Lexical Summary ek: How, in what way, however Original Word: אֵיךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance how, what Also eykah {ay-kaw'}; and teykakah {ay-kaw'-kah}; prolonged from 'ay; how? Or how!; also where -- how, what. see HEBREW 'ay NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ay Definition how? NASB Translation how (60), what (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֵיךְ59 (Aramaic אֵיךְ,  [pronounced âch]) adverb 1. interrogative How? Genesis 26:9; 2 Samuel 1:5,14; 1 Kings 12:6; Isaiah 20:6 and elsewhere; often with imperfect (especially in 1 person) in an expostulation Genesis 39:9; Genesis 44:8,34; Joshua 9:7; 2 Samuel 2:22; 2 Samuel 12:18; Psalm 137:4; Isaiah 48:11 for howshould it be profaned ? איך תאמר(וׅ how canst or dost thou (do you) say . . . ? Judges 16:15; Isaiah 19:11; Jeremiah 2:23 (compare Jeremiah 8:8 אֵיכָה) Jeremiah 48:14; Psalm 11:1; in an indirect sentence 2 Kings 17:28; Jeremiah 36:17; Ruth 3:18. 2. as an exclamation How! whether of lamentation 2 Samuel 1:19; Jeremiah 2:21; Jeremiah 9:18; Micah 2:4; or of satisfaction Isaiah 14:4,12; Jeremiah 48:39; Jeremiah 51:41; Obadiah 5 and elsewhere; with intensive force = how gladly! Jeremiah 3:19, how terribly! Jeremiah 9:6 (but others render here 'for how [else] should I do'? etc.) **Hos 11:8 according to Hi Ke We Marti and others. אֵיכָה (from אַי and כָּה = כֹּה; compare Assyrian ekiam) adverb 1. interrogative In what manner? τίνι τρόπῳ; (rather more definite than אֵיח = πῶς); Deuteronomy 1:12; Deuteronomy 7:17; Deuteronomy 12:30; Deuteronomy 18:21; Deuteronomy 32:30; Judges 20:3 (indirect sentence) 2 Kings 6:15; Jeremiah 8:8; Psalm 73:11. 2 exclamation How! (slightly more emphatic than אֵיח) Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 48:17; Lamentations 1:1; Lamentations 2:1; Lamentations 4:1,2. 3 Where? (properly north-Israel; compare Aramaic אֵיכָא, אֵיכָ֫כָה (Canticles) ֵאיכָכָ֫ה (Esther) (from אַי & כָּ֫כָה thus) How? only Songs 5:3 (twice in verse); Esther 8:6 (twice in verse). Topical Lexicon Summary of Usage אֵיךְ appears about eighty-two times across the Hebrew canon. It is an adverb of astonishment or inquiry, usually rendered “how,” “how is it,” or “how can.” Whether posed as a genuine question or an exclamatory lament, the word consistently signals a crisis of understanding before God’s providence. The contexts fall into four broad groups: personal incapacity, communal lament, prophetic judgment, and wisdom reflection. Personal Incapacity and Dependence on God From its first occurrences, אֵיךְ highlights human limitation and the need for divine help. Communal Lament and the Book of Lamentations The book Jews call Eikhah (Lamentations) derives its title from this word. The opening lines of chapters 1, 2, and 4 begin with אֵיךְ, turning the word into the anthem of exilic sorrow: The repeated cry embodies the theology of chastened hope. Jerusalem’s fall is not merely a political tragedy but a covenantal crisis. By asking “how,” the poet both mourns the devastation and invites self-examination within divine sovereignty (Lamentations 3:40). In corporate worship this vocabulary legitimizes lament and teaches believers to bring grief to God rather than away from Him. Prophetic Oracles of Judgment and Astonishment Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the minor prophets employ אֵיךְ when announcing national downfall: Each prophetic use turns astonishment into revelation: the unexpected downfall of cities or empires authenticates the word of the LORD and warns every generation against pride. Wisdom Reflection and Moral Self-Examination In the Writings the word often probes the heart: The wisdom literature thus employs אֵיךְ to unmask false security and invite godly fear. Theological Themes 1. Human finitude: Every instance underlines the creature’s limited vision before the Creator’s infinite wisdom (Deuteronomy 32:30; Isaiah 40:12-14). Christological Overtones While אֵיךְ belongs to the Old Testament, its function anticipates the Gospel. Questions such as “How can a man be just before God?” (Job 9:2) foreshadow the New Testament answer of justification by faith (Romans 3:21-26). The lament of Jerusalem, “How lonely lies the city,” reaches its redemptive counterpart when Jesus weeps over the same city (Luke 19:41-44), bearing in Himself the ultimate solution to covenant breach. Ministry Application • Preaching: Sermons that highlight אֵיךְ help congregations voice honest perplexity while grounding them in scriptural assurance. Conclusion אֵיךְ navigates the full range of human emotion—from bewildered fear to reverent awe—and consistently invites the people of God to look beyond circumstances to the Lord’s unchanging character. In every age the Spirit still turns the urgent cry “How?” into renewed trust that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Forms and Transliterations אֵ֖יךְ אֵ֗יךְ אֵ֚יךְ אֵ֛יךְ אֵ֞יךְ אֵ֣יךְ אֵ֣יךְ ׀ אֵ֤יךְ אֵ֥יךְ אֵ֭יךְ אֵיךְ֙ אֵיכָ֖ה אֵיכָ֖כָה אֵיכָ֞ה אֵיכָ֣ה אֵיכָ֣ה ׀ אֵיכָ֤ה אֵיכָ֥ה אֵיכָ֥כָה אֵיכָ֨ה אֵיכָה֙ אֵיכָה֩ אֵיכָכָ֤ה איך איכה איככה וְ֭אֵיךְ וְאֵ֕יךְ וְאֵ֖יךְ וְאֵ֗יךְ וְאֵ֛יךְ וְאֵ֣יךְ וְאֵ֥יךְ וְאֵ֨יךְ וְאֵֽיכָכָ֤ה וְאֵיךְ֙ ואיך ואיככה ’ê·ḵā·ḵāh ’ê·ḵāh ’êḵ ’êḵāh ’êḵāḵāh eiCh eichaChah eiChah veEich veeichaChah wə’êḵ wə’êḵāḵāh wə·’ê·ḵā·ḵāh wə·’êḵLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 26:9 HEB: אִשְׁתְּךָ֙ הִ֔וא וְאֵ֥יךְ אָמַ֖רְתָּ אֲחֹ֣תִי NAS: she is your wife! How then did you say, INT: is your wife he How say other Genesis 39:9 Genesis 44:8 Genesis 44:34 Exodus 6:12 Exodus 6:30 Deuteronomy 1:12 Deuteronomy 7:17 Deuteronomy 12:30 Deuteronomy 18:21 Deuteronomy 32:30 Joshua 9:7 Judges 16:15 Judges 20:3 Ruth 3:18 1 Samuel 16:2 2 Samuel 1:5 2 Samuel 1:14 2 Samuel 1:19 2 Samuel 1:25 2 Samuel 1:27 2 Samuel 2:22 2 Samuel 6:9 2 Samuel 12:18 1 Kings 12:6 82 Occurrences |
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where ? compare DrIntr. 178, 421) only