וּמֶ֥ה

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וּמֶ֥ה

   u-ME

   and what
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וּמֶ֥ה עַ֖ז

   u-ME AZ

   and what is strong
3. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לוֹ֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י הָעִ֜יר בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּטֶ֙רֶם֙ יָבֹ֣א הַחַ֔רְסָה מַה־מָּת֣וֹק מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה עַ֖ז מֵאֲרִ֑י

   va-yo-me-RU LO an-she ha-IR ba-YOM ha-she-vi-I be-TE-rem ya-VO ha-khar-SA ma-ma-TOK mid-da-VASH u-ME AZ me-a-RI

   and they said to him men of the city on the day the seventh before came or would come the sun toward setting what is sweeter than honey and what is strong than a lion
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לוֹ֩ אַנְשֵׁ֨י הָעִ֜יר בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י בְּטֶ֙רֶם֙ יָבֹ֣א הַחַ֔רְסָה מַה־מָּת֣וֹק מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה עַ֖ז מֵאֲרִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ם לוּלֵא֙ חֲרַשְׁתֶּ֣ם בְּעֶגְלָתִ֔י לֹ֥א מְצָאתֶ֖ם חִידָתִֽי׃

   va-yo-me-RU LO an-she ha-IR ba-YOM ha-she-vi-I be-TE-rem ya-VO ha-khar-SA ma-ma-TOK mid-da-VASH u-ME AZ me-a-RI va-yo-MER la-HEM lu-le kha-ra-she-TEM be-eg-la-TI LO me-tsa-TEM khi-da-TI

   and they said to him men of the city on the day the seventh before came or would come the sun toward setting what is sweeter than honey and what is strong than a lion and he said to them if not you had plowed with my heifer not you would have found my riddle

Exegesis

The comparative questions mah-matok middəvaš umeh az mēʾari {מַה־מָּת֣וֹק מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה עַ֖ז מֵאֲרִ֑י | mah-matok middəḇaš umeh ʿaz mēʾari} ‘parallel comparison’ use the interrogative mah (“what”) and coordinate with waw to heighten the rhetorical challenge.