2 Samuel 19:11:122 Sam.19.11.W12TABWLC 2 Samuel 19:12
לָ֣מָּה
lamma
“why”
- Transliteration
- LAM-ma
- Extended
- LAAM-mah
- IPA
- /ˈlaːm.maː/
Meaning by language
- English
- why
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
LAM-ma
- phraseyour reading level
LAM-ma tih-yu
- clause
dab-be-RU el-zik-NE ye-hu-DA le-MOR LAM-ma tih-yu a-kha-ro-NIM le-ha-SHIV et-ha-ME-lekh
- sentence
ve-ha-ME-lekh da-VID sha-LAKH el-tsa-DOK ve-el-e-vya-TAR ha-ko-ha-NIM le-MOR dab-be-RU el-zik-NE ye-hu-DA le-MOR LAM-ma tih-yu a-kha-ro-NIM le-ha-SHIV et-ha-ME-lekh el-BE-to u-de-VAR kol-yis-ra-EL BA el-ha-ME-lekh el-BE-to
Exegesis
The interrogative lamah tihyu acharonim {לָמָה תִהְיוּ אַחֲרוֹנִים | lā·māh tə·ḥî·yū ʾa·ḥă·rō·nîm} ‘why are you last ones?’ creates emphasis through role reversal.
In context — 2 Samuel 19:11
And David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last ones to bring back the king to his house? For the word of all Israel has come to the king, to his house.’”
About this coordinate
2 Samuel 19:11:12 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 12 of 2 Samuel 19:11, so the Hebrew word לָ֣מָּה (lamma) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written 2 Sam.19.11.W12, which extends further down to each syllable (2 Sam.19.11.W12.S1) and character.