Keraia
Lexicon

מָה

mahwhat?How to read Hebrew
hebrewOld TestamentQuestion word751 occurrences37 books657 verses

Definition

or מַה; or מָ; or מַ; also מֶה; a primitive particle; properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses
Traditional renderings: how (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.

In the Greek Old Testament

How the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders מָה:

Usage patterns

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

751 total
  1. Genesis 42:28מַה־ · What
    “My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
  2. Genesis 43:6לָמָ֥ה · Why
    “Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”
  3. Genesis 44:4לָ֛מָּה · Why
    They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?
  4. Genesis 44:7לָ֚מָּה · Why
    “Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.
  5. Genesis 44:15מָֽה־ · What
    “What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”
  6. Genesis 44:16מַה־ · What; מַה־ · How; וּמַה־ · How
    “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”
  7. Genesis 46:33מַה־ · What
    When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’
  8. Genesis 47:3מַה־ · What
    “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh asked Joseph’s brothers. “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our fathers.”
  9. Genesis 47:8כַּמָּ֕ה · How many
    “How many years have you lived?” Pharaoh asked.
  10. Genesis 47:15וְלָ֥מָּה · Why
    When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!”
  11. Genesis 47:19לָ֧מָּה · Why
    Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
  12. Exodus 2:4מַה־ · what
    And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
  13. Exodus 2:13לָ֥מָּה · Why
    The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
  14. Exodus 2:20לָ֤מָּה · Why
    “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
  15. Exodus 3:13מַה־ · What; מָ֥ה · What
    Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?”
  16. Exodus 4:2מַזֶּה · What is that
    And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
  17. Exodus 5:4לָ֚מָּה · why
    But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
  18. Exodus 5:15לָ֧מָּה · Why
    So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
  19. Exodus 5:22לָמָ֤ה · why; לָ֥מָּה · why
    So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me?
  20. Exodus 10:26מַֽה־ · how
    Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”
  21. Exodus 12:26מָ֛ה · What
    When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’
  22. Exodus 13:14מַה־ · What
    In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
  23. Exodus 14:5מַה־ · What
    When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
  24. Exodus 14:11מַה־ · What
    They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
  25. Exodus 14:15מַה־ · Why
    Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
  26. Exodus 15:24מַה־ · What
    So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
  27. Exodus 16:7מָ֔ה · For who
    …and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we, that you should grumble against us?”
  28. Exodus 16:8מָ֔ה · Who
    And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”
  29. Exodus 16:15מַה־ · what
    When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.
  30. Exodus 17:2מַה־ · Why; מַה־ · Why
    So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
  31. Exodus 17:3לָ֤מָּה · Why
    But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
  32. Exodus 17:4מָ֥ה · What
    Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
  33. Exodus 18:14מָֽה־ · What
    When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”
  34. Exodus 22:27בַּמֶּ֣ה · What else
    …because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
  35. Exodus 32:1מֶה־ · what
    Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”
  36. Exodus 32:11לָמָ֤ה · why
    But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
  37. Exodus 32:12לָמָּה֩ · Why
    Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.
  38. Exodus 32:21מֶֽה־ · What
    “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
  39. Exodus 32:23מֶה־ · what
    They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’
  40. Exodus 33:5מָ֥ה · what
    For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’”
  41. Exodus 33:16וּבַמֶּ֣ה׀ · For how then
    For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
  42. Leviticus 25:20מַה־ · What
    Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’
  43. Numbers 9:7לָ֣מָּה · but why
    …and said to Moses, “We are unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be excluded from presenting the LORD’s offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?”
  44. Numbers 9:8מַה־ · what
    “Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.
  45. Numbers 11:11לָמָ֤ה · Why
    So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all these people?