3964. ma

Lexicon

ma: What, how, why

Original Word: מָא
Part of Speech: pronoun interrogative; indefinite
Transliteration: ma'
Pronunciation: mah
Phonetic Spelling: (maw)
Definition: What, how, why
Meaning: that

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

what

(Aramaic) corresponding to mah; (as indef.) That -- + what.

see HEBREW mah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) the same as mah, q.v.

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מָה (מָא Ezra 6:8) pronoun interrogative and

indefinite what? (Biblical Hebrew מָה; Nabataean מה; Zinjirli מ; ᵑ7 מא; Syriac ; Arabic : compare W^{CG 124 f.}); —

1 what ? Daniel 4:32 מה עבדת.

2 whatever, what (compare Biblical Hebrew 1b end) Daniel 2:22 ידע מח בחשׁוכא knoweth what is in darkness, Ezra 6:9: so מָה דִּי (compare דִּי 1b: so Nabataean; Palmyrene מא די, מדי, Lzb³⁰⁶ Cooke^{320, 332}) Daniel 2:28,29 (twice in verse); Daniel 2:45; Ezra 6:8 למא די תעבדון with regard to what ye shall do, Ezra 7:18 (= whatsoever).

3 with prefixes:

a. כְּמָה how! Daniel 3:33 (twice in verse).

b. לְמָה why? (compare Biblical Hebrew לָמָּה) Ezra 4:22 be not slack herein: why should damage grow, etc., virtually = lest damage grow (ᵐ5 μή ποτε), Ezra 7:23 די למה להוא קצף for why should there be wrath ? = lest [ᵐ5 μή ποτε] there be wrath (compare ᵑ7 דִּילְמָא, Syriac lest: and see מָה

4d b, p. 554:a).

c. עלמֿה wherefore? Daniel 2:15.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Aramaic

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Greek equivalent of the Aramaic "מָא" would be interrogative particles such as τίς (tis) or τί (ti), which are used in the New Testament to ask questions or introduce clauses. These Greek terms are found in Strong's Greek Concordance under numbers such as G5100 (τις) and G5101 (τίς).

Usage: This term is used in the Aramaic portions of the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Daniel and Ezra, to pose questions or to introduce clauses.

Context: The Aramaic word "מָא" appears in the context of the exilic and post-exilic periods of Israel's history, during which Aramaic was a common language of administration and communication in the Near East. In the biblical text, it is primarily found in the books of Daniel and Ezra, which contain significant Aramaic sections. The word functions as an interrogative particle, often used to ask questions or to introduce relative clauses. For example, in Daniel 2:15, the word is used in the context of Daniel inquiring about the king's decree: "He asked Arioch, the king’s officer, 'Why is the decree from the king so harsh?'" (BSB). The use of "מָא" reflects the linguistic and cultural milieu of the Jewish people during the Babylonian and Persian periods, highlighting the influence of Aramaic as a lingua franca of the time.

Forms and Transliterations

בַּמָּֽה׃ במה׃ לְמָ֣א למא bam·māh bamMah bammāh lə·mā leMa ləmā

Englishman's Concordance

1 Kings 22:21
HEB: יְהוָ֛ה אֵלָ֖יו בַּמָּֽה׃
INT: the LORD about what

Ezra 6:8
HEB: שִׂ֣ים טְעֵם֒ לְמָ֣א דִֽי־ תַֽעַבְד֗וּן
KJV: make a decree what ye shall do to
INT: issue A decree what of do

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3964
2 Occurrences

bam·māh — 1 Occ.
lə·mā — 1 Occ.