Numbers 23:8:9Num.23.8.W9TAB
זָעַ֖ם
zaam
“the LORD has denounced”
- Transliteration
- za-AM
- Extended
- zah-AM
- IPA
- /zaˈʕam/
Meaning by language
- English
- the LORD has denounced
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Zayin | z as in zero | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
za-AM
- phraseyour reading level
LO za-AM
- clause
u-MAH ez-OM LO za-AM Ye-ho-VAH
- sentence
MAH e-KOV LO ka-VO EL u-MAH ez-OM LO za-AM Ye-ho-VAH
Exegesis
Each question features a Qal imperfect first person singular verb—ekkōv {אֶקֹּ֔ב | ʾeq-qōḇ} ‘shall I curse’ and ezʿōm {אֶזְעֹ֔ם | ʾez-ʿōm} ‘shall I denounce’—followed by the negative particle lo {לֹא | lōʾ} with a perfect verb—qab-bō {קַבֹּה | qab-bō} ‘has cursed’ and za-ʿam {זָעַם | za-ʿam} ‘has denounced’—forming stative perfects that assert completed divine decrees.
Root and etymology
z-ʿ-mzayin-ayin-mem
“to be indignant, denounce; express wrath”
In context — Numbers 23:8
How can I curse those whom God has not cursed ? Or how can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?
About this coordinate
Numbers 23:8:9 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 9 of Numbers 23:8, so the Hebrew word זָעַ֖ם (zaam) 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.23.8.W9, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.23.8.W9.S1) and character.