הֽוֹן׃

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הֽוֹן׃

   HON

   enough or wealth
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 לֹא־אָ֥מְרָה הֽוֹן׃

   lo-AM-ra HON

   did not say enough or wealth
3. clause🔊 וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ לֹא־אָ֥מְרָה הֽוֹן׃

   ve-ESH lo-AM-ra HON

   and fire did not say enough or wealth
4. sentence🔊 שְׁאוֹל֮ וְעֹ֢צֶ֫ר רָ֥חַם אֶ֭רֶץ לֹא־שָׂ֣בְעָה מַּ֑יִם וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ לֹא־אָ֥מְרָה הֽוֹן׃

   she-OL ve-O-tser RA-kham E-rets lo-SA-ve-a MA-yim ve-ESH lo-AM-ra HON

   Sheol and a restraint or barrenness a womb land not satisfied water and fire did not say enough or wealth

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

h-w-n🔊 ה־ו־ןh w n

“wealth; sufficiency”

• 🔊 הוֹןhonwealth, resourceProverbs 3:9