Genesis 18:13:4Gen.18.13.W4TAB
לָ֣מָּה
lammah
“why”
- Transliteration
- LAM-mah
- 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 |
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The word
Word in context
- word
LAM-mah
- phraseyour reading level
LAM-mah ZEH tsa-kha-KAH sa-RAH
- clause
LAM-mah ZEH tsa-kha-KAH sa-RAH le-MOR ha-AF um-NAM e-LED va-a-NI za-kan-TI
- sentence
va-YO-mer Ye-ho-VAH el-av-ra-HAM LAM-mah ZEH tsa-kha-KAH sa-RAH le-MOR ha-AF um-NAM e-LED va-a-NI za-kan-TI
Exegesis
The interrogative lamah {לָמָּה | lām-māh} 'why' opens a question, with demonstrative zeh {זֶּה | zeh} referring to Sarah’s action.
In context — Genesis 18:13
Then the LORD spoke to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, even though I have grown old?'"
About this coordinate
Genesis 18:13:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Genesis 18:13, so the Hebrew word לָ֣מָּה (lammah) 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.18.13.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.18.13.W4.S1) and character.