Judges 18:23:7Judg.18.23.W7TAB
מַה־לְּךָ֖
malekha
“what is with you”
- Transliteration
- ma-le-KHA
- Extended
- mah-leh-KHAA
- IPA
- /mah.ləˈχaː/
Meaning by language
- English
- what is with you
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Lamed | l as in law | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Kaf Sofit | final form of Kaf — at word end | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ma-le-KHA
- clause
va-yo-me-RU le-mi-KHA ma-le-KHA KI niz-a-KTA
- sentence
va-yik-re-U el-be-NEI-DAN va-ya-SE-bu pe-NEI-hem va-yo-me-RU le-mi-KHA ma-le-KHA KI niz-a-KTA
Exegesis
The idiom mah-lekha {מַה־לְּךָ | māh-lə-ḵā} ‘what is with you’ introduces a causal clause via ki {כִּי | kî}, leading to the Niphal perfect nizaqta {נִזְעָֽקְתָּ | niz-ʿāq-tā} conveying Micah’s vocal distress. The Hebrew sequence underscores an abrupt communal engagement with Micah’s unexpected outcry, rendered in English as sequential past actions to reflect the Hebrew narrative flow.
Root and etymology
m-h
“what”
In context — Judges 18:23
And they called to the sons of Dan, and they turned their faces, and said to Micah, “What is it with you that you have cried out ?”
About this coordinate
Judges 18:23:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Judges 18:23, so the Hebrew word מַה־לְּךָ֖ (malekha) 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.18.23.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Judg.18.23.W7.S1) and character.