אֱהִי
𐤀𐤄𐤉
ʼĕhîy
H165 particle
SILEX Entry
Definition
An interjection or interrogative particle expressing 'where?' or 'where is?', used in poetic or heightened speech to ask about the location or presence of someone or something, especially in existential or rhetorical questions.
Semantic Range
where?, where is?, where are?, rhetorical query about presence or existence, rarely as 'I will be' in poetic/archaic usage
Root / Etymology
Cognate with the interrogative particle אַיֵּה (ʼayyeh, 'where?'), derived from the root היה (hayah, 'to be, to exist'). אֱהִי appears to be an orthographic or poetic variation, potentially influenced by phonological or dialectal factors, especially in poetic texts.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, אֱהִי occurs as a rare interrogative, primarily in poetic books such as Hosea (13:10, 14). It functions to inquire about the location or presence of entities, most often in rhetorical, lament, or judgment contexts. Its usage overlaps with אַיֵּה but is less common and colored by the literary context. In Hosea 13:10–14, it frames questions about the presence or efficacy of leaders or rescuers for Israel in times of crisis. English translations typically render it simply as 'where?', but its poetic force and rhetorical character may be underappreciated in translation. Unlike אַיֵּה, the form אֱהִי appears exclusively in these poetic interrogations and is not productive elsewhere in biblical Hebrew. Later traditions and translations sometimes generalize the sense, but care should be taken not to conflate this form with other expressions of being (such as 'I will be').
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
apparently an orthographical variation for אַיֵּה; where; I will be (Hosea 13:10,14) (which is often the rendering of the same Hebrew form from הָיָה).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
היה (h-y-h) — to be, to exist, to become
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1961 | הָיָה | in being |
| H3050 | יָהּ | in Yah |
| H3068 | יְהֹוָה | in Yahweh |
| H3069 | יְהֹוִה | and to the Is-Being One |
| H3071 | יְהֹוָה נִסִּי | Yahweh |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H165-01 |
אֱהִ֤י | ehi | HTi |
I will be | Where is? | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H165-01 |
Hosea 13:10 | אֱהִ֤י | ehi | HTi |
I will be | Where is? |
H165-01 |
Hosea 13:14 | אֱהִ֨י | ehi | HTi |
I will be | Where is? |
H165-01 |
Hosea 13:14 | אֱהִ֤י | ehi-2 | HTi |
I will be | Where is? |