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
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 will-we-sing |
| How could we sing? |
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? |