2 Samuel 15:21:162 Sam.15.21.W16TAB
אִם־לְחַיִּ֔ים
imlekhayim
“or for life”
- Transliteration
- im-le-kha-YIM
- Extended
- ihm-leh-khah-YEEM
- IPA
- /ʔim.ləħajˈj iːm/
Meaning by language
- English
- or for life
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 | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| 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
im-le-kha-YIM
- clause
khai-ye-ho-VAH ve-KHEI a-do-NI ha-ME-lekh KI im-bi-me-KOM a-SHER yih-ye-SHAM a-do-NI ha-ME-lekh im-le-MA-vet im-le-kha-YIM ki-SHAM yih-YE av-de-KHA
- sentence
va-YA-an i-TAI et-ha-ME-lekh va-yo-MAR khai-ye-ho-VAH ve-KHEI a-do-NI ha-ME-lekh KI im-bi-me-KOM a-SHER yih-ye-SHAM a-do-NI ha-ME-lekh im-le-MA-vet im-le-kha-YIM ki-SHAM yih-YE av-de-KHA
Exegesis
The paired im le-māweṯ im lə-ḥayyîm {אִם־לְמָוֶת אִם־לְחַיִּים | im le-māweṯ im lə-ḥay-yîm} ‘whether for death or for life’ heightens the life-or-death commitment.
Root and etymology
Rootḥ-y-h
“to live, be alive”
In context — 2 Samuel 15:21
And Ittai answered the king and said, “As the LORD lives and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, that is where your servant will be.”
About this coordinate
2 Samuel 15:21:16 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 16 of 2 Samuel 15:21, so the Hebrew word אִם־לְחַיִּ֔ים (imlekhayim) 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 Sam.15.21.W16, which extends further down to each syllable (2 Sam.15.21.W16.S1) and character.