Numbers 16:11:7Num.16.11.W7TAB
מַה־הוּא
mahhu
“what is he”
- Transliteration
- mah-HU
- Extended
- mah-HOO
- IPA
- /ma.huː/
Meaning by language
- English
- what is he
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 | |
| 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
mah-HU
- sentence
la-KHEN a-TAH ve-KHOL-a-daT-KHA ha-no-a-DIM al-ye-ho-VAH ve-a-ha-RON mah-HU ki-ta-LI-nu a-LAV
Exegesis
The interrogative mah- hu {מַה-הוּא | mā-hū’} rhetorically questions Aaron’s significance, followed by the conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} and the Hifil imperfect tallinu {תַלִּינוּ | tə-līnû} which conveys persistent murmuring, with the pronominal alav {עָלָיו | ʻā-lāw} marking the target of complaint. This structure places Aaron’s authority under scrutiny only after the explicit act of opposing the LORD, reinforcing the theological contrast between divine and human.
In context — Numbers 16:11
Therefore you and all your congregation who have assembled against the LORD —what is Aaron that you grumble against him?
About this coordinate
Numbers 16:11:7 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 7 of Numbers 16:11, so the Hebrew word מַה־הוּא (mahhu) 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.16.11.W7, which extends further down to each syllable (Num.16.11.W7.S1) and character.