Proverbs 23:16:4Prov.23.16.W4TAB
שְׂ֝פָתֶ֗יךָ
sefatekha
“your lips”
- Transliteration
- se-fa-TE-kha
- Extended
- seh-faa-TEH-khah
- IPA
- /sə.faˈθɛ.xaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- your lips
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Kaf Sofit | final form of Kaf — at word end | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' |
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The word
Word in context
- word
se-fa-TE-kha
- phraseyour reading level
be-da-BER se-fa-TE-kha
- clause
be-da-BER se-fa-TE-kha mei-sha-RIM
- sentence
ve-ta-E-LO-ze-na khil-yo-TAI be-da-BER se-fa-TE-kha mei-sha-RIM
Exegesis
The prepositional infinitive bedabber {בְּדַבֵּ֥ר | bə-ḏab-bēr} ‘in speaking’ introduces a causal clause specifying that the rejoicing is triggered by the instrument of speech, with sefateikha {שְׂ֝פָתֶ֗יךָ | sə-pha-ṯê-kā} ‘your lips’ as the subject of the infinitive and meysharim {מֵישָׁרִֽים | mê-ša-rîm} ‘upright things’ providing the ethical content. The structure tightly couples physiological imagery to moral speech, reflecting Hebrew wisdom theology.
Root and etymology
Rootpeh–tav–tav
“piece, morsel”
In context — Proverbs 23:16
And my inner being will rejoice when your lips speak what is upright .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 23:16:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Proverbs 23:16, so the Hebrew word שְׂ֝פָתֶ֗יךָ (sefatekha) 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.23.16.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.23.16.W4.S1) and character.