Job 13:14:1Job.13.14.W1TAB
עַל־מָ֤ה
alma
“upon what or why”
- Transliteration
- al-MA
- Extended
- ahl-MAA
- IPA
- /ʕalˈmaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- upon what or why
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end |
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Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
al-MA
- clause
al-MA e-SA ve-sa-RI ve-shi-NAI
- sentence
al-MA e-SA ve-sa-RI ve-shi-NAI ve-naf-SHI a-SIM be-kha-PI
Exegesis
The verse opens with the idiomatic question al-mah {עַל־מָה | ʿal-māh} ‘why?’, framing Job’s speech as a rhetorical challenge.
In context — Job 13:14
Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my palm?
About this coordinate
Job 13:14:1 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 1 of Job 13:14, so the Hebrew word עַל־מָ֤ה (alma) 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 Job.13.14.W1, which extends further down to each syllable (Job.13.14.W1.S1) and character.