Particle Interrogative

Summary

Interrogative particles indicate that a sentence is a question. The standard interrogative prefix -הֲ (he with hateph pathah vowel) should not be confused with the definite article -הַ (he with pathah vowel). The interrogative particles מִי and מָה can also function as interrogative pronouns (“who?” and “what?”) or indefinite pronouns (“whoever” and “whatever”).

Article

The interrogative prefix -הֲ is the standard interrogative particle in Biblie Hebrew and can be differentiated from the definite article by the context and the lack of a daghesh in the consonant immediately following the prefix. The interrogative prefix, as well as interrogative particles in general, nearly always appear at the beginning of a clause to indicate that the clause is a question and not a statement. However, as in many languages, in Biblical Hebrew a question can be asked rhetorically as a way of making a strong statement. As an example, a person might ask “How can that be?” as a way of expressing a strong sense of disbelief in something that has just been said.

-הֲ

Form

Interrogative Particle With a standard noun

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
noun	סוּס	sus	horse
noun + definite article	הַסּוּס	hassus	the horse
noun + interrogative particle	הֲסוּס	hasus	a horse?

Interrogative Particle With a shewa under the first letter

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
noun	מְרַגֵּל	meraggel	spy
noun + definite article	הַמְּרַגֵּל	hammeraggel	the spy
noun + interrogative particle	הַמְרַגֵּל	hamraggel	a spy?

Interrogative Particle With a first guttural

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
noun	אִישׁ	‘ish	man
noun + definite article	הָאִישׁ	ha’ish	the man
noun + interrogative particle	הַאִישׁ	ha’ish	a man?

Interrogative Particle With a first guttural that has a qamets

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
noun	אָב	‘av	father
noun + definite article	הָאָב	ha’av	the father
noun + interrogative particle	הֶאָב	he’av	a father?

Examples

Example: GEN 43:7

הֲיֵ֣שׁ לָכֶ֣ם אָ֔ח

hayesh lakhem ‘ah

[quest.]-is-there to-you brother

Do you have a brother?

Example: 2SA 20:17

הַאַתָּ֥ה יוֹאָ֖ב

ha’attah yo’av

[quest.]-are-you Joab

Are you Joab?

מִי

This is the standard personal interrogative particle and can be translated as “who?”. This particle can also function either as an interrogative pronoun when used at the beginning of a verbal clause, or as an indefinite pronoun (“whoever”) when used in the middle of a clause or sentence.

Example: GEN 24:65

מִֽי־הָאִ֤ישׁ הַלָּזֶה֙

mi-ha’ish hallazeh

Who_the-man the-that

Who is that man?

Example: EXO 15:11

מִֽי־כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ יְהוָ֔ה

mi-khamokhah ba’elim yehwah

Who_like-you among-the-gods Yahweh

Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods?

Example: GEN 32:18

לְמִי־אַ֙תָּה֙

lemi-‘attoh

To-whom_you

To whom do you belong?

Example: 2SA 15:4

מִי־יְשִׂמֵ֥נִי שֹׁפֵ֖ט בָּאָ֑רֶץ

mi-yesimeni shofet ba’arets

Who_will-put-me judge in-the-land

I wish that I were made judge in the land!

Example: 2SA 23:15

מִ֚י יַשְׁקֵ֣נִי מַ֔יִם

mi yashqeni mayim

Who will-give-me water

If only someone would give me water!

Example: AMO 7:2

מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב

mi yaqum ya’aqov

Who he-will-raise Jacob

How will Jacob survive?

מָה

This is the standard impersonal interrogative particle and can be translated as “what?”. This particle can also function as either an interrogative pronoun when used at the beginning of a verbal clause, or an indefinite pronoun (“whatever”) when used in the middle of a clause or sentence.

Example: 1SA 20:1

מַה־פִּשְׁעִי֙

mah-ppish’iy

What_my-iniquity

What is my iniquity?

Example: JDG 18:18

מָ֥ה אַתֶּ֖ם עֹשִֽׂים

mah ‘attem ‘osim

What you are-doing

What are you doing?

Example: GEN 15:8 –– with preposition בְּ

בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע

bammah ‘eda’

By-the-what will-I-know

How will I know?

Example: GEN 47:8 –– with preposition כְּ

כַּמָּ֕ה יְמֵ֖י שְׁנֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ

kammah yeme shene hayyeykha

Like-what days-of years-of your-life

How long have you lived?

Example: PSA 79:5 —— with preposition עַד

עַד־מָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תֶּאֱנַ֣ף לָנֶ֑צַח

‘ad-mah yehwah te’enaf lanetsah

Until_what Yahweh will-you-be-angry forever

How long, Yahweh? Will you stay angry forever?

Example: NUM 22:32 –– with preposition עַל

עַל־מָ֗ה הִכִּ֙יתָ֙ אֶת־אֲתֹ֣נְךָ֔

‘al-mah hikkitha ‘eth-‘athonekha

On_what did-you-strike [dir.obj]_your-donkey

Why have you struck your donkey?

Example: GEN 44:16 –– with the prefixed conjunction

וּמַה־נִּצְטַדָּ֑ק

wumah-nnitstaddaq

and-what we-will-justify-ourselves

or how can we justify ourselves?

Example: EXO 14:15 –– with causal meaning

מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י

mah-tits’aq ‘ela

what_you-cry-out to-me

why are you continuing to call out to me?

איך and איכה

These are particles of manner and can be translated as “how?”, “why?”, or even “how!”.

Example: PSA 137:4

אֵ֗יךְ נָשִׁ֥יר

‘ekh nashir

How can-we-sing

How could we sing?

Example: 1KI 12:6

אֵ֚יךְ אַתֶּ֣ם נֽוֹעָצִ֔ים

‘ekh ‘attem no’atsim

How you advise

How do you advise me

אי and איה

These are particles of place and can be translated as “where?” or “where is?”.

Example: GEN 4:9

אֵ֖י הֶ֣בֶל

‘e hevel

Where Abel

Where is Abel?

Example: GEN 18:9

אַיֵּ֖ה שָׂרָ֣ה אִשְׁתֶּ֑ךָ

‘ayyeh sarah ‘ishtekha

Where Sarah your-wife

Where is Sarah your wife?

Example: GEN 19:5

אַיֵּ֧ה הָאֲנָשִׁ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥אוּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ

‘ayyeh ha’anashim ‘asher-ba’u ‘eleykha

Where the-men that_came-in to-you

Where are the men that came in to you?

מָתַי

This is a particle of time and can be translated as “when?”. It is often used with the preposition עַד in the compound particle עַד־מָתַי which literally means “until when?” but is usually translated “how long?”.

Example: JOB 7:4

מָתַ֣י אָ֭קוּם

mathay ‘aqum

When will-I-get-up

How long will it be until I get up?

Example: PSA 74:10

עַד־מָתַ֣י אֱ֭לֹהִים יְחָ֣רֶף צָ֑ר

‘ad-mathay ‘elohim yeharef tsar

How_long God will-throw-insults enemy

God, how long will our enemies make fun of you?

לָמָ֪ה and לָֽמָּה

These are particles of cause and literally mean “for what?”, but they are usually translated as “why?”.

Example: GEN 4:6

לָ֚מָּה חָ֣רָה לָ֔ךְ וְלָ֖מָּה נָפְל֥וּ פָנֶֽיךָ

lommah harah lakh welammah noflu faneykha

For-what you-angry to-you and-for-what has-fallen your-face

Why are you angry and why are you scowling?

Example: PSA 42:9 (PSA 42:10 in Hebrew)

לָמָ֪ה שְׁכַ֫חְתָּ֥נִי לָֽמָּה־קֹדֵ֥ר אֵלֵ֗ךְ בְּלַ֣חַץ אוֹיֵֽב׃

lamah shekhahtani lammah-qoder ‘elekh belahats ‘oyev

Why have-you-forgotten-me why mourning I-will-go because-of-oppression-of enemy

Why have you forgotten me? You know the hardships that my enemies bring on me.

Other interrogative particles

מַדּ֖וּעַ (why?)

Example: 2KI 8:12

מַדּ֖וּעַ אֲדֹנִ֣י בֹכֶ֑ה

maddua’ ‘adoni vokheh

Why my-master is-weeping

Sir, why are you crying?

עַד־אָן (how long?)

Example: JOB 8:2

עַד־אָ֥ן תְּמַלֶּל־אֵ֑לֶּה

‘ad-‘an temallel-‘elleh

How_long will-you-say_these-things

How much longer will you talk like this?

אֵ֥י מִזֶּ֖ה (from where?)

Example: 1SA 25:11

לַֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי אֵ֥י מִזֶּ֖ה הֵֽמָּה׃

la’anashim ‘asher lo yada’ti ‘e mizzeh hemmah

to-men who not I-know where from this they.

to men who come from I do not know where?