מָה
what
also: how, of what kind fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Particle
- A short function word — article, negation, interrogative, the sign of the direct object, and the like.
Every verse where H4100 appears in the Book of 1 Samuel — 55 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Samuel
- 1 Samuel 1:8 לָ֣/מֶה וְ/לָ֨/מֶה֙ וְ/לָ֖/מֶה prep + ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why weep you? and why don't you eat? and why is your heart grieved? am I not better to you than ten sons?
- 1 Samuel 2:23 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter He said to them, Why do you such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
- 1 Samuel 2:29 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Why kick you at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?
- 1 Samuel 3:17 מָ֤ה ptcl inter He said, "What is the thing that [Yahweh] has spoken to you? Please don't hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you."
- 1 Samuel 4:3 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter When the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Yahweh struck us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.
- 1 Samuel 4:6 מֶ֠ה ptcl inter When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What means the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? They understood that the ark of Yahweh was come into the camp.
- 1 Samuel 4:14 מֶ֛ה ptcl inter When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What means the noise of this tumult? The man hurried, and came and told Eli.
- 1 Samuel 4:16 מֶֽה ptcl inter The man said to Eli, I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army. He said, How went the matter, my son?
- 1 Samuel 5:8 מַֽה ptcl inter They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? They answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. They carried the ark of the God of Israel [there].
- 1 Samuel 6:2 מַֽה בַּ/מֶּ֖ה ptcl inter prep + ptcl inter The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Show us with which we shall send it to its place."
- 1 Samuel 6:3 לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it empty; but by all means return him a trespass-offering: then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you."
- 1 Samuel 6:4 מָ֣ה ptcl inter Then they said, "What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him?" They said, "Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
- 1 Samuel 6:6 וְ/לָ֤/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn't they let the people go, and they departed?
- 1 Samuel 9:7 וּ/מַה מָ֖ה conj + ptcl inter ptcl inter Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?
- 1 Samuel 9:21 וְ/לָ֨/מָּה֙ conj + prep + ptcl inter Saul answered, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? why then speak you to me after this manner?
- 1 Samuel 10:2 מָ֥ה ptcl inter When you are departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's tomb, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will tell you, The donkeys which you went to seek are found; and, behold, your father has left off caring for the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
- 1 Samuel 10:11 מַה ptcl inter It happened, when all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
- 1 Samuel 10:15 מָֽה ptcl inter Saul's uncle said, Tell me, Please, what Samuel said to you.
- 1 Samuel 10:27 מַה ptcl inter But certain worthless fellows said, How shall this man save us? They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
- 1 Samuel 11:5 מַה ptcl inter Behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, What ails the people that they weep? They told him the words of the men of Jabesh.
- 1 Samuel 13:11 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter Samuel said, What have you done? Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn't come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;
- 1 Samuel 14:38 בַּ/מָּ֗ה prep + ptcl inter Saul said, Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see in which this sin has been this day.
- 1 Samuel 14:43 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. Jonathan told him, and said, I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and, behold, I must die.
- 1 Samuel 15:14 וּ/מֶ֛ה conj + ptcl inter Samuel said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
- 1 Samuel 15:19 וְ/לָ֥/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter Why then didn't you obey the voice of Yahweh, but flew on the spoil, and did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh?"
- 1 Samuel 17:8 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
- 1 Samuel 17:26 מַה ptcl inter David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
- 1 Samuel 17:28 לָ/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why are you come down? and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.
- 1 Samuel 17:29 מֶ֥ה ptcl inter David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
- 1 Samuel 19:3 מָ֖ה ptcl inter and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will commune with my father of you; and if I see anything, I will tell you.
- 1 Samuel 19:5 וְ/לָ֤/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh worked a great victory for all Israel: you saw it, and did rejoice; why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?
- 1 Samuel 19:17 לָ֤/מָּה לָ/מָ֥ה prep + ptcl inter prep + ptcl inter Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped? Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you?
- 1 Samuel 20:1 מֶ֤ה מֶֽה וּ/מֶֽה ptcl inter ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity?" and "What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"
- 1 Samuel 20:4 מַה ptcl inter Then said Jonathan to David, Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you.
- 1 Samuel 20:8 לָ/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?
- 1 Samuel 20:10 מַה ptcl inter Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance your father answer you roughly?
- 1 Samuel 20:32 לָ֥/מָּה מֶ֥ה prep + ptcl inter ptcl inter Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"
- 1 Samuel 21:3 מַה ptcl inter Now therefore what is under your hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever there is present.
- 1 Samuel 21:14 לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Then said Achish to his servants, Look, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me?
- 1 Samuel 22:3 מַה ptcl inter David went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Please let my father and my mother come forth, [and be] with you, until I know what God will do for me.
- 1 Samuel 22:13 לָ֚/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
- 1 Samuel 24:9 לָ֧/מָּה prep + ptcl inter David said to Saul, Why listen you to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks your hurt?
- 1 Samuel 25:17 מַֽה ptcl inter Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow that one can't speak to him.
- 1 Samuel 26:15 וְ/לָ֨/מָּה֙ conj + prep + ptcl inter David said to Abner, Aren't you a [valiant] man? and who is like you in Israel? why then have you not kept watch over your lord, the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king your lord.
- 1 Samuel 26:18 לָ֥/מָּה מֶ֣ה וּ/מַה prep + ptcl inter ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter He said, Why does my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand?
- 1 Samuel 27:5 וְ/לָ֨/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter David said to Achish, If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?
- 1 Samuel 28:9 וְ/לָ/מָ֥ה conj + prep + ptcl inter The woman said to him, Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: why then lay you a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
- 1 Samuel 28:12 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why have you deceived me? for you are Saul.
- 1 Samuel 28:13 מָ֣ה ptcl inter The king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what do you see? The woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
- 1 Samuel 28:14 מַֽה ptcl inter He said to her, What form is he of? She said, An old man comes up; and he is covered with a robe. Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
- 1 Samuel 28:15 לָ֥/מָּה מָ֥ה prep + ptcl inter ptcl inter Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disquieted me, to bring me up? Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.
- 1 Samuel 28:16 וְ/לָ֖/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter Samuel said, Why then do you ask of me, seeing Yahweh is departed from you, and is become your adversary?
- 1 Samuel 29:3 מָ֖ה ptcl inter Then said the princes of the Philistines, What [do] these Hebrews [here]? Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, Isn't this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or [rather] these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away [to me] to this day?
- 1 Samuel 29:4 וּ/בַ/מֶּ֗ה conj + prep + ptcl inter But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for with what should this [fellow] reconcile himself to his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men?
- 1 Samuel 29:8 מֶ֤ה וּ/מַה ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what have you found in your servant so long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“what” is the headline sense of the Hebrew word מה (mâh). It first appears in Genesis 2:19. It turns up in 655 verses across 37 books, one of the most common footprint. It also covers “how” and “of what kind”, alongside “what” — see its full sense range. From the same root come מא, מדוע and מדי. See the sense tree, 655-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H4100 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 655
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 655 distinct verses.
- 37 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 37 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #66
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 66 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 655 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 655 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 328 verses · 50%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 208 verses · 32%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 119 verses · 18%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: What 5×, How 4×, Wherefore 2×
- American Standard Version: What 4×, How 3×, Wherefore 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: What 342×, Why 196×, How 86×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: What 413×, Why 195×, How 63×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H4100 across 26 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 15 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H4100 across 26 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 12 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H4100 across 704 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 33 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 46 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H4100 across 765 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 25 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
17 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 17 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. interrog. what?
- a. in a direct question, before either verbs or nouns Gn 4:10 מֶה עשׂית what hast thou done? 15:2 מה־תתן־לי what wilt thou give me? Ex 3:13 מַה־שְּׁמוֹ, 12:26; 13:14 and so very often: מַה־הִיא Zc 5:6; מה אלה Zc 1:9; מָה אַתָּה רֹאֶה Je 1:11; Am 7:8 +; Jl 4:14 מה אתם לי; Ju 18:8 מה אתם vid. Comm., v 24 מה לי עוד what have I still? Is 21:11 מה־מלילה what (= how much) of the night (is past)? = as what? (qualem?) Hg 2:3 (cf. מִי Am 7:2); to express surprise, Jb 9:12 who shall say to him, מה תעשׂה what doest thou? 22:13 Ec 8:4; Is 45:9, 10; sq. כִּי, Gn 20:10 מה ראית כי עשׂית what hadst thou in view, that thou hast done, etc.? 31:36 Ex 16:7 וְנַחְנוּ מָה כִּי and what are we, that …? 32:21 Nu 22:28; Hb 2:18, etc. Note in partic.—(a) מָה is followed sometimes by a subst. in appos. (against Arabic usage, which does not permit this: WAG. ii. § 170), so that it becomes virtually an adj.: מַה־בֶּצַע what profit …? Gn 37:26 ψ 30:10 Mal 3:14; Is 40:18 מַה־דְּמוּת, Mal 1:13 ψ 89:48 זְכָר־אֲנִי מֶה חָ֑לֶד (inverted for מַה חֶלֶד אָ֑נִי) remember (of) what (short) duration I am, Ec 1:3; 5:10, 15; 6:8, 11 (Da § 8, R. 2 Köiii. 23 f.); as exclam., ψ 89:48b (?) Jb 26:14. And with the subst. idiom. at the end (in Arabic preceded then by مِنْ: WAG. ii. § 49. 7), 1 S 26:18 ומַה־בידי רעה and what is there in my hand, evil? 20:10 (vid. 3), 2 S 19:29; 24:13; 1 K 12:16; Je 2:5 מה־מצאו אבותיכם בי עָוֶל, Ec 11:2 Est 6:3. (b) מַה־זֶּה what, now? 1 S 10:11, contr. מַזֶּה †Ex 4:2 (זֶה 4 c); Gn 3:13 מַה־זֹּאת עָשִׂיתָ; 12:18; 29:25 מַה־זֹּאת עָשִׂיתָה לִּי; similarly 26:10; 42:28 +, either what, now, hast thou done? or what is this that thou hast done? (vid. זֶה 4 d). (c) מַה־לְּךָ what to thee? i.e. what aileth thee? or what dost thou want? Gn 21:17 מַה־לָּךְ הָגָר; Jos 15:18; 2 S 14:5; 1 K 1:16; 2 K 6:28; Ez 18:2 (accents); sq. כִּי, Ju 18:23 מה־לך כי נזעקת, Gn 20:9 (cf. 1 S 11:5 מה לעם כי יבכו), Is 22:1 מַה־לָּךְ כִּי עָלִית (cf. τί παθὼν τοῦτο ποιεῖς;), ψ 114:5; without כִּי Is 3:15 (cf. Qor 57:8, 10); with a ptcp., Jon 1:6 what is it to thee as a sleeper? (accus.: Da § 70a cites Qor 74:50), Ez 18:2 (if אתם be treated as strengthening לכם). (d) מַה־לְּךָ (לִי) פֹה = what hast thou (have I) here? Ju 18:3; 1 K 19:9; Is 22:16; 52:5. (e) in the genit., Jer 8:9 וְחָכְמַת־מֶה לָהֶם, and wisdom of what (= what kind of wisdom) is theirs? Nu 23:3 (v. infr. 3). e.g. Genesis 4:10
- b. often in an indirect question, as after ראה, Gn 2:19 to see מה־יקרא־לו what he would call it, 37:20 וְנִרְאֶה מה־יהיו חלֹמֹתיו to what his dreams will come, Nu 13:19f.; Hb 2:1; הִכִּיר Gn 31:32; ידע 39:8; Ex 2:4 לדעת מה־יֵּעָשֶׂה לו, 16:15; 32:1; Jb 34:4; שׁמע Nu 9:8 וְאשׁמעה מה־יצוה י׳ (cf. ψ 85:9), 2 S 17:5; פֹּרַשׁ Nu 15:34; שׁאל 1 K 3:5; 2 K 2:9; הֵבִין Jb 6:24; 23:5: Nu 13:18 וראיתם את הארץ מה היא, ψ 39:5 Is 41:22 הראשׁנות מָה הֵנָּה הַגִּידוּ.—In some such cases it approximates in meaning to the simple rel., as Jer 7:17; 33:24; Mi 6:5, 8; Jb 34:33. e.g. Genesis 2:19
- c. = of what kind? (Germ. was für ein …?), with an insinuation of blame, or reproach, or contempt: Gn 37:10 מה החלום הזה what is this dream which thou hast dreamt? 44:15 Jos 22:16 Ju 8:1; 15:11; 20:12 1 S 29:3 מָה הָעִבְרִים האלה, 1 K 9:13 מה הערים האלה אשׁר נתתה לי, 2 K 9:22; 18:19. e.g. Genesis 37:10
- d. מה is often used in questions to which the answer little, or nothing, is expected, and it thus becomes equivalent to a rhetorical negative (cf. הֲ b, מִי f c): (a) Gn 23:15 land worth 400 shekels …, מה היא what is it? (i.e. it is something quite insignificant), 27:37 Ju 8:3 ומה־יכלתי עשׂות ככם, 14:18 Ho 9:5; 10:3 ψ 30:10; 56:5; Jb 15:9; 16:6; 21:21; 22:13, 17; La 2:13; Ct 5:9 מַה־דּוֹדֵךְ מִדּוֹד what is thy beloved (more) than a(nother) beloved? ‖ לא, 1 K 12:16 מַה־לָּנוּ חֵלֶק בְּדָוִד וְלֹא־נַחֲלָה בְּבֶן יִשַׁי (2 S 20:1 אֵין־לָנוּ חֵלֶק וג׳), Jb 16:6. (b) sq. כִּי (כִּי 1 f), Gn 20:9; 37:26 מַה־בֶּצַע כִּי נַהֲרֹג what profit (is it) that we should slay him? Ex 16:7 Nu 16:11 Hb 2:18 2 K 8:13 what is thy servant, the dog, that he should do, etc.? and often in poetry, as ψ 8:5 מָה אנושׁ כי תזכרנו what is man that thou rememberest him? Jb 6:11 מַה־כֹּחִי כִּי אֲיַחֵל, v 11b; 7:17; 15:12f, 14; 16:3; 21:15 + (cf. מִי f b). Hence, (c) in the formula of repudiation, or emphatic denial, (וְלָכֶם) מַה־לִּי וָלָךְ what is there (common) to me and to thee? i.e. what have I to do with thee? †Ju 11:12; 2 S 16:10 מה לי ולכם, 19:23; 1 K 17:18; 2 K 3:13; 2 Ch 35:21; cf. Jos 22:24; 2 K 9:18, 19; rather differently, without וְ, †Je 2:18 מה לך לדרך מ׳ what is there to thee with reference to the way to Egypt? Ho 14:9 מַה־לּוֹ לַעֲצַבִּים, cf. ψ 50:16 (לְסַפֵּר); with את, †Je 23:28 מַה־לַתֶּבֶן אֶת־הַבָּר beside (or in comparison with) the wheat? cf. τί ἐμοὶ (ἡμῖν) καὶ σοί; Mt 8:29 Mk 5:7 Jn 2:4; and Arabic مَا لِى وَلَهُ e.g. Genesis 23:15
- e. = whatsoever (cf. מִי g): (a) Ju 9:48 מה אתם ראיתם עשׂיתי מהרו עשׂו כמוני, lit. what do you see (that) I have done? hasten, and do like me (= whatever ye see, etc.), 2 S 21:4 מה אתם אמרים אעשׂה לכם, Jb 6:24; with the apod. introd. by וְ, 1 S 20:4 מה תאמר נפשׁך ואעשׂה לך; Est 5:3 מַה־ בַּקָּשָׁתֵךְ … וְיִנָּתֵן לָךְ, v 6; 7:2; 9:12; hence in the late and strange idiom of Ch., it sinks twice almost to the rel. what, 1 Ch 15:13 כי לְמַבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה לא אתם because ye were not (employed) for what was at first (on the former occasion), J etc., 2 Ch 30:3 לְמַדַּי according to what was sufficient (= in sufficient numbers), cf. Est 9:26. (b) מַה־שֶּׁ- (late: frequently in Mishn., etc.), whatever, what (cf. מִי אֲשֶׁר, מִי g end): †Ec 1:9 מַה־שֶּׁהָיָה הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה, lit. what is that which hath been? it is that which shall be (= whatever hath been, it is that which shall be), v 9 3:15, 22; 6:10; 7:24; 8:7; 10:14. e.g. Judges 9:48
- 2. Used adverbially:
- a. as an interrogative: (a) how? especially in expressing what is regarded as an impossibility, Gn 44:16 מַה־נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק how shall we justify ourselves? Nu 23:8(×2) 1 S 10:27 מַה־יּשִׁעֵנוּ זֶה, 2 K 4:43; Jb 9:2; 25:4(×2) 31:1 I made a covenant with my eyes, וּמָה אֶתְבּוֹנֵן עַל ב׳ and how should I look upon a maid? (𝔊 οὐ, 𝔙 non), Pr 20:24 וְאָדָם מַה־יָּבִין דַּרְכּוֹ; in an indirect question, Ex 10:26; ψ 39:5 אֵֽדְעָה מֶה־חָדֵל אָ֑נִי; מַה־זֶּה how, now? (in surprise), Gn 27:20 מַה־זֶּה מִהַרְתָּ לִמְצֹא בְּנִי, Ju 18:24; 1 K 21:5; 2 K 1:5. (b) why? Ex 14:15 מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלַי, 17:2(×2) 2 K 6:33; 7:3 ψ 42:6 מַה־תִּשְׁתּוֹחֲחִי עלי, Jb 15:12 +; Ct 8:4 I adjure you מַה־תָּעִירוּ וּמַה־תְּעוֹרֲרוּ, why will ye stir up, etc.? (i.e. do not: ‖ אִם 2:7; 3:5).—The transition from the interrog. to the neg., to which in Heb. there is an approx. (especially 1 K 12:16 [cf. 2 S 20:1] Jb 6:5; 31:1; Ct 5:8; 8:4), is in Arabic complete, مَا being there used constantly in the sense of not (cf. WalkerHbr. xii. 244 ff.; Köiii. 478). e.g. Genesis 44:16
- b. as an exclam., how …! with adjectives and verbs, Gn 28:17 מַה־נּוֹרָא הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה how dreadful is this place! 38:29 Nu 24:5 מַה־טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ, Is 52:7 ψ 3:2 מה רבו, 8:2 מה אדיר, 21:2; 36:8, etc., Ct 4:10(×2); 7:2; ironically, 2 S 6:20; Je 2:33, 36; Jb 26:2, 3. e.g. Genesis 28:17
- 3. Indef. pron. anything, aught, Nu 23:3 וּדְבַר־מַה־יַּרְאֵנִי וְהִגַּדְתִּי לָ֑ךְ and he will shew me the matter of aught, and I will tell thee (= if he shew me … I will, etc., Dr§ 149), 1 S 19:3 וְרָאִיתִי מָה וִהִגַּדְתִּי לָ֑ךְ = and if I see aught, I will, etc., 20:10 אוֹ מַה־יַּעַנְךָ אָבִיךָ קָשָׁה if perchance thy father shall answer thee aught that is harsh (order, 1 a a), 2 S 18:22 וִיהִי־מָה אָרוּצָה־נָּא but let there happen what may (lit. aught), I will run, v 23 (cf. Jb 13:13 וְיַעֲבֹר עָלַי מָה), v 29 וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מָה (cf. Pr 9:13), Pr 25:8. Cf. Köiii. § 65. e.g. Numbers 23:3
- 4. With preps.:
- a. בַּמָּה9, בַּמֶּה19 wherein? Ex 22:26; Ju 16:5; 1 S 14:38 (indirect question; We בְּמִי); and so according to the various senses of בְּ: whereby? Gn 15:8; Ex 33:16; Mal 1:2, 6, 7; 2:17; 3:7–8; wherewith? 1 S 6:2 2 S 21:3 Mi 6:6; by what means? Ju 16:5 וּבַמֶּה נוּכַל לוֹ; at what (worth)? Is 2:22; for what? 2 Ch 7:21 (‖ 1 K 9:8 על־מה). e.g. Exodus 22:26
- b. יַעַן מֶה †Hg 1:9 because of what? e.g. Haggai 1:9
- c. כַּמָּה, כַּמֶּה, proposes the like of what? (Arabic كَمْ, Syriac ܟܡܳܐ ); hence (a) how much? how many? כַּמָּה יְמֵי וגו׳ Gn 47:8; 2 S 19:35; ψ 119:84 Jb 13:23; עַד כַּמֶּה פְעָמִים 1 K 22:16 (= 2 Ch 18:15); כַּמָּה how often? Jb 21:17 (i.e. how seldom!); in an indirect question, how much? Zc 2:6(×2). As an exclamation, Zc 7:3 as I have done זֶה כַמֶּה שָׁנִים now (זֶה 4 i), how many years! ψ 78:40 כַּמָּה how often! (b) for how long? ψ 35:17 כמה תראה, Jb 7:19. e.g. Genesis 47:8
- d. לָ֫מָּה, לָמָ֫ה (לָמָ֫ה mostly before the gutturals א, ה, ע, and י׳ [i.e. אֲדֹנָי], but twice besides, ψ 42:10; 43:2; לָ֫מָּה also occurs before gutt., in five places noted by Mas. on ψ 43:2, viz. 1 S 28:15; 2 S 2:22; 14:31; ψ 49:6 Je 15:18, and before ח †Gn 4:6; 2 S 14:13; 24:3; Ec 2:15), לָ֫מָה †Jb 7:20, לָ֫מֶה †1 S 1:8(×3), for what reason? why? Gn 4:6 למה חרה לך why art thou angry? 24:31, etc.; often strengthened by זֶה (זֶה 4 e), Gn 18:13; 32:30 (= Ju 13:18) למה זה תשׁאל לשׁמי, 33:15; Ex 2:20; 5:22; 17:3, etc., Je 6:20; 20:18 +; Gn 25:22 אם כן למה־זה אנכי if so, why, then, am I? (why do I continue to live?); = to what purpose (sq. לִ pers.), Gn 27:46 למה לי חיים, Is 1:11; Je 6:20 Am 5:18 למה זה לכם יום י׳, Jb 30:2; in an indirect question, 1 S 6:3 Dn 10:20. Note especially (a) in expostulations, Gn 12:18 למה לא הגדת לי why didst thou not tell me, etc.? v 19; 29:25; 31:27; 42:1; 43:6; 1 S 21:15; 22:13; 24:10; ψ 22:2; 44:24, 25; 74:1, 11 + often; (b) with an impf., often deprecating, or introducing rhetorically, the reason why something should, or should not, be done, why should …? 1 S 19:5, 17; 20:8 but to thy father (emph.) למה זה תביאני, why shouldst thou bring me? 20:32 למה יומת מה עשׂה why should he be put to death? 2 S 13:26; 16:9; 20:19; 2 K 14:10, etc.: in such cases, it approximates in meaning to lest (cf. Ph. CIS i. 2, 21 לָםָ יסגרינם אלנם ne tradant eos dii), and is in 𝔊 often rendered by μήποτε, as Gn 27:45 למה אשׁכל why should I be bereaved, etc.? Ex 32:12 למה יאמרו מצרים Ne 6:3 ψ 79:10; 115:2; Ec 7:16, μή, Jer 40:15, ἵνα μή, Gn 47:19; 2 S 2:22; 2 Ch 25:16; Ec 5:5; 7:17, or ὅπως μή, Jo 2:17 (in 1 S 19:17; 2 S 13:26, paraph. by εἰ μή); and, connected with the foreg. sentence by אשׁר, or שֶׁ, in late, or dial., Heb. it actually has that meaning, Dn 1:10 אֲשֶׁר לָמָּה יִרְאֶה lest he see, Ct 1:7 שַׁלָּמָ֫ה אֶהְיֶה lest I become (so in Aramaic דִּי לְמָה Ezr 7:23, דִּילְמָא 𝔗, Syriac ܕܰܠܡܳܐ, both regularly = lest). e.g. Psalms 42:10
- e. עַד־מָה (ψ 4:3 עַד־מֶה) until when? how long? †Nu 24:22 (aposiop.), ψ 4:3; 79:5; 89:47; in indirect qu., ψ 74:9 (cf. עד אנה, עד מתי). e.g. Psalms 4:3
- f. עַל־מָה, and עַל־מֶה, upon what? Jb 38:6; 2 Ch 32:10; upon what ground? wherefore? Nu 22:32 עַל־מָה הִכִּיתָ אֶת־אֲתֹנְךָ, Dt 29:23 (cf. 1 K 9:8; Je 22:8), Is 1:5; Je 8:14; 9:11; 16:10; Ez 21:12; ψ 10:13 Jb 13:14 (probably dittogr. from v 13); על־מה־זה Ne 2:4. In an indirect question, Jb 10:2 הוֹדִיעֻנִי עַל מַה־תְּרִיבֻנִי, Est 4:5 לָדַעַת מַה־זֶּה וְעַל־מַה־זֶּה. e.g. Job 38:6
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
rarely מָה־ (e.g. Gn 31:43; Jos 22:16; Ju 8:1), מַה־, מַה·, מֶה, מַ· (†Ex 4:2; Is 3:15; Mal 1:13; 1 Ch 15:13; 2 Ch 30:3), מָ (only in מָהֵם †Ez 8:6 Kt., Qr. מָה הֵם)—on the distinction in the use of these forms, see Ges§ 37—pron. interrog. and indef. what? how? aught; used of things, as מִי of persons (Aramaic ܡܳܐ, מָא, Arabic مَا; prob. apoc. from a longer form with n or nt, Assyrian minû (DlHWB 417 f.), Ethiopic ምንት: ment; cf. WCG 123 ff. Köii. 368):—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive particle
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
מָה
- (b. h.)
- 1. something; anything. Num. R. s. 14; Tanḥ. Ḥayé 3, v. בְּלִימָה.
- 2. what? which? Ḥull. 89ᵃ (play on הא̇מ̇נ̇ם א̇ל̇ם̇, Ps. LVIII, 2) מה א̇ומ̇נ̇תו … כא̇ל̇ם̇ which is the best policy for man in this world? Let him act as if he were mute (keep silence). B. Mets. 63ᵃ, a. e. מה לו הן מה לי דמיהן what are they to me and what their equivalent, i.e. what difference does it make whether the purchased objects or their equivalent be delivered?; Y. Yoma V, 43ᵃ bot. מה ביניהן ומה בין דמיהן. B. Bath. 32ᵇ; 31ᵃ מה (לי) לו לשקר what motive could he have to tell a lie? Ib., a. e. מה לי לשקר במקום עדים וכ׳ we do not apply the principle that we believe a defendant because he has no motive to lie, where witnesses are on hand; a. v. fr.—מה … אף what …?, even so, i.e. as … so. Gitt. 23ᵇ מה אתם … אף וכ׳ as you (Num. XVIII, 28) refers to Israelites, so must your delegate be an Israelite. Sabb. 133ᵇ מה הוא … אף וכ׳ as He is gracious and merciful, so be thou &c.; a. fr.—מה … לא כל שכן, v. כָּל.—מה … אינו דין, v. דִּין II.—מה ל־ … שכן … תאמר what has this to do with …? In this case …, whereas &c., i.e. it is different with … because &c. Kidd. 4ᵇ מה ליבמה שכן … תאמר וכ׳ the case of a Y’bamah is different, because she can neither be acquired by means of a document, whereas this (an ordinary woman) &c.; a. fr.—מָה נַפְשְׁךָ (in Babli mostly: מִמָּה נפשך; abbr. ממ"נ) whatever be thy opinion (from whatever opinion thou start), i.e. whichever side you take, at all events. Y. Ber. I, 2ᵇ מ׳ נ׳ אם וכ׳ at all events (he has offended); if it was day-time when the first stars (on Friday evening) were visible, it was day-time when the first stars (on Sabbath evening) were visible &c.; Sabb. 35ᵇ חייכ חטאת ממ"נ must bring a sin-offering at all events (whether you consider twilight a part of the day or a part of the night). Ib. 34ᵃ (in Chald. dict.) מה נפשך אי וכ׳ whichever side you take, if twilight is day &c. Erub. 10ᵃ גדולה … למה לי ממ"נ אי וכ׳ what reason was there for saying ‘large …’? In either case (it is incorrect), if it be to permit the use of the larger court &c. Ḥull. 29ᵃ ממ"נ אי מחצה וכ׳ in either case (the slaughtering is ritually correct); if you adopt the opinion that an exact half is to be considered as if it were the larger portion &c.; a. v. fr.—Ib. 78ᵇ מה אם נפשך, v. נֶפֶשׁ.—בַּמֶּה a) wherewith? B. Bath. 10ᵇ במה תרום וכ׳ whereby can the horn of Israel be lifted up? Sabb. II, 1; a. fr.—b) in what case? במה דברים אמורים (abbr. בד"א), v. אָמַר I.—לָמָּה wherefore? Ber. 3ᵃ תחלת … סימנא למה לי what need is there for a sign for the beginning of the first watch? M. Kat. 28ᵃ ל׳ נסמכה וכ׳ why is the account of the death of Miriam attached to &c.?; a. fr.—לַמֶּה to what?, whereto? Kidd. 40ᵇ ל׳ צדיקים נמשלים what are the righteous to be compared to?—ל׳ הדבר דומה, v. דָּמָה; a. fr.—V. לָמָה. e.g. Psalms 58:2
- 3. (relat.) which, what. Pes. 88ᵇ מה שקנה עבד וכ׳ whatever the slave acquires belongs to the master. Ber. I, 1 כל מה שאמרו וכ׳ for whatever act the scholars designated the time ‘up to midnight’ &c.; a. v. fr.
מָה ²
- ch. same (v. מָא). Targ. II Sam. XVIII, 23. Targ. Ex. XXXIII, 21; a. v. fr.—Snh. 65ᵇ; Gen. R. s. 11, v. גּוּבְרָא. Y. Ned. VI, end, 40ᵃ מה שבקית תמן what (prominent men) I left there (in Palestine); Y. Snh. I, 19ᵃ top (corr. acc.) [Ib. מה מודע לי, read מאן.]—Y. Gitt. I, 43ᵈ מה אנן קיימין what do we stand at, i.e. what is the case before us? Y. Dem. I, 21ᵈ bot. מה אפשר דר׳ וכ׳ what? is it possible that &c.? i.e. it is impossible that &c.; ib. מה ר׳ ז׳ מיכול וכ׳ it is impossible that R. Z. should eat &c. Y. Sabb. XIV, 14ᶜ מה ביניהון wherein do they differ?, v. בֵּין. Ḥull. 34ᵃ, a. e. מה נפשך, v. preced.; a. v. fr.—מָהִיא = מה היא, how is it? Y. Sabb. l. c.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 118 distinct written forms H4100 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| מַה | Particle, Interrogative | Amos 4:13 | 222 |
| וּ/מַה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 1:9 | 40 |
| מָֽה | Particle, Interrogative | Amos 7:8 | 35 |
| לָ֥/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 7:17 | 28 |
| מָ֣ה | Particle, Interrogative | Deuteronomy 6:20 | 27 |
| לָ֤/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 2:20 | 26 |
| לָ֣/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Deuteronomy 5:25 | 22 |
| מָ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | Daniel 12:8 | 22 |
| מֶ֣ה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 2:12 | 18 |
| מַֽה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 8:4 | 18 |
| מָה | Particle, Interrogative | Ezekiel 17:12 | 17 |
| מֶה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 32:1 | 12 |
| מָ֤ה | Particle, Interrogative | Ezekiel 16:30 | 10 |
| לָ/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Amos 5:18 | 9 |
| לָ֛/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Genesis 44:4 | 8 |
| מָ֖ה | Particle, Interrogative | Ezekiel 12:9 | 8 |
| וּ/מַֽה | Particle, Interrogative | 2 Chronicles 25:9 | 7 |
| לָ֚/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 5:4 | 7 |
| מָ֚ה | Particle, Interrogative | Deuteronomy 10:12 | 7 |
| וּ/מָ֣ה | Particle, Interrogative | Job 31:14 | 6 |
| לָ֧/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 5:15 | 6 |
| מֶ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | Deuteronomy 29:24 | 6 |
| מֶֽה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 2:22 | 6 |
| מָ֛ה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 12:26 | 6 |
| בַּ/מֶּ֖ה | Particle, Interrogative | 1 Samuel 6:2 | 5 |
| וְ/לָ֤/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | 1 Samuel 6:6 | 5 |
| וְ/לָ֥/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Ezekiel 18:31 | 5 |
| וּֽ/מַה | Particle, Interrogative | Job 15:12 | 5 |
| לָ/מָ֤ה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 5:22 | 5 |
| לָֽ/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | 2 Samuel 18:22 | 5 |
| בַּ/מֶּ֣ה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 22:27 | 4 |
| לָ/מָ֣ה | Particle, Interrogative | Psalms 10:1 | 4 |
| לָ/מָ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | Genesis 27:45 | 4 |
| לָ֭/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Job 19:22 | 4 |
| מֶ֤ה | Particle, Interrogative | 1 Samuel 20:1 | 4 |
| בַּ/מֶּ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | Malachi 1:6 | 3 |
| וְ/לָ֖/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Genesis 4:6 | 3 |
| וְ/לָ֧/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 2:15 | 3 |
| וְ/לָ֨/מָּה֙ | Particle, Interrogative | 1 Samuel 9:21 | 3 |
| וּ/מֶ֤ה | Particle, Interrogative | Jeremiah 16:10 | 3 |
| וּ/מָ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | Esther 9:26 | 3 |
| וּ/מָֽה | Particle, Interrogative | Esther 9:26 | 3 |
| כַּ/מֶּ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | 1 Kings 22:16 | 3 |
| לָ/מָּה֩ | Particle, Interrogative | Daniel 1:10 | 3 |
| לָ֖/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Ecclesiastes 7:16 | 3 |
| מֶ֨ה | Particle, Interrogative | Deuteronomy 29:24 | 3 |
| מָ֔ה | Particle, Interrogative | Exodus 16:7 | 3 |
| מָ֗ה | Particle, Interrogative | 2 Kings 7:3 | 3 |
| מָ֧ה | Particle, Interrogative | 2 Kings 18:19 | 3 |
| מָה֙ | Particle, Interrogative | 2 Chronicles 32:10 | 3 |
| לְ/מַ | Pronoun, Relative | 2 Chronicles 30:3 | 2 |
| בַּ/מָּ֣ה | Particle, Interrogative | Malachi 1:2 | 2 |
| בַּ/מָּ֥ה | Particle, Interrogative | Genesis 15:8 | 2 |
| וְ/לָ/מָ֤ה | Particle, Interrogative | Numbers 20:4 | 2 |
| וְ/לָ/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Genesis 25:32 | 2 |
| וְ/לָ֣/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Job 10:18 | 2 |
| וּ/מֶ֖ה | Particle, Interrogative | 1 Kings 14:14 | 2 |
| וּ/מֶֽה | Particle, Interrogative | Genesis 20:9 | 2 |
| כַּ֭/מָּה | Particle, Interrogative | Job 7:19 | 2 |
| לָ/מָ֪ה | Particle, Interrogative | Psalms 42:9 | 2 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 58 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H4100, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- מא mâʼ H3964 what
- מדוע maddûwaʻ H4069 why
- מדי madday H4078 what is enough, sufficiency, enough
- מה mâh H4101 whatever
- מהה mâhahh H4102 to delay
- מי mîy H4310 who
- מן mân H4478 manna
- מתלאה mattᵉlâʼâh H4972 weariness
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 10 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 623 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 655 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:19
- Exodus 2:4
- Leviticus 25:20
- Numbers 9:7
- Deuteronomy 5:25
- Joshua 4:6
- Judges 1:14
- Ruth 1:11
- 1 Samuel 1:8
- 2 Samuel 1:4
- 1 Kings 1:16
- 2 Kings 1:5
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
