בְּ/מֵ֥י
𐤁/𐤌𐤉
mayim
with waters
Primary meaning: water, the substance essential for life in liquid form. Used for natural bodies of water—such as rivers, springs, seas, rain—materials in or with water, or as an element in rituals. Secondarily, may serve as a metonym for abundance, chaos, or danger (e.g., 'waters' of the deep, flood, or destruction), and occasionally for bodily fluids in specific contexts (semen, urine). The term may stand for any potable or environmental water, from dew to ocean; its figurative usage points to aspects of fertility, life, and chaos.
mai "water" (Kikuyu) · omeya/omeva "water" (Oshiwambo) · Mayi "water" (Swahili) +4 moreNumbers 31:23 · Word #10
Lexicon H4325
| Lemma | מַיִם |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤉𐤌 |
| Transliteration | mayim |
| Strong's | H4325 |
| Definition | Primary meaning: water, the substance essential for life in liquid form. Used for natural bodies of water—such as rivers, springs, seas, rain—materials in or with water, or as an element in rituals. Secondarily, may serve as a metonym for abundance, chaos, or danger (e.g., 'waters' of the deep, flood, or destruction), and occasionally for bodily fluids in specific contexts (semen, urine). The term may stand for any potable or environmental water, from dew to ocean; its figurative usage points to aspects of fertility, life, and chaos. |
Morphology HR/Ncmpc
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
| State | c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word |
Common Translation
| Phrase | with waters |
SIBI-P1 Translation H4325-03
in waters of
| Morphological Notes | Preposition בְּ + masculine plural (formally dual) noun in construct state; collective noun functioning semantically as singular but morphologically plural construct. |
| Rendering Rationale | The preposition בְּ (“in”) prefixed to the masculine plural construct form מֵי preserves the collective noun "waters" in construct state. "Waters" reflects the formally plural/dual morphology of מַיִם while maintaining its core sense as liquid water in substance. |
View full lexicon entry for H4325 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
in waters of
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Standardized from "with waters of". The Hebrew preposition בְּ here can be rendered in/with/by and the context does not require the alternative. “In waters of” conveys the same meaning (the purification by means of the waters) and should be used for consistency with the chosen standard. |
Bantu Hebrew
בְּ/מֵ֥י (mayim) — Primary meaning: water, the substance essential for life in liquid form. Used for natural bodies of water—such as rivers, springs, seas, rain—materials in or with water, or as an element in rituals. Secondarily, may serve as a metonym for abundance, chaos, or danger (e.g., 'waters' of the deep, flood, or destruction), and occasionally for bodily fluids in specific contexts (semen, urine). The term may stand for any potable or environmental water, from dew to ocean; its figurative usage points to aspects of fertility, life, and chaos.