Proverbs 19:12:3Prov.19.12.W3TAB
זַ֣עַף
zaaf
“wrath”
- Transliteration
- ZA-af
- Extended
- ZAH-ahf
- IPA
- /ˈza.ʕaf/
Meaning by language
- English
- wrath
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Zayin | z as in zero | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Pe Sofit | final form of Pe — at word end |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ZA-af
- clause
NA-ham ka-ke-FIR ZA-af ME-lekh
- sentence
NA-ham ka-ke-FIR ZA-af ME-lekh u-khe-TAL al-E-SEV re-tso-NO
Exegesis
The term naham {נַ֣הַם | naḥam} ‘roaring’ predicates zaʿap̄ melekh {זַעַף מֶלֶךְ | zaʿap̄ mēleḵ} ‘the king’s wrath,’ while retzono {רְצוֹנֽוֹ | rĕṣōnō} ‘his favor’ completes the second simile with ṭal al esev. The vav-conjunction functions adversatively in English as “but,” emphasizing the contrast. Poetic parallelism underscores the stark juxtaposition between destructive power and nurturing benevolence. In translation, nominal clauses are rendered with an explicit copula and the simile structure is preserved to maintain the original Hebrew balance.
Root and etymology
z-ʿ-p
“anger”
In context — Proverbs 19:12
The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a young lion, and his favor is like dew upon the grass .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 19:12:3 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 3 of Proverbs 19:12, so the Hebrew word זַ֣עַף (zaaf) 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.19.12.W3, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.19.12.W3.S1) and character.