Proverbs 16:8:1Prov.16.8.W1TAB
טוֹב־מְ֭עַט
tovmeat
“better is a little”
- Transliteration
- TOV-me-AT
- Extended
- TOHV-meh-AHT
- IPA
- /tˤoːv.məˈʕaṭ/
Meaning by language
- English
- better 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 |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
TOV-me-AT
- clause
TOV-me-AT bits-da-KA
- sentence
TOV-me-AT bits-da-KA me-ROV te-vu-OT be-LO mish-PAT
Exegesis
The verse begins with the composite comparative phrase tov-meʿat bitsedakah {טוֹב־מְ֭עַט בִּצְדָקָ֑ה | tōv-meʿaṭ biṣdāqāh} ‘better a little with righteousness’, where the maqqef links adjective and noun in a single qualitative unit.
Root and etymology
t-w-btaw–waw–beth
“good, pleasant”
In context — Proverbs 16:8
Better is a little with righteousness than abundant income without justice .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 16:8:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Proverbs 16:8, 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.16.8.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.16.8.W1.S1) and character.