Genesis 17:18:6Gen.17.18.W6TAB
יִחְיֶ֥ה
yikhyeh
“may live”
- Transliteration
- yikh-YEH
- Extended
- yihkh-YEH
- IPA
- /jiħ.ˈjɛ/
Meaning by language
- English
- may live
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
yikh-YEH
- phraseyour reading level
yikh-YEH le-fa-NE-kha
- clause
LU yish-ma-EL yikh-YEH le-fa-NE-kha
- sentence
va-YO-mer av-ra-HAM el-ha-e-lo-HIM LU yish-ma-EL yikh-YEH le-fa-NE-kha
Exegesis
The internal word order of the wish clause is lu + subject + verb + prepositional phrase: lu Yishmaʿel yichyeh lefanekha {ל֥וּ יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל יִחְיֶ֥ה לְפָנֶֽיךָ | lû yiš-mā-ʿēl yiḥ-yeh lə-fā-ne-kā}. Placing the particle first foregrounds the emotional tone (“O that…”), followed by Yishmaʿel to highlight Abraham’s concern.
The imperfect yichyeh {יִחְיֶה | yiḥ-yeh} carries a modal nuance of desired ongoing life.
Root and etymology
ch-y-hchet-yod-heh
“to live, be alive”
In context — Genesis 17:18
Abraham said to God , “May Ishmael live before You !”
About this coordinate
Genesis 17:18:6 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 6 of Genesis 17:18, so the Hebrew word יִחְיֶ֥ה (yikhyeh) 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 Gen.17.18.W6, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.17.18.W6.S1) and character.