Proverbs 12:4:1Prov.12.4.W1TAB
אֵֽשֶׁת־חַ֭יִל
eshetkhayil
“a wife of strength or valor”
- Transliteration
- E-shet-KHA-yil
- Extended
- EE-sheht-KHAH-yihl
- IPA
- /ˈʔeː.ʃɛt.ˈħa.jil/
Meaning by language
- English
- a wife of strength or valor
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Lamed | l as in law |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
E-shet-KHA-yil
- clause
E-shet-KHA-yil a-TE-ret ba-a-LAH
- sentence
E-shet-KHA-yil a-TE-ret ba-a-LAH u-khe-ra-KAV be-ats-mo-TAI-v me-vi-SHA
Exegesis
The verse begins with the construct phrase eshet-chayil {אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל | ʾē-šeṯ ḥay-yil} ‘woman of strength,’ where the feminine construct noun modifies the following masculine noun, highlighting the subject’s character.
Root and etymology
ḥ-y-lchet–yod–lamed
“strength, valor”
In context — Proverbs 12:4
A woman of strength is a crown to her husband, but one who brings shame is like decay in his bones.
About this coordinate
Proverbs 12:4:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Proverbs 12:4, so the Hebrew word אֵֽשֶׁת־חַ֭יִל (eshetkhayil) 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.12.4.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.12.4.W1.S1) and character.