Genesis 18:20:7Gen.18.20.W7TAB
וְחַ֨טָּאתָ֔ם
vekhatatam
“and their sin”
- Transliteration
- ve-kha-ta-TAM
- Extended
- veh-khah-tah-TAAM
- IPA
- /və.ħat.taːˈθaːm/
Meaning by language
- English
- and their sin
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Tet | t — emphatic | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ve-kha-ta-TAM
- clause
ve-kha-ta-TAM KI khav-DA me-OD
- sentence
va-YO-mer Ye-ho-VAH za-a-KAT se-DOM va-a-mo-RA ki-ra-BA ve-kha-ta-TAM KI khav-DA me-OD
Exegesis
A second ki {כִּי | kî} ‘because’ introduces the parallel clause vechatatam {וְחַטָּאתָם | wə-ḥaṭ-ṭā-ṯām} ‘and their sin’, linked to the predicate kavadah {כָבְדָה | kāv-dəh} ‘is heavy’ modified by me‘od {מְאֹד | mə-ʾōḏ} ‘very’. The repetition of the causal marker kî creates a balanced structure, emphasizing the dual reasons—public plea and moral guilt—for impending divine response.
Root and etymology
Rootchet–tet–aleph
“to miss the mark; sin”
In context — Genesis 18:20
And the LORD said, “Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their guilt is exceedingly weighty.”
About this coordinate
Genesis 18:20:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Genesis 18:20, so the Hebrew word וְחַ֨טָּאתָ֔ם (vekhatatam) 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.18.20.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.18.20.W7.S1) and character.