Genesis 15:8:4Gen.15.8.W4TAB
בַּמָּ֥ה
bama
“by what”
- Transliteration
- ba-MA
- Extended
- bah-MAA
- IPA
- /bam.ˈmaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- by what
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Bet | b with dagesh; v without dagesh | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
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The word
Word in context
- word
ba-MA
- phraseyour reading level
ba-MA e-DA
- clause
a-do-NAI Ye-ho-VAH ba-MA e-DA KI i-ra-SHEN-na
- sentence
va-yo-MAR a-do-NAI Ye-ho-VAH ba-MA e-DA KI i-ra-SHEN-na
Exegesis
The interrogative expression bamah {בַּמָּה | bam-māh} ‘by what’ uses the preposition beth to specify means or instrument, so the question is not about whether the promise is true but about the confirming means by which Abram will gain experiential certainty.
In context — Genesis 15:8
And he said, “Lord GOD , by what shall I know that I will inherit it?”
About this coordinate
Genesis 15:8:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Genesis 15:8, so the Hebrew word בַּמָּ֥ה (bama) 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 Gen.15.8.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.15.8.W4.S1) and character.