Numbers 23:5:4Num.23.5.W4TAB

בְּפִ֣י

befi

in the mouth of

Transliteration
be-FI
Extended
beh-FEE
IPA
/bəˈfiː/

Meaning by language

English
in the mouth of

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
בְּ + פִ֣י
be + fi
befi

Alphabet Analysis

Betb with dagesh; v without dagesh
Shevavocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable
Pep with dagesh; f without
Hireq'ee' as in machine
Yody as in yes; marks long ī

Tap any letter to hear its name and sound

Vowels (Niqqud)

Now you try — trace the word:

The word

Word in context

  1. word

    be-FI

  2. phraseyour reading level

    be-FI vil-AM

  3. clause

    va-YA-sem Ye-ho-VAH da-VAR be-FI vil-AM

  4. sentence

    va-YA-sem Ye-ho-VAH da-VAR be-FI vil-AM va-yo-MER SHUV el-ba-LAK ve-KOH te-da-BER

Exegesis

YHWH {יְהוָה | Yəhōwāh} functions as the subject of supernatural communication, with davar {דָּבָר | dāḇār} acting as the direct object inserted into the prepositional construct befi Bilam {בְּפִי בִלְעָם | bep̄î Bilʿām} ‘in the mouth of Balaam’.

In contextNumbers 23:5

Then the LORD put a word in the mouth of Balaam, and He said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

About this coordinate

Numbers 23:5:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Numbers 23:5, so the Hebrew word בְּפִ֣י (befi) 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.23.5.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.23.5.W4.S1) and character.