Proverbs 15:23:6Prov.15.23.W6TAB
מַה־טּֽוֹב׃
matov
“how good”
- Transliteration
- ma-TOV
- Extended
- mah-TTOHV
- IPA
- /maˈtˤoːv/
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 | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ma-TOV
- phraseyour reading level
be-i-TO ma-TOV
- clause
ve-da-VAR be-i-TO ma-TOV
- sentence
sim-KHA la-ISH be-ma-a-NE-fi-V ve-da-VAR be-i-TO ma-TOV
Exegesis
Hebrew omits a finite verb in both clauses, replacing it with the exclamatory nominal phrase mahtov {מַה־טּוֹב | mah-ṭōḇ} ‘how good’, which English renders with supplied verbs (‘comes’, ‘feels’) and an exclamatory structure. This parallel construct emphasizes that both the content of speech and its timing produce delight.
Root and etymology
ט־ו־ב
“good, pleasant”
In context — Proverbs 15:23
Joy comes to a man by the answer of his mouth, and a word in its time , how good it is!
About this coordinate
Proverbs 15:23:6 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 6 of Proverbs 15:23, so the Hebrew word מַה־טּֽוֹב׃ (matov) 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.15.23.W6, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.15.23.W6.S1) and character.