Proverbs 3:5:4Prov.3.5.W4TAB
וְאֶל־בִּֽ֝ינָתְךָ֗
veelbinatekha
“and to your understanding”
- Transliteration
- ve-el-bi-NA-tekha
- Extended
- veh-ehl-bee-NAH-teh-khah
- IPA
- /wəʔɛl.biːˈnaːθə.xaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- and to your understanding
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Nun | n as in new | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Kaf Sofit | final form of Kaf — at word end | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ve-el-bi-NA-tekha
- clause
ve-el-bi-NA-tekha al-tish-SHA-en
- sentence
be-TAKH el-ye-ho-VAH be-khol-li-BE-kha ve-el-bi-NA-tekha al-tish-SHA-en
Exegesis
The verse opens with the imperative betach {בְּטַ֣ח | bĕ-ṭaḥ} ‘trust’, followed by the preposition el {אֶל־ | ʾel} introducing the direct object YHWH {יְ֭הוָה | Yəhôwāh}.
The conjunction ve {וְ | wə} begins a parallel negative clause where the prohibitive particle al {אַל־ | ʾal} precedes the imperfect verb tisha’en {תִּשָּׁעֵֽן | tiššā-ʿên} ‘lean’, forming a direct prohibition.
The second prepositional phrase el binat’cha {אֶל־בִּֽינָתְךָ֗ | ʾel bin-nā-te-ḵā} ‘on your understanding’ echoes the first, creating antithetical parallelism that contrasts dependence on the LORD with self-reliance. This parallel structure emphasizes exclusive trust in YHWH.
Root and etymology
ל־ב־בlamed–bet–bet
“heart, inner self”
In context — Proverbs 3:5
Place your trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 3:5:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Proverbs 3:5, so the Hebrew word וְאֶל־בִּֽ֝ינָתְךָ֗ (veelbinatekha) 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.3.5.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.3.5.W4.S1) and character.