Proverbs 4:17:2Prov.4.17.W2TAB

לָ֭חֲמוּ

lakhamu

they eat

Transliteration
la-KHA-mu
Extended
laa-KHAH-moo
IPA
/laːħăˈmuː/

Meaning by language

English
they eat

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
לָ֭ + חֲ + מוּ
la + kha + mu
lakhamu

Alphabet Analysis

Lamedl as in law
Qametslong 'ah'
Chetch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch
Hateph Patachreduced 'ah'
Memm as in mother
Vavv as in vine; marks long ō / ū

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Vowels (Niqqud)

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    la-KHA-mu

  2. clause

    KI la-KHA-mu LE-khem RE-sha

  3. sentence

    KI la-KHA-mu LE-khem RE-sha ve-YEN kha-ma-SIM yish-TU

Exegesis

The parallel Qal perfect lāḥămū {לָחֲמוּ | lā-ḥă-mū} ‘they ate’ and Qal imperfect yištû {יִשְׁתּוּ | yi-štû} ‘they drink’ establish a poetic couplet expressing habitual action.

In contextProverbs 4:17

For they eat the bread of wickedness , and drink the wine of violence .

About this coordinate

Proverbs 4:17:2 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 2 of Proverbs 4:17, so the Hebrew word לָ֭חֲמוּ (lakhamu) 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.4.17.W2, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.4.17.W2.S1) and character.