Proverbs 19:16:4Prov.19.16.W4TAB
נַפְשׁ֑וֹ
nafsho
“his life or his soul”
- Transliteration
- naf-SHO
- Extended
- nahf-SHOH
- IPA
- /nafˈʃoː/
Meaning by language
- English
- his life or his soul
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Nun | n as in new | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Holem | long 'oh' as in go |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
naf-SHO
- clause
sho-MER mits-VA sho-MER naf-SHO
- sentence
sho-MER mits-VA sho-MER naf-SHO bo-ZE de-ra-KHAV yu-MAT ya-MUT
Exegesis
The first clause’s predicate shomer nap̄shô {שֹׁמֵ֣ר נַפְשׁ֑וֹ | šōmēr nap̄·šōw} ‘keeps his soul’ conveys self-preservation, while the second clause’s predicate yāmut {יָמוּת׃ | yā·mūṯ} ‘he will die’ expresses the result without a conjunction. The structure highlights cause–effect logic, contrasting obedience with preservation and contempt with death, and the participles function as verbal nouns in a succinct, direct style.
Root and etymology
Rootnun–pe–shin
“life, self”
In context — Proverbs 19:16
The one who keeps the commandment preserves his soul , but whoever despises his ways will die.
About this coordinate
Proverbs 19:16:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Proverbs 19:16, so the Hebrew word נַפְשׁ֑וֹ (nafsho) 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.19.16.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.19.16.W4.S1) and character.