חִכּֽוֹ׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 חִכּֽוֹ׃

   KHI-ko

   his palate or his mouth
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 בְּת֣וֹךְ חִכּֽוֹ׃

   be-TOKH KHI-ko

   in the midst of his palate or his mouth
3. clause🔊 וְ֝יִמְנָעֶ֗נָּה בְּת֣וֹךְ חִכּֽוֹ׃

   ve-yim-na-E-na be-TOKH KHI-ko

   and he withholds it in the midst of his palate or his mouth
4. sentence🔊 יַחְמֹ֣ל עָ֭לֶיהָ וְלֹ֣א יַֽעַזְבֶ֑נָּה וְ֝יִמְנָעֶ֗נָּה בְּת֣וֹךְ חִכּֽוֹ׃

   yakh-MOL a-LE-ha ve-LO ya-a-ze-VE-na ve-yim-na-E-na be-TOKH KHI-ko

   he spares or has pity over it or over her and not he leaves it or abandons it and he withholds it in the midst of his palate or his mouth

Exegesis

The final prepositional phrase betokh {בְּת֣וֹךְ | bə-ṯôḵ} + khikho {חִכּֽוֹ | ḥikkô} locates the object “within his palate,” a vivid mouth-image that depicts savoring and concealment: what should be expelled is instead kept inside. English can reflect this progression by preserving the coordinated clauses (“and… and…”) and by making the location phrase the climax of the sentence.

Root and etymology

חכך🔊 ח־כ־כchet–kaf–kaf

“palate, roof of mouth”