Proverbs 15:16:1Prov.15.16.W1TAB
טוֹב־מְ֭עַט
tovmeat
“good is a little”
- Transliteration
- TOV-me-AT
- Extended
- TOHV-meh-AHT
- IPA
- /ˈtˤoːv.məˈʕat/
Meaning by language
- English
- good is a little
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Tet | t — emphatic | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Tet | t — emphatic |
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The word
Word in context
- word
TOV-me-AT
- clause
TOV-me-AT be-yir-AT ye-ho-VAH
- sentence
TOV-me-AT be-yir-AT ye-ho-VAH me-o-TSAR RAV u-me-hu-MA VO
Exegesis
The verse opens with the comparative adjective tov {טוֹב | ṭôḇ} ‘good’.
The noun me‘at {מְעַט | mə-‘a-ṭ} ‘little’ functions as the standard of comparison and is immediately followed by the construct phrase be-yir’at YHWH {בְּיִרְאַת יְהוָה | bə-yir’-āṯ yə-hō-wāh} ‘with the fear of the LORD.’
Root and etymology
ט-ו-ב
“good, pleasant”
In context — Proverbs 15:16
Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than abundant treasure accompanied by trouble .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 15:16:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Proverbs 15:16, so the Hebrew word טוֹב־מְ֭עַט (tovmeat) 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.15.16.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.15.16.W1.S1) and character.