מָה mâh

Meaning

properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senses

In the King James Version: how (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.

Derivation: or מַה; or מָ; or מַ; also מֶה; a primitive particle;

Where it is used

• Exodus 4:2 And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
• Exodus 5:4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!”
• Exodus 5:15 So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
• Exodus 5:22 So Moses returned to the LORD and asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is this why You sent me?
• Exodus 10:26 Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the LORD until we arrive.”
• Exodus 12:26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’
• Exodus 13:14 In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
• Exodus 14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
• Exodus 14:11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
• Exodus 14:15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
• Exodus 15:24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
• Exodus 16:7 and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we, that you should grumble against us?”
• Exodus 16:8 And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”
• Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.
• Exodus 17:2 So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
• Exodus 17:3 But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
• Exodus 17:4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
• Exodus 18:14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”
• Exodus 22:27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
• Exodus 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”
• Exodus 32:11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
• Exodus 32:12 Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.
• Exodus 32:21 “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
• Exodus 32:23 They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’
• Exodus 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’”
• Exodus 33:16 For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
• Leviticus 25:20 Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’
• Numbers 9:7 and said to Moses, “We are unclean because of a dead body, but why should we be excluded from presenting the LORD’s offering with the other Israelites at the appointed time?”
• Numbers 9:8 “Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.
• Numbers 11:11 So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all these people?
• Numbers 11:20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
• Numbers 13:18 See what the land is like and whether its people are strong or weak, few or many.
• Numbers 13:19 Is the land where they live good or bad? Are the cities where they dwell open camps or fortifications?
• Numbers 13:20 Is the soil fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
• Numbers 14:3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
• Numbers 14:41 But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!
• Numbers 15:34 and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.
• Numbers 16:11 Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who is he that you should grumble against him?”
• Numbers 20:4 Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?
• Numbers 20:5 Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”
• Numbers 21:5 and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”
• Numbers 22:19 So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me.”
• Numbers 22:28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
• Numbers 22:32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me.
• Numbers 22:37 And he said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to reward you richly?”
• Numbers 23:3 “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height,
• Numbers 23:8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?
• Numbers 23:11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”
• Numbers 23:17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.
• Numbers 23:23 For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’
• Numbers 24:5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!
• Numbers 24:22 Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.”
• Numbers 27:4 Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.”
• Numbers 32:7 Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them?
• Deuteronomy 5:25 But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
• Deuteronomy 6:20 In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”
• Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
• Deuteronomy 29:24 So all the nations will ask, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’
• Deuteronomy 32:20 He said: “I will hide My face from them; I will see what will be their end. For they are a perverse generation—children of unfaithfulness.
• Joshua 4:6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’