2 Samuel 15:21:52 Sam.15.21.W5TAB
חַי־יְהוָ֗ה
khaiyehovah
“as the LORD lives”
- Transliteration
- khai-ye-ho-VAH
- Extended
- khai-yeh-hoh-VAH
- IPA
- /ħaj.jəhoˈvaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- as the LORD lives
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
khai-ye-ho-VAH
- 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 twin oath formulas ḥay Yə-hō-wāh {חַי־יְהוָה | ḥay Yə-hō-wāh} ‘as the LORD lives’ and wə-ḥē ʼăḏônî hammeleḵ {וְחֵי אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ | wə-ḥē ʼăḏônî hammeleḵ} ‘and as my lord the king lives’ underscore solemn allegiance.
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 15:21:5 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 5 of 2 Samuel 15:21, so the Hebrew word חַי־יְהוָ֗ה (khaiyehovah) 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.W5, which extends further down to each syllable (2 Sam.15.21.W5.S1) and character.