Proverbs 9:18:2Prov.9.18.W2TAB
כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים
kirefaim
“that the dead ones”
- Transliteration
- ki-re-fa-IM
- Extended
- kih-reh-faa-EEM
- IPA
- /kiː.rəfɑːˈʔiːm/
Meaning by language
- English
- that the dead ones
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Kaf | k with dagesh; kh without | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Resh | r guttural, like the French r | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Pe | p with dagesh; f without | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ki-re-fa-IM
- clause
ve-LO-YA-dah ki-re-fa-IM SHAM
- sentence
ve-LO-YA-dah ki-re-fa-IM SHAM be-im-KE she-OL ke-ru-E-ha
Exegesis
The verse opens with the negated perfect verb velo yada {וְֽלֹא־יָ֭דַע | wə·lōʾ yā·daʿ} ‘and he does not know’, followed by the conjunction ki {כִּֽי | kî} ‘that’ introducing a content clause.
The plural noun rephaim {רְפָאִ֣ים | rə·p̄ā·ʾîm} ‘departed spirits’ functions as the subject of an existential statement.
Root and etymology
Rootresh–pe–aleph
“shades of the dead”
In context — Proverbs 9:18
Yet he does not know that the departed spirits are present, and that her guests dwell in the depths of Sheol .
About this coordinate
Proverbs 9:18:2 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 2 of Proverbs 9:18, so the Hebrew word כִּֽי־רְפָאִ֣ים (kirefaim) 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.9.18.W2, which extends further down to each syllable (Prov.9.18.W2.S1) and character.