Numbers 21:5:17Num.21.5.W17TAB
בַּלֶּ֖חֶם
balekhem
“this bread”
- Transliteration
- ba-LE-khem
- Extended
- bah-LEH-khem
- IPA
- /ballɛˈħɛm/
Meaning by language
- English
- this bread
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ba-LE-khem
- clause
KI EIN le-KHEM ve-EIN MA-yim ve-naf-SHE-nu ka-TSAH ba-LE-khem hak-ke-lo-KEL
- sentence
va-ye-da-BER ha-AM be-e-lo-HIM u-ve-mo-SHEH la-MAH he-e-li-tu-NU mi-mits-RA-yim la-MUT ba-mid-BAR KI EIN le-KHEM ve-EIN MA-yim ve-naf-SHE-nu ka-TSAH ba-LE-khem hak-ke-lo-KEL
Exegesis
Finally, the prepositional phrase bāl-lē-ḥem haqqəlōqēl {בַּלֶּחֶם הַקְּלֹקֵל | bāl-lē-ḥem ha-qə-lō-qēl} “in the bread the worthless” highlights contempt for the provision. The sequence of conjunctions and particles builds cumulative emphasis and deepens the tone of complaint.
Root and etymology
Rootl-ḥ-m
“bread, food”
In context — Numbers 21:5
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread , and there is no water; and our soul is weary of this worthless bread.”
About this coordinate
Numbers 21:5:17 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 17 of Numbers 21:5, so the Hebrew word בַּלֶּ֖חֶם (balekhem) 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 Num.21.5.W17, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.21.5.W17.S1) and character.