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 2 Samuel — 42 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.
2 Samuel
- 2 Samuel 1:4 מֶה ptcl inter David said to him, How went the matter? Please tell me. He answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
- 2 Samuel 2:22 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Abner said again to Asahel, Turn you aside from following me: why should I strike you to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?
- 2 Samuel 3:24 מֶ֣ה לָ/מָּה ptcl inter prep + ptcl inter Then Joab came to the king, and said, What have you done? behold, Abner came to you; why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone?
- 2 Samuel 6:20 מַה ptcl inter Then David returned to bless his household. Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!
- 2 Samuel 7:7 לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter In all places in which I have walked with all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar?
- 2 Samuel 7:20 וּ/מַה conj + ptcl inter What can David say more to you? for you know your servant, Lord Yahweh.
- 2 Samuel 9:8 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter He did obeisance, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look on such a dead dog as I am?"
- 2 Samuel 11:21 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn't a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then shall you say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"
- 2 Samuel 12:21 מָֽה ptcl inter Then said his servants to him, What thing is this that you have done? you did fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, you did rise and eat bread.
- 2 Samuel 12:23 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter But now he is dead, why should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
- 2 Samuel 13:26 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Then said Absalom, If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us. The king said to him, Why should he go with you?
- 2 Samuel 14:5 מַה ptcl inter The king said to her, What ails you? She answered, Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
- 2 Samuel 14:13 וְ/לָ֧/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter The woman said, Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring home again his banished one.
- 2 Samuel 14:31 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom to his house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?
- 2 Samuel 14:32 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.
- 2 Samuel 15:19 לָ֧/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Why go you also with us? return, and abide with the king: for you are a foreigner, and also an exile; [return] to your own place.
- 2 Samuel 16:2 מָה ptcl inter The king said to Ziba, What do you mean by these? Ziba said, The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink.
- 2 Samuel 16:9 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head."
- 2 Samuel 16:10 מַה ptcl inter The king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, Curse David; who then shall say, Why have you done so?
- 2 Samuel 16:17 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?
- 2 Samuel 16:20 מַֽה ptcl inter Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall do.
- 2 Samuel 17:5 מַה ptcl inter Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he says.
- 2 Samuel 18:22 מָ֔ה לָֽ/מָּה ptcl inter prep + ptcl inter Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But come what may, Please let me also run after the Cushite. Joab said, Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?
- 2 Samuel 18:23 מָ֣ה ptcl inter But come what may, [said he], I will run. He said to him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
- 2 Samuel 18:29 מָֽה ptcl inter The king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I don't know what it was.
- 2 Samuel 19:10 לָ/מָ֥ה prep + ptcl inter Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why don't you speak a word of bringing the king back?
- 2 Samuel 19:11 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, [to bring him] to his house.
- 2 Samuel 19:12 וְ/לָ֧/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter You are my brothers, you are my bone and my flesh: why then are you the last to bring back the king?
- 2 Samuel 19:22 מַה ptcl inter David said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be adversaries to me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for don't I know that I am this day king over Israel?
- 2 Samuel 19:25 לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter It happened, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?
- 2 Samuel 19:28 וּ/מַה conj + ptcl inter For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I yet that I should cry any more to the king?
- 2 Samuel 19:29 לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter The king said to him, Why speak you any more of your matters? I say, You and Ziba divide the land.
- 2 Samuel 19:34 כַּ/מָּ֗ה prep + ptcl inter Barzillai said to the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
- 2 Samuel 19:35 וְ/לָ/מָּה֩ conj + prep + ptcl inter I am this day eighty years old: can I discern between good and bad? can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? why then should your servant be yet a burden to my lord the king?
- 2 Samuel 19:36 וְ/לָ֨/מָּה֙ conj + prep + ptcl inter Your servant would but just go over the Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?
- 2 Samuel 19:42 וְ/לָ֤/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is a close relative to us: why then are you angry for this matter? have we eaten at all at the king's cost? or has he given us any gift?
- 2 Samuel 20:19 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel: you seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why will you swallow up the inheritance of Yahweh?
- 2 Samuel 21:3 מָ֥ה וּ/בַ/מָּ֣ה ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter and David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?
- 2 Samuel 21:4 מָֽה ptcl inter The Gibeonites said to him, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. He said, What you shall say, that will I do for you.
- 2 Samuel 24:3 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Joab said to the king, Now Yahweh your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?
- 2 Samuel 24:13 מָה ptcl inter So Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? now advise you, and consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.
- 2 Samuel 24:17 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father's house.
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.
