Proverbs 13:4:5Prov.13.4.W5TAB
וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ
venefesh
“but the soul”
- Transliteration
- ve-NE-fesh
- Extended
- veh-NEH-fehsh
- IPA
- /vəˈnɛ.fɛʃ/
Meaning by language
- English
- but the soul
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 | |
| Nun | n as in new | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ve-NE-fesh
- clause
ve-NE-fesh kha-ru-TSIM te-du-SHAN
- sentence
mit-a-VA va-A-yin naf-SHO A-tsel ve-NE-fesh kha-ru-TSIM te-du-SHAN
Exegesis
The vav conjunction then links a parallel clause ve-nefesh charutzim tədûššān {וְנֶפֶשׁ חָרֻצִים תְּדֻשָּׁן | wə-nep̄š ḥārûṣîm tədûššān}, where the construct chain nefesh charutzim expresses ‘soul of the diligent ones’. The Pual imperfect tədûššān ‘will be enriched’ agrees in third person feminine singular with nefesh and underscores passive reception of reward. The chiastic parallelism contrasts unmet desire with fulfilled diligence.
Root and etymology
n-p-shnun–pe–shin
“soul, life”
In context — Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard desires but has nothing; the soul of the diligent shall be enriched .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 13:4:5 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 5 of Proverbs 13:4, so the Hebrew word וְנֶ֖פֶשׁ (venefesh) 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.13.4.W5, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.13.4.W5.S1) and character.