לָ/מָּה
𐤋/𐤌𐤄
lamah
Why
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; how (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.
H4100
Proverbs 17:16 · Word #1
Lexicon H4100
| Lemma | מָה |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤄 |
| Transliteration | mâh |
| Strong's | H4100 |
| In-context | Why |
Morphology HR/Ti
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | T — Particle — Function word |
| Subtype | i — Interrogative — Interrogative |
SIBI-P1 H4100-06
for-what?
| Root | מה (m-h) |
| Core Meanings | interrogation, inquiry, whatness, indefiniteness |
| Semantic Range | why, for what reason, for what purpose, to what end, how come |
| Conceptual Significance | לָמָה frequently introduces appeals, laments, and theological questions directed toward God or others, giving voice to covenantal protest, moral inquiry, and the search for divine purpose within Israel’s lived experience. |
| Morphological Notes | Interrogative particle (מה) with prefixed preposition ל; invariant form; used adverbially to introduce questions of cause or purpose. |
| Rendering Rationale | The form לָמָה combines the preposition ל ("for/to") with the interrogative particle מָה ("what"). Rendering it as "for-what?" preserves both the core interrogative sense of the root מה and the prefixed prepositional force, reflecting its function as a question of purpose or reason ("why?"). As an interrogative particle, it carries no gender or number distinctions. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root מה (interrogation, inquiry, whatness, indefiniteness)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H4100-01 |
bamah | with what? |
H4100-02 |
bameh | in what? |
H4100-03 |
bemeh | in what? |
H4100-04 |
kamah | what? |
H4100-05 |
kameh | as-what-amount? |
H4100-07 |
lameh | for what? |
H4100-08 |
lema | for-what? |
H4101-01 |
lemah | for what? |
H4100-09 |
mah | what? |
H4478-01 |
man | What-thing |
H4100-10 |
meh | what? |
H4100-11 |
my | what? |
H4100-12 |
shalamah | for-what? |
H4479-01 |
uleman | and to whom? |
H4100-13 |
umah | and what? |
H4479-02 |
uman | and who? |
H4100-14 |
umeh | and what? |
H4100-15 |
uvamah | and in-what? |
H4100-16 |
uvameh | and in what? |
H4100-17 |
vameh | in what? |
H4100-18 |
vekhamah | and how much? |
H4100-19 |
velamah | and for-what? |
H4100-20 |
velameh | and to what? |
Word Usage (750 occurrences of H4100)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 2:19 | מַה | mah | what |
| Genesis 3:13 | מַה | mah | What |
| Genesis 4:6 | לָ֚/מָּה | lamah | Why |