Proverbs 30:16:4Prov.30.16.W4TAB
אֶ֭רֶץ
erets
“land”
- Transliteration
- E-rets
- Extended
- EH-rehts
- IPA
- /ˈʔɛ.rɛts/
Meaning by language
- English
- land
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Tsade Sofit | final form of Tsade — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
E-rets
- clause
RA-kham E-rets lo-SA-ve-a MA-yim
- sentence
she-OL ve-O-tser RA-kham E-rets lo-SA-ve-a MA-yim ve-ESH lo-AM-ra HON
Exegesis
The verse lists four feminine images linked by waw conjunctions, opening with sheol {שְׁאוֹל֮ | šᵉʾôl} ‘grave’ and weʿôṣer {وְעֹ֢צֶ֫ر | wəʿôṣer} ‘and the barren’, followed by ʾereṣ lō-sāḇəʿāh mayim {אֶ֭רֶץ לֹא־שָׂבְעָה מַּ֑יִם | ʾereṣ lō-sāḇəʿāh mayim} ‘earth not satisfied with water’ and wə-ʾēš lō-ʾāmrāh hōn {وְ֝אֵ֗שׁ לֹא־אָ֥מְרָה הֽוֹן׃ | wə-ʾēš lō-ʾāmrāh hōn} ‘and fire that does not say “Enough”’. The perfect tense verbs (sāḇəʿāh, ʾāmrāh) with the prefixed lō portray ongoing states of lack. The alternating noun–verb pattern and absence of relative pronouns create a merismus that underscores unending desire. English preserves this with parallel noun phrases and negative clauses to mirror the Hebrew’s poetic balance.
Root and etymology
RootAleph–Resh–Tsade
“earth, land”
In context — Proverbs 30:16
The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that does not say, “Enough.”
About this coordinate
Proverbs 30:16:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Proverbs 30:16, so the Hebrew word אֶ֭רֶץ (erets) 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.30.16.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.30.16.W4.S1) and character.