta BI
Exegesis
The idiom devar sfatayim {דְּבַר־שְׂפָתַיִם | dəvar səfāṭayim} ‘word of lips’ uses a construct chain to portray empty talk, intensified by the particle akh {אַךְ | ʾakh} ‘only’.
Root and etymology
d-b-rd-b-r
“word, speak”
In context — 2 Kings 18:20
You have said, “It is only words of the lips —counsel and strength for war.” Now upon whom have you trusted that you have rebelled against me?
About this coordinate
2 Kings 18:20:2 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 2 of 2 Kings 18:20, so the Hebrew word אַךְ־דְּבַר־שְׂפָתַ֔יִם (akhdevarsefatayim) 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 Kgs.18.20.W2, which extends further down to each syllable (2 Kgs.18.20.W2.S1) and character.