Genesis 21:29:4Gen.21.29.W4TAB
מָ֣ה
ma
“what”
- Transliteration
- MA
- Extended
- MAA
- IPA
- /ˈmaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- what
Alphabet Analysis
| 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
MA
- phraseyour reading level
MA HE-na
- clause
MA HE-na SHE-va ke-va-SOT ha-EL-leh a-SHER hi-TSAV-ta le-vad-da-NAH
- sentence
va-YO-mer a-vi-ME-lekh el-av-ra-HAM MA HE-na SHE-va ke-va-SOT ha-EL-leh a-SHER hi-TSAV-ta le-vad-da-NAH
Exegesis
The interrogative mah henna {מָה הֵנָּה | mā hēnnāh} ‘what is this’ front-loads the clause, combining an interrogative and demonstrative for emphasis.
Root and etymology
ʾ-m-haleph–mem–heh
“female servant, handmaid”
In context — Genesis 21:29
And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the significance of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?”
About this coordinate
Genesis 21:29:4 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 4 of Genesis 21:29, so the Hebrew word מָ֣ה (ma) 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.21.29.W4, which extends further down to each syllable (Gen.21.29.W4.S1) and character.