Proverbs 23:20:3Prov.23.20.W3TAB

בְּזֹלֲלֵ֖י

bezolalei

among gluttons

Transliteration
be-ZO-la-LEI
Extended
beh-ZOH-lah-LEE
IPA
/bə.zoː.lăˈleː/

Meaning by language

English
among gluttons

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
בְּ + זֹ + לֲ + לֵ֖י
be + zo + la + lei
bezolalei

Alphabet Analysis

Betb with dagesh; v without dagesh
Shevavocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable
Zayinz as in zero
Holemlong 'oh' as in go
Lamedl as in law
Hateph Patachreduced 'ah'
Lamedl as in law
Tserelong 'ey' as in they
Yody as in yes; marks long ī

Tap any letter to hear its name and sound

Vowels (Niqqud)

Now you try — trace the word:

The word

Word in context

  1. word

    be-ZO-la-LEI

  2. clause

    be-ZO-la-LEI va-SAR la-MO

  3. sentence

    al-te-HI ve-SO-ve-E-YA-yin be-ZO-la-LEI va-SAR la-MO

Exegesis

Two parallel locative phrases—be-soveiyayin {בְסֹבְאֵי־יַיִן | bə-sō-ʾê-yā-yîn} 'among drinkers of wine' and be-zolelei {בְּזֹלֲלֵי | bə-zō-lă-lê} 'among gluttons'—both govern basar {בָשָׂר | ba-sar} 'meat' marked collectively by the dative suffix lamo {לָמוֹ | lā-mō} 'to them'. This parallelism underscores the admonition against habitual excess. The formal retains 'among' to reflect Hebrew locative nuance; the dynamic employs 'join' and 'gorge on' to convey relational involvement and intensity.

Root and etymology

z-l-lzayin–lamed–lamed

to devour voraciously

In contextProverbs 23:20

Do not be among drinkers-of-wine or among gluttons-of-meat .

About this coordinate

Proverbs 23:20:3 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 3 of Proverbs 23:20, so the Hebrew word בְּזֹלֲלֵ֖י (bezolalei) 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.23.20.W3, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.23.20.W3.S1) and character.