Judges 13:18:5Judg.13.18.W5TAB
לָ֥מָּה
lama
“why”
- Transliteration
- la-MA
- Extended
- laa-MAH
- IPA
- /laːˈmaː/
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
la-MA
- phraseyour reading level
la-MA ZE
- clause
va-YO-mer LO mal-EKH Ye-ho-VAH la-MA ZE tish-AL lish-MI
- sentence
va-YO-mer LO mal-EKH Ye-ho-VAH la-MA ZE tish-AL lish-MI ve-HU-pe-LI
Exegesis
The interrogative lamah zeh {לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה | lām māh zeh} ‘why this’ intensifies the question, followed by the imperfect verb tishʾal {תִּשְׁאַ֣ל | ṯišʾāl} marking ongoing inquiry.
In context — Judges 13:18
And the messenger of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask for my name? For it is wonderful .”
About this coordinate
Judges 13:18:5 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 5 of Judges 13:18, so the Hebrew word לָ֥מָּה (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 Judg.13.18.W5, which extends further down to each syllable (Judg.13.18.W5.S1) and character.