Jeremiah 14:8:6Jer.14.8.W6TAB

לָ֤מָּה

lama

why

Transliteration
LA-ma
Extended
LAA-mah
IPA
/ˈlaːm.maː/

Meaning by language

English
why

Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it

Result
לָ֤ + מָּה
la + ma
lama

Alphabet Analysis

Lamedl as in law
Qametslong 'ah'
Memm as in mother
Qametslong 'ah'
Heh as in house; silent at word end

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Vowels (Niqqud)

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The word

Word in context

  1. word

    LA-ma

  2. phraseyour reading level

    LA-ma tih-HE-ye

  3. clause

    LA-ma tih-HE-ye ke-GER ba-A-rets u-khe-O-re-akh na-TA la-LUN

  4. sentence

    mik-VE yis-ra-EL mo-shi-O be-ET tsa-RA LA-ma tih-HE-ye ke-GER ba-A-rets u-khe-O-re-akh na-TA la-LUN

Exegesis

The interrogative lammah {לָמָּה | lāmmāh} ‘why’ with the Qal imperfect verb tihyeh {תִּהְיֶה | ti-hyēh} ‘should you be’ introduces a lament.

In contextJeremiah 14:8

Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble, why should You be like a stranger in the land, and like a traveler who turns aside to lodge?

About this coordinate

Jeremiah 14:8:6 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 6 of Jeremiah 14:8, so the Hebrew word לָ֤מָּה (lama) 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 Jer.14.8.W6, which extends further down to each syllable (Jer.14.8.W6.S1) and character.