Proverbs 17:3:5Prov.17.3.W5TAB
וּבֹחֵ֖ן
uvokhen
“and testing”
- Transliteration
- u-vo-KHEN
- Extended
- oo-voh-KHEEN
- IPA
- /uːvoːˈħeːn/
Meaning by language
- English
- and testing
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go | |
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Tsere | long 'ey' as in they | |
| Nun Sofit | final form of Nun — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
u-vo-KHEN
- clause
u-vo-KHEN li-BOT ye-ho-VAH
- sentence
mats-REF la-KE-sef ve-KUR la-za-HAV u-vo-KHEN li-BOT ye-ho-VAH
Exegesis
The clause ū-bōḥēn {וּבֹחֵן | ū-bōḥēn} ‘testing’ precedes its object libbōt {לִבּוֹת | libbōt} ‘hearts’ in an inversion that creates emphasis before naming YHWH {יְהוָה | Yəhōwāh} as the divine subject. The Piel participle conveys continuous, intensive action, reinforcing the metaphorical link between metal purification and moral examination. English translations preserve this progression by maintaining the paired metallurgical images before culminating in divine scrutiny.
Root and etymology
ב־ח־ן
“to examine, test”
In context — Proverbs 17:3
The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the LORD tests hearts.
About this coordinate
Proverbs 17:3:5 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 5 of Proverbs 17:3, so the Hebrew word וּבֹחֵ֖ן (uvokhen) 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.17.3.W5, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.17.3.W5.S1) and character.