צְבִ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 צְבִ֣י

   tse-VI

   splendor
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 צְבִ֣י מַמְלָכ֔וֹת

   tse-VI mam-la-KHOT

   splendor of kingdoms
3. clause🔊 וְהָיְתָ֤ה בָבֶל֙ צְבִ֣י מַמְלָכ֔וֹת תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת גְּא֣וֹן כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים

   ve-ha-ye-TA va-VEL tse-VI mam-la-KHOT tif-e-RET ge-ON kas-dim

   and she will be Babylon splendor of kingdoms beauty or glory pride Chaldeans
4. sentence🔊 וְהָיְתָ֤ה בָבֶל֙ צְבִ֣י מַמְלָכ֔וֹת תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת גְּא֣וֹן כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים כְּמַהְפֵּכַ֣ת אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־סְדֹ֖ם וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָֽה׃

   ve-ha-ye-TA va-VEL tse-VI mam-la-KHOT tif-e-RET ge-ON kas-dim ke-ma-pe-KHAT e-lo-HIM et-se-DOM ve-et-a-mo-RA

   and she will be Babylon splendor of kingdoms beauty or glory pride Chaldeans like the overthrow of God Sodom {direct object marker + Sodom} and Gomorrah {and direct object marker + Gomorrah}

Exegesis

Babylon is then described through two appositional construct chains: tsevi mamlakhot {צְבִ֣י מַמְלָכ֔וֹת | ṣəḇî mamlāḵôṯ} ‘beauty of kingdoms’ and tiferet geon kasdim {תִּפְאֶ֖רֶת גְּא֣וֹן כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים | tip̄ʾereṯ gəʾôn kaśdîm} ‘splendor of the pride of the Chaldeans.’ This piling up of titles creates a rhetorical heightening that makes the coming reversal more striking.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 צ־ב־יTsade, Bet, Yod

“beauty, gazelle”