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. Judges 6:13וְלָ֥מָּה · why
    “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
  2. Judges 6:15בַּמָּ֥ה · how
    “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
  3. Judges 7:11מַה־ · to what
    …and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
  4. Judges 8:1מָֽה־ · Why
    Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.
  5. Judges 8:2מֶה־ · what
    But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
  6. Judges 8:3וּמַה־ · What
    God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.
  7. Judges 9:2מַה־
    “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”
  8. Judges 9:48מָ֤ה · what
    …he and all his men went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his axe in his hand and cut a branch from the trees, which he lifted to his shoulder, saying to his men, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”
  9. Judges 11:12מַה־ · What
    Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?”
  10. Judges 12:3וְלָמָ֞ה · Why then
    When I saw that you would not save me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to fight against me?”
  11. Judges 13:8מַֽה־ · how
    Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
  12. Judges 13:12מַה־ · what
    Then Manoah asked, “When your words come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
  13. Judges 13:18לָ֥מָּה · Why
    “Why do you ask my name,” said the angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
  14. Judges 14:18מַה־ · What; וּמֶ֥ה · And what [is]
    Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
  15. Judges 15:10לָמָ֖ה · Why
    “Why have you attacked us?” said the men of Judah. The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.”
  16. Judges 15:11וּמַה־ · What
    In response, three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he replied.
  17. Judges 16:5בַּמֶּה֙ · the source of; וּבַמֶּה֙ · and how
    The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
  18. Judges 16:6בַּמֶּ֖ה · the source; וּבַמֶּ֥ה · and how
    So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
  19. Judges 16:10בַּמֶּ֖ה · how
    Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”
  20. Judges 16:13בַּמֶּ֖ה · how
    Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”
  21. Judges 16:15בַּמֶּ֖ה · the source
    “How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”
  22. Judges 18:3וּמָֽה־ · What; וּמַה־ · Why
    And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?”
  23. Judges 18:8מָ֥ה · What
    When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
  24. Judges 18:14מַֽה־ · what
    Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
  25. Judges 18:18מָ֥ה · What
    When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
  26. Judges 18:23מַה־ · What is the matter
    When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
  27. Judges 18:24וּמַה־ · do I have; וּמַה־ · How; מַה־ · What is the matter
    He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
  28. Judges 20:12מָ֚ה · What
    And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?
  29. Judges 21:3לָמָ֗ה · Why
    “Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe is missing!”
  30. Judges 21:7מַה־ · What
    What should we do about wives for the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them our daughters in marriage?”
  31. Judges 21:16מַה־ · What
    Then the elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
  32. Ruth 1:11לָ֥מָּה · Why
    But Naomi replied, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb to become your husbands?
  33. Ruth 1:21לָ֣מָּה · Why
    I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”
  34. 1 Samuel 1:8לָ֣מֶה · why; וְלָ֙מֶה֙ · Why; וְלָ֖מֶה · Why
    “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
  35. 1 Samuel 2:23לָ֥מָּה · Why
    “Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
  36. 1 Samuel 2:29לָ֣מָּה · Why then
    Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
  37. 1 Samuel 3:17מָ֤ה · What
    “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
  38. 1 Samuel 4:3לָ֣מָּה · Why
    When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”
  39. 1 Samuel 4:6מֶ֠ה · What is
    On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,
  40. 1 Samuel 4:14מֶ֛ה · Why
    Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.
  41. 1 Samuel 4:16מֶֽה־ · What
    “I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What happened, my son?” Eli asked.
  42. 1 Samuel 5:8מַֽה־ · What
    So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.