Numbers 24:5:1Num.24.5.W1TAB
מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ
mahtovu
“How good”
- Transliteration
- MAH-TO-vu
- Extended
- MAH-TOH-voo
- IPA
- /maˈtoːvu/
Meaning by language
- English
- How good
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Tet | t — emphatic | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
MAH-TO-vu
- phraseyour reading level
MAH-TO-vu o-ha-LE-kha
- clause
MAH-TO-vu o-ha-LE-kha ya-a-KOV
- sentence
MAH-TO-vu o-ha-LE-kha ya-a-KOV mish-ke-no-TE-kha yis-ra-EL
Exegesis
The clause begins with the interrogative particle mah {מַה | māh}, creating an exclamation of admiration.
This is followed by the Qal perfect verb tovu {טֹּבוּ | ṭōvû} in the third person common plural serving as the predicate.
In context — Numbers 24:5
How beautiful are your tents , Jacob, your dwelling places , Israel!
About this coordinate
Numbers 24:5:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Numbers 24:5, so the Hebrew word מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ (mahtovu) 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.24.5.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.24.5.W1.S1) and character.