Proverbs 16:15:4Prov.16.15.W4TAB
כְּעָ֣ב
keav
“like a cloud”
- Transliteration
- ke-AV
- Extended
- keh-AAV
- IPA
- /kəˈʕaːv/
Meaning by language
- English
- like a cloud
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Kaf | k with dagesh; kh without | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ke-AV
- phraseyour reading level
ke-AV mal-KOSH
- clause
u-re-tso-NO ke-AV mal-KOSH
- sentence
be-OR-pe-NE-me-LEKH kha-YIM u-re-tso-NO ke-AV mal-KOSH
Exegesis
The parallel clause marked by the conjunction vav in u-retsono {וּרְצוֹנ֗וֹ | û-rə-ṣō-nō} ‘and his favor’ echoes the opening structure, balanced by the simile ke'av {כְּעָ֣ב | kə-ʿāv} ‘like a cloud’ combined with malkosh {מַלְקוֹשׁ | mal-qōš} ‘latter rain.’ This chiastic parallelism between life and rain highlights themes of sustenance and renewal. The English rendering maintains the Hebrew possessive structure (king’s face) and adapts the agricultural metaphor to seasonal imagery for clarity.
In context — Proverbs 16:15
In the light of the king’s face there is life, and his favor is like a cloud of late rain .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 16:15:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Proverbs 16:15, so the Hebrew word כְּעָ֣ב (keav) 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.16.15.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.16.15.W4.S1) and character.