מָה
what
also: how, of what kind fuller range ↓
H4100
Strong's Hebrew
mâh
Transliteration
/maw/
Pronunciation
Usage in the Hebrew Bible
750
appearances
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
BDB Definition
what, how, of what kind (interrogative pronoun)
- (interrogative)
- what?
- of what kind
- what? (rhetorical)
- whatsoever, whatever, what
- (adverb)
- how, how now
- why
- how! (exclamation)
- (with preposition)
- wherein?, whereby?, wherewith?, by what means?
- because of what?
- the like of what?
- how much?, how many?, how often?
- for how long?
- for what reason?, why?, to what purpose?
- until when?, how long?, upon what?, wherefore?
- anything, aught, what may (indefinite pronoun)
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.
Grammatical forms
- Particle, Interrogative 749 times (100%)
- Pronoun, Relative 1 time (0%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 750 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Page 1 of 4 — showing verses 1–200 of 655 distinct verses where H4100 appears, across 37 books. 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.
Genesis 56 verses
- Genesis 2:19 מַה ptcl inter Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
- Genesis 3:13 מַה ptcl inter Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
- Genesis 4:6 לָ֚/מָּה וְ/לָ֖/מָּה prep + ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?
- Genesis 4:10 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter Yahweh said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground.
- Genesis 12:18 מַה לָ֚/מָּה ptcl inter prep + ptcl inter Pharaoh called Abram, and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?
- Genesis 12:19 לָ/מָ֤ה prep + ptcl inter Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way."
- Genesis 15:2 מַה ptcl inter Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"
- Genesis 15:8 בַּ/מָּ֥ה prep + ptcl inter He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?"
- Genesis 18:13 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?'
- Genesis 20:9 מֶֽה וּ/מֶֽה ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done!"
- Genesis 20:10 מָ֣ה ptcl inter Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see, that you have done this thing?"
- Genesis 21:17 מַה ptcl inter God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Don't be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
- Genesis 21:29 מָ֣ה ptcl inter Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?"
- Genesis 23:15 מַה ptcl inter "My lord, listen to me. What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you? Therefore bury your dead."
- Genesis 24:31 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter He said, "Come in, you blessed of Yahweh. Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels."
- Genesis 25:22 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter The children struggled together within her. She said, "If it be so, why do I live?" She went to inquire of Yahweh.
- Genesis 25:32 וְ/לָ/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter Esau said, "Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?"
- Genesis 26:10 מַה ptcl inter Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!"
- Genesis 27:20 מַה ptcl inter Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He said, "Because Yahweh your God gave me success."
- Genesis 27:37 מָ֥ה ptcl inter Isaac answered Esau, "Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants. With grain and new wine have I sustained him. What then will I do for you, my son?"
- Genesis 27:45 לָ/מָ֥ה prep + ptcl inter until your brother's anger turn away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"
- Genesis 27:46 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"
- Genesis 28:17 מַה ptcl inter He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."
- Genesis 29:15 מַה ptcl inter Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"
- Genesis 29:25 מַה וְ/לָ֖/מָּה ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"
- Genesis 30:31 מָ֣ה ptcl inter He said, "What shall I give you?" Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it.
- Genesis 31:26 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword?
- Genesis 31:27 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Why did you flee secretly, and deceive me, and didn't tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp;
- Genesis 31:30 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Now, you want to be gone, because you sore longed after your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods?"
- Genesis 31:32 מָ֥ה ptcl inter With whoever you find your gods, he shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me, and take it." For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them.
- Genesis 31:36 מַה מַ֣ה ptcl inter ptcl inter Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?
- Genesis 31:37 מַה ptcl inter Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may judge between us two.
- Genesis 31:43 מָֽה ptcl inter Laban answered Jacob, "The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine: and what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne?
- Genesis 32:27 מַה ptcl inter He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
- Genesis 32:29 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." He said, "Why is it that you ask what my name is?" He blessed him there.
- Genesis 33:15 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Esau said, "Let me now leave with you some of the folk who are with me." He said, "Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord."
- Genesis 37:10 מָ֛ה ptcl inter He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?"
- Genesis 37:15 מַה ptcl inter A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, "What are you looking for?"
- Genesis 37:20 מַה ptcl inter Come now therefore, and let's kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil animal has devoured him.' We will see what will become of his dreams."
- Genesis 37:26 מַה ptcl inter Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
- Genesis 38:16 מַה ptcl inter He turned to her by the way, and said, "Please come, let me come in to you:" for he didn't know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"
- Genesis 38:18 מָ֣ה ptcl inter He said, "What pledge will I give you?" She said, "Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
- Genesis 38:29 מַה ptcl inter It happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out, and she said, "Why have you made a breach for yourself?" Therefore his name was called Perez.
- Genesis 39:8 מַה ptcl inter But he refused, and said to his master's wife, "Behold, my master doesn't know what is with me in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand.
- Genesis 42:1 לָ֖/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"
- Genesis 42:28 מַה ptcl inter He said to his brothers, "My money is restored! Behold, it is even in my sack." Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"
- Genesis 43:6 לָ/מָ֥ה prep + ptcl inter Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?"
- Genesis 44:4 לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, 'Why have you rewarded evil for good?
- Genesis 44:7 לָ֚/מָּה prep + ptcl inter They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!
- Genesis 44:15 מָֽה ptcl inter Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Don't you know that such a man as I can indeed divine?"
- Genesis 44:16 מַה מַה וּ/מַה ptcl inter ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter Judah said, "What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord's bondservants, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found."
- Genesis 46:33 מַה ptcl inter It will happen, when Pharaoh summons you, and will say, 'What is your occupation?'
- Genesis 47:3 מַה ptcl inter Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" They said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers."
- Genesis 47:8 כַּ/מָּ֕ה prep + ptcl inter Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?"
- Genesis 47:15 וְ/לָ֥/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter When the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph, and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For our money fails."
- Genesis 47:19 לָ֧/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. Give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land won't be desolate."
Exodus 30 verses
- Exodus 2:4 מַה ptcl inter His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.
- Exodus 2:13 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter He went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"
- Exodus 2:20 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."
- Exodus 3:13 מַה מָ֥ה ptcl inter ptcl inter Moses said to God, "Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you;' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"
- Exodus 4:2 מַה ptcl inter Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."
- Exodus 5:4 לָ֚/מָּה prep + ptcl inter The king of Egypt said to them, "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens!"
- Exodus 5:15 לָ֧/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?
- Exodus 5:22 לָ/מָ֤ה לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter prep + ptcl inter Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me?
- Exodus 10:26 מַֽה ptcl inter Our cattle also shall go with us. There shall not a hoof be left behind, for of it we must take to serve Yahweh our God; and we don't know with what we must serve Yahweh, until we come there."
- Exodus 12:26 מָ֛ה ptcl inter It will happen, when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this service?'
- Exodus 13:14 מַה ptcl inter It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall tell him, 'By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage;
- Exodus 14:5 מַה ptcl inter It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
- Exodus 14:11 מַה ptcl inter They said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us forth out of Egypt?
- Exodus 14:15 מַה ptcl inter Yahweh said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.
- Exodus 15:24 מַה ptcl inter The people murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"
- Exodus 16:7 מָ֔ה ptcl inter and in the morning, then you shall see the glory of Yahweh; because he hears your murmurings against Yahweh. Who are we, that you murmur against us?"
- Exodus 16:8 מָ֔ה ptcl inter Moses said, "Now Yahweh shall give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you; because Yahweh hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Yahweh."
- Exodus 16:15 מַה ptcl inter When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, "What is it?" For they didn't know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat."
- Exodus 17:2 מַה מַה ptcl inter ptcl inter Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?"
- Exodus 17:3 לָ֤/מָּה prep + ptcl inter The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"
- Exodus 17:4 מָ֥ה ptcl inter Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, "What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."
- Exodus 18:14 מָֽה ptcl inter When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?"
- Exodus 22:27 בַּ/מֶּ֣ה prep + ptcl inter for that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What would he sleep in? It will happen, when he cries to me, that I will hear, for I am gracious.
- Exodus 32:1 מֶה ptcl inter When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him."
- Exodus 32:11 לָ/מָ֤ה prep + ptcl inter Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, "Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
- Exodus 32:12 לָ/מָּה֩ prep + ptcl inter Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'He brought them forth for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?' Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.
- Exodus 32:21 מֶֽה ptcl inter Moses said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?"
- Exodus 32:23 מֶה ptcl inter For they said to me, 'Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him.'
- Exodus 33:5 מָ֥ה ptcl inter Yahweh said to Moses, "Tell the children of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go up into your midst for one moment, I would consume you. Therefore now take off your jewelry from you, that I may know what to do to you."
- Exodus 33:16 וּ/בַ/מֶּ֣ה conj + prep + ptcl inter For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn't it in that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?"
Leviticus 1 verse
Numbers 27 verses
- Numbers 9:7 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Those men said to him, "We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer the offering of Yahweh in its appointed season among the children of Israel?"
- Numbers 9:8 מַה ptcl inter Moses answered them, "Wait, that I may hear what Yahweh will command concerning you."
- Numbers 11:11 לָ/מָ֤ה וְ/לָ֛/מָּה prep + ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter Moses said to Yahweh, Why have you dealt ill with your servant? and why haven't I found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
- Numbers 11:20 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome to you; because that you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
- Numbers 13:18 מַה ptcl inter and see the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many;
- Numbers 13:19 וּ/מָ֣ה וּ/מָ֣ה conj + ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds;
- Numbers 13:20 וּ/מָ֣ה conj + ptcl inter and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
- Numbers 14:3 וְ/לָ/מָ֣ה conj + prep + ptcl inter Why does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?
- Numbers 14:41 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Moses said, Why now do you disobey the commandment of Yahweh, seeing it shall not prosper?
- Numbers 15:34 מַה ptcl inter They put him in custody, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
- Numbers 16:11 מַה ptcl inter Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against Yahweh: and Aaron, what is he who you murmur against him?
- Numbers 20:4 וְ/לָ/מָ֤ה conj + prep + ptcl inter Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?
- Numbers 20:5 וְ/לָ/מָ֤ה conj + prep + ptcl inter Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
- Numbers 21:5 לָ/מָ֤ה prep + ptcl inter The people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loathes this light bread.
- Numbers 22:19 מַה ptcl inter Now therefore, please wait also here this night, that I may know what Yahweh will speak to me more.
- Numbers 22:28 מֶה ptcl inter Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?
- Numbers 22:32 מָ֗ה ptcl inter The angel of Yahweh said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because your way is perverse before me:
- Numbers 22:37 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Balak said to Balaam, Didn't I earnestly send to you to call you? why didn't you come to me? am I not able indeed to promote you to honor?
- Numbers 23:3 מַה ptcl inter Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go: perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you. He went to a bare height.
- Numbers 23:8 מָ֣ה וּ/מָ֣ה ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy, whom Yahweh has not defied?
- Numbers 23:11 מֶ֥ה ptcl inter Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have blessed them altogether.
- Numbers 23:17 מַה ptcl inter He came to him, and, behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, What has Yahweh spoken?
- Numbers 23:23 מַה ptcl inter Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel: Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God done!
- Numbers 24:5 מַה ptcl inter How goodly are your tents, Jacob, Your tents, Israel!
- Numbers 24:22 מָ֖ה ptcl inter Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, Until Asshur shall carry you away captive.
- Numbers 27:4 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among the brothers of our father.
- Numbers 32:7 וְ/לָ֣/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter Why discourage you the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Yahweh has given them?
Deuteronomy 5 verses
- Deuteronomy 5:25 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of Yahweh our God any more, then we shall die.
- Deuteronomy 6:20 מָ֣ה ptcl inter When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Yahweh our God has commanded you?
- Deuteronomy 10:12 מָ֚ה ptcl inter Now, Israel, what does Yahweh your God require of you, but to fear Yahweh your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
- Deuteronomy 29:24 מֶ֨ה מֶ֥ה ptcl inter ptcl inter even all the nations shall say, Why has Yahweh done thus to this land? what means the heat of this great anger?
- Deuteronomy 32:20 מָ֣ה ptcl inter He said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: For they are a very perverse generation, Children in whom is no faithfulness.
Joshua 13 verses
- Joshua 4:6 מָ֛ה ptcl inter that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, What do you mean by these stones?
- Joshua 4:21 מָ֖ה ptcl inter He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?
- Joshua 5:14 מָ֥ה ptcl inter He said, No; but [as] prince of the host of Yahweh am I now come. Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said to him, What says my lord to his servant?
- Joshua 7:7 לָ֠/מָה prep + ptcl inter Joshua said, Alas, Lord Yahweh, why have you at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan!
- Joshua 7:8 מָ֣ה ptcl inter Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!
- Joshua 7:9 וּ/מַֽה conj + ptcl inter For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will compass us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what will you do for your great name?
- Joshua 7:10 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Yahweh said to Joshua, Get you up; why are you thus fallen on your face?
- Joshua 7:19 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter Joshua said to Achan, My son, please give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and make confession to him; and tell me now what you have done; don't hide it from me.
- Joshua 7:25 מֶ֣ה ptcl inter Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? Yahweh shall trouble you this day. All Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.
- Joshua 9:22 לָ/מָּה֩ prep + ptcl inter Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have you deceived us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?
- Joshua 15:18 מַה ptcl inter It happened, when she came [to him], that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her donkey; and Caleb said, What would you?
- Joshua 22:16 מָֽה ptcl inter Thus says the whole congregation of Yahweh, What trespass is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following Yahweh, in that you have built you an altar, to rebel this day against Yahweh?
- Joshua 22:24 מַה ptcl inter and if we have not [rather] out of carefulness done this, [and] of purpose, saying, In time to come your children might speak to our children, saying, What have you to do with Yahweh, the God of Israel?
Judges 35 verses
- Judges 1:14 מַה ptcl inter It happened, when she came [to him], that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she alighted from off her donkey; and Caleb said to her, What would you?
- Judges 2:2 מַה ptcl inter and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars. But you have not listened to my voice: why have you done this?
- Judges 5:16 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Why sat you among the sheepfolds, To hear the whistling for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.
- Judges 5:17 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Gilead abode beyond the Jordan: Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, Abode by his creeks.
- Judges 6:13 וְ/לָ֥/מָּה conj + prep + ptcl inter Gideon said to him, Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt? but now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.
- Judges 6:15 בַּ/מָּ֥ה prep + ptcl inter He said to him, Oh, Lord, with which shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
- Judges 7:11 מַה ptcl inter and you shall hear what they say; and afterward shall your hands be strengthened to go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the armed men who were in the camp.
- Judges 8:1 מָֽה ptcl inter The men of Ephraim said to him, Why have you served us thus, that you didn't call us, when you went to fight with Midian? They did chide with him sharply.
- Judges 8:2 מֶה ptcl inter He said to them, What have I now done in comparison with you? Isn't the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
- Judges 8:3 וּ/מַה conj + ptcl inter God has delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
- Judges 9:2 מַה ptcl inter Please speak in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
- Judges 9:48 מָ֤ה ptcl inter Abimelech got him up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said to the people who were with him, What you have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
- Judges 11:12 מַה ptcl inter Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you are come to me to fight against my land?
- Judges 12:3 וְ/לָ/מָ֞ה conj + prep + ptcl inter When I saw that you didn't save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered them into my hand: why then are you come up to me this day, to fight against me?
- Judges 13:8 מַֽה ptcl inter Then Manoah entreated Yahweh, and said, Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you did send come again to us, and teach us what we shall do to the child who shall be born.
- Judges 13:12 מַה ptcl inter Manoah said, Now let your words happen: what shall be the ordering of the child, and [how] shall we do to him?
- Judges 13:18 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter The angel of Yahweh said to him, Why do you ask after my name, seeing it is wonderful?
- Judges 14:18 מַה וּ/מֶ֥ה ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter The men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? He said to them, If you hadn't plowed with my heifer, You wouldn't have found out my riddle.
- Judges 15:10 לָ/מָ֖ה prep + ptcl inter The men of Judah said, Why are you come up against us? They said, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he has done to us.
- Judges 15:11 וּ/מַה conj + ptcl inter Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, "Don't you know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?" He said to them, As they did to me, so have I done to them.
- Judges 16:5 בַּ/מֶּה֙ וּ/בַ/מֶּה֙ prep + ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter The lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see in which his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will each give you of us eleven hundred [pieces] of silver.
- Judges 16:6 בַּ/מֶּ֖ה וּ/בַ/מֶּ֥ה prep + ptcl inter conj + prep + ptcl inter Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, Please, in which your great strength lies, and with which you might be bound to afflict you.
- Judges 16:10 בַּ/מֶּ֖ה prep + ptcl inter Delilah said to Samson, Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, Please, with which you might be bound.
- Judges 16:13 בַּ/מֶּ֖ה prep + ptcl inter Delilah said to Samson, Hitherto you have mocked me, and told me lies: tell me with which you might be bound. He said to her, If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web.
- Judges 16:15 בַּ/מֶּ֖ה prep + ptcl inter She said to him, How can you say, I love you, when your heart is not with me? you have mocked me these three times, and have not told me in which your great strength lies.
- Judges 18:3 וּ/מָֽה וּ/מַה conj + ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite; and they turned aside there, and said to him, Who brought you here? and what do you in this place? and what have you here?
- Judges 18:8 מָ֥ה ptcl inter They came to their brothers to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brothers said to them, What [say] you?
- Judges 18:14 מַֽה ptcl inter Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered, and said to their brothers, Do you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and an engraved image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what you have to do.
- Judges 18:18 מָ֥ה ptcl inter When these went into Micah's house, and fetched the engraved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image, the priest said to them, What do you?
- Judges 18:23 מַה ptcl inter They cried to the children of Dan. They turned their faces, and said to Micah, What ails you, that you come with such a company?
- Judges 18:24 וּ/מַה וּ/מַה מַה conj + ptcl inter conj + ptcl inter ptcl inter He said, you have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have I more? and how then say you to me, What ails you?
- Judges 20:12 מָ֚ה ptcl inter The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is happen among you?
- Judges 21:3 לָ/מָ֗ה prep + ptcl inter They said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?
- Judges 21:7 מַה ptcl inter How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by Yahweh that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
- Judges 21:16 מַה ptcl inter Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
Ruth 2 verses
- Ruth 1:11 לָ֥/מָּה prep + ptcl inter Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will you go with me? have I yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
- Ruth 1:21 לָ֣/מָּה prep + ptcl inter I went out full, and Yahweh has brought me home again empty; why do you call me Naomi, seeing Yahweh has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"
1 Samuel 55 verses
- 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?
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
Strong's · 1890
how
Modern gloss
what
Strong's 1890 sometimes compressed multiple senses — or homonymous roots — under one number, and used 19th-century English phrasing that no longer carries the same connotation. The modern gloss reflects current BDB scholarship; open the Lexicon Entry tab for the full sense breakdown.
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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.
