Judges 16:12:17Judg.16.12.W17TAB
זְרֹעֹתָ֖יו
zerootav
“his arms”
- Transliteration
- ze-ro-o-TAV
- Extended
- zeh-roh-oh-TAAW
- IPA
- /zəroːʕoːˈθaːw/
Meaning by language
- English
- his arms
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Zayin | z as in zero | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ze-ro-o-TAV
- phraseyour reading level
me-AL ze-ro-o-TAV
- clause
va-ye-nat-ke-EM me-AL ze-ro-o-TAV ka-KHUT
- sentence
va-tik-KHAKH de-li-LA a-vo-TIM kha-da-SHIM va-ta-as-re-HU va-HEM va-TO-mer e-LAV pe-lish-TIM a-LE-kha shim-SHON ve-ha-o-REV yo-SHEV be-KHA-der va-ye-nat-ke-EM me-AL ze-ro-o-TAV ka-KHUT
Exegesis
The narrative concludes with wayenattekem {וַיְנַתְּקֵם | wa-yə-nat-tê-ḵem} ‘and he tore them off’, the prepositional phrase meal zerotav {מֵעַל זְרֹעֹתָיו | mê-ʿāl zə-rō-ʿō-ṯāw} ‘from his arms’, and the simile kahut {כַּחֽוּט | ka-ḥūṭ} ‘like a thread’. This structure tightly connects Delilah’s deception to Samson’s swift liberation.
Root and etymology
z-r-ʿzayin–resh–ayin
“arm, strength”
In context — Judges 16:12
So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them. Then she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” Meanwhile, the ambush lay hidden in the room. But he tore them from his arms like a thread.
About this coordinate
Judges 16:12:17 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 17 of Judges 16:12, so the Hebrew word זְרֹעֹתָ֖יו (zerootav) 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 Judg.16.12.W17, which extends further down to each syllable (Judg.16.12.W17.S1) and character.