Leviticus 19:20:4Lev.19.20.W4TAB
שִׁכְבַת־זֶ֗רַע
shikhvatzera
“sexual intercourse”
- Transliteration
- shikh-vat-ZE-ra
- Extended
- shikh-vaht-ZEH-rah
- IPA
- /ʃix.vatˈzɛ.ra/
Meaning by language
- English
- sexual intercourse
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Kaf | k with dagesh; kh without | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Zayin | z as in zero | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
shikh-vat-ZE-ra
- clause
ve-ISH ki-yish-KAV et-i-SHAH shikh-vat-ZE-ra ve-HI shif-KHA ne-khe-RE-fet le-ISH ve-haf-DEH lo nif-da-TAH o khoof-SHAH lo ni-TAN-lah
- sentence
ve-ISH ki-yish-KAV et-i-SHAH shikh-vat-ZE-ra ve-HI shif-KHA ne-khe-RE-fet le-ISH ve-haf-DEH lo nif-da-TAH o khoof-SHAH lo ni-TAN-lah bi-KO-ret tih-YEH lo yoom-TU ki-lo khoo-PAH-shah
Exegesis
The Qal imperfect yishkav {יִשְׁכַּב | yiškav} “lies” with the direct-object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} governs ishshah shikvat zera‘ {אִשָּׁה שִׁכְבַת־זֶרַע | ʼiššāh šikḇat zera‘} as an idiom for sexual intercourse.
In context — Leviticus 19:20
And if a man lies with a female slave who is promised to another man, but she has neither been redeemed nor granted freedom, a penalty shall be imposed ; they shall not be put to death, because she is not free.
About this coordinate
Leviticus 19:20:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Leviticus 19:20, so the Hebrew word שִׁכְבַת־זֶ֗רַע (shikhvatzera) 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 Lev.19.20.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Lev.19.20.W4.S1) and character.