Psalm 18:11:4Ps.18.11.W4TABWLC Psalms 18:12
חֶשְׁכַת־מַ֖יִם
kheshkhatmayim
“darkness of waters”
- Transliteration
- khesh-KHAT-MA-yim
- Extended
- khehsh-KHAT-MA-yim
- IPA
- /ħɛʃˈxat.maˈjim/
Meaning by language
- English
- darkness of waters
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Chet | ch — deep guttural, as in Scottish loch | |
| Seghol | short 'eh' as in met | |
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | silent sheva — no sound; closes the syllable | |
| Kaf | k with dagesh; kh without | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Tav | t as in top | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Mem Sofit | final form of Mem — at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
khesh-KHAT-MA-yim
- clause
khesh-KHAT-MA-yim a-VE she-kha-KIM
- sentence
ya-FESHET kho-SHEKH se-vi-VO-taiv su-ka-TO khesh-KHAT-MA-yim a-VE she-kha-KIM
Exegesis
The construct phrase cheshkat-mayim {חֶשְׁכַּת־מַיִם | ḥeš-kaṯ-ma-yim}, modified by the adjective avei {עָבֵי | ʿā-ḇê}, creates layered imagery from the cosmic waters to the sky. The simple nominal clause structure intensifies the portrayal of God’s inscrutable hiddenness.
Root and etymology
Rootmem–yod–mem
“water”
In context — Psalm 18:11
He made darkness His covering ; His surroundings and His canopy were the darkness of the waters and the thick clouds of the skies.
About this coordinate
Psalm 18:11:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Psalm 18:11, so the Hebrew word חֶשְׁכַת־מַ֖יִם (kheshkhatmayim) 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 Ps.18.11.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Ps.18.11.W4.S1) and character.