Numbers 13:18:3Num.13.18.W3TAB
מַה־הִ֑וא
mahu
“what it is”
- Transliteration
- ma-HU
- Extended
- mah-HOO
- IPA
- /maːˈhuː/
Meaning by language
- English
- what it is
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 | |
| He | h as in house; silent at word end | |
| Hireq | 'ee' as in machine | |
| Vav | v as in vine; marks long ō / ū | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
ma-HU
- clause
u-re-i-TEM et-ha-A-retz ma-HU
- sentence
u-re-i-TEM et-ha-A-retz ma-HU ve-et-ha-AM ha-yo-SHEV a-le-HA he-kha-ZAK HU ha-ra-FEH ham-AT HU im-RAV
Exegesis
The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾeṯ} introduces ha’aretz {הָאָ֖רֶץ | hā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘the land,’ followed by the interrogative mah {מַה־ | māh} ‘what’ and the copular pronoun hi {הִ֑וא | hî} ‘it is,’ forming a question about the land’s character.
The repeated copula hu {הוּא֙ | hû} underscores each alternative, creating a paratactic series that emphasizes comprehensive reconnaissance.
In context — Numbers 13:18
And you shall see the land —what it is—and the people who dwell on it, whether they are strong or weak , few or many.
About this coordinate
Numbers 13:18:3 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 3 of Numbers 13:18, so the Hebrew word מַה־הִ֑וא (mahu) 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 Num.13.18.W3, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.13.18.W3.S1) and character.