Proverbs 11:3:4Prov.11.3.W4TAB
וְסֶ֖לֶף
veselef
“but crookedness of”
- Transliteration
- ve-SE-lef
- Extended
- veh-SEH-lehf
- IPA
- /vəˈsɛ.lɛf/
Meaning by language
- English
- but crookedness of
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Samekh | s as in sit | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Pe Sofit | final form of Pe — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ve-SE-lef
- clause
ve-SE-lef bo-gde-DIM ve-SHA-dem ye-SHAD-DEM
- sentence
tu-MAT ye-sha-RIM tan-KHEM ve-SE-lef bo-gde-DIM ve-SHA-dem ye-SHAD-DEM
Exegesis
The adversative linkage introduces the second clause with perverseness {סֶלֶף | séleṯ} ‘perverseness’ and traitors {בּוֹגְדִ֣ים | bôg-ḏîm} ‘traitors’, leading to the piel imperfect verb veshaddem {וְשָׁדֵּֽם | wə-šaddêm} ‘will destroy’. The chiastic parallelism, matching pronominal suffixes, and the English genitive rendering of the construct emphasize the moral contrast and decisive outcomes.
Root and etymology
s-l-ps-l-p
“to twist, pervert”
In context — Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perverseness of traitors will destroy them.
About this coordinate
Proverbs 11:3:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Proverbs 11:3, so the Hebrew word וְסֶ֖לֶף (veselef) 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 Prov.11.3.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.11.3.W4.S1) and character.