what ( = how much) of the night (is past)? = as what? ( qualem? ) Hg 2:3 ( cf. מִי Am 7:2 ); to express surprise, Jb 9:12 who shall say to him, מה תעשׂה what doest thou? 22:13 Ec 8:4 Is 45: 9, 10 ; sq. כִּי , Gn 20:10 מה ראית כי עשׂית what hadst thou in view, that thou hast done, etc.? 31:36 Ex 16:7 וְנַחְנוּ מָה כִּי and what are we, that …? 32:21 Nu 22:28 Hb 2:1 8, etc. Note in partic.—( a ) מָה is followed sometimes by a subst. in appos. (against Arabic usage, which does not permit this: W AG . ii. § 170 ), so that it becomes virtually an adj. : מַה־בֶּצַע what profit …? Gn 37:26 ψ 30:10 Mal 3:14 ; Is 40:18 מַה־דְּמוּת , Mal 1:13 ψ 89:48 זְכָר־אֲנִי מֶה חָ˜לֶד (inverted for הֶלֶד אָ˜נִי מַה ) remember (of) what (shot) duration I am, Ec 1:3 ; 5:10 , 15 ; 6:8 , 11 ( Da § 8, R. 2 Kö iii . 23 f. ); as exclam., ψ 89:48b (?) Jb 26:14 . And with the

subst. idiom. at the end (in Arabic preceded then by مِنْ ( min ) W AG . ii. § 49. 7 ), 1 S 26:18 ומַה־בידי רעה and what is there in my hand, evil? 20:10 ( vid. 3 ), 2 S 19:29 ; 24:13 1 K 12:16 Je 2:5 מה־מצאו אבותיכם בי עָוֶל , Ec 11:2 Est 6: 3. ( b ) מַה־זֶּה what, now? 1 S 10:1 1, contr. מַזֶּה •Ex 4:2 ( זֶה 4 c ); Gn 3:13 מַה־זֹאת עָשִׂיתָ ; 12:18 ; 29:25 מַה־זֹאת עָשִׂיתָה לִּי ; similarly 26:10 ; 42:28 +, either what, now , hast thou done? or what is this that thou hast done? ( vid. זֶה 4 d ).

( c ) לְּךָ מַה־ what to thee? i.e. what aileth thee? or what dost thou want? Gn 21:17 מַה־לָּךְ הָגָר ; Jos 15:18 2 S 14:5 1 K 1:16 2 K 6:28 Ez 18:2 (accents); sq. כִּי , Ju 18:23 מה־לך כי נזעקת , Gn 20:9 ( cf. 1 S 11:5 לעם כי יבכו מה ), Is 22:1 מַה־לָּךְ כִּי עָלִית ( cf. τί παθὼν τοῦτο ποιεῖς ; ) ψ 114:5 ; without כִּי Is 3:15 ( cf. Qor 57: 8, 10 ); with a ptcp. , Jon 1:6 what is it to thee as a sleeper? (accus.: Da ^{§ 70a} cites Qor 74:50), Ez 18:2 (if אתם be treated as strengthening לכם ). ( d ) פֹה ( לִי ) מַה־לְּךָ = what hast thou (have I) here? Ju 18:3 1 K 19:9 Is 22:1 6; 52:5 . ( e ) in the genit., Jer 8:9 וְחָכְמַת־מֶה לָהֶם , and widsom of what ( = what kind of wisdom) is theirs? Nu 23:3 ( v. infr. 3 ). b. often in an indirect question, as after ראה , Gn 2:19 to see מה־יקרא־לו what he would call it, 37:20 וְנִרְאֶה מה־יהיו חֲלֹמֹתיו to what his dreams will come, Nu 13:19f. Hb 2: 1; הִכִּיר Gn 31:3 2; ידע

39:8 Ex 2:4 לדעת מה־יֵּעָשֶׂה לו , 16:15 ; 32:1 Jb 34: 4; שׁמע Nu 9:8 וְאשׁמעה מה־יצוה י׳ ( cf. ψ 85:9 ), 2 S 17:5 ; פֹּרַשׁ Nu 15:3 4; שׁאל 1 K 3:5 2 K 2: 9; הֵבִין Jb 6:24 ; 23:5 : Nu 13:18 מה היא וראיתם את הארץ , ψ 39:5 Is 41:22 הראשׁנות מָה הֵנָּה הַגִּידוּ .—In some such cases it approximates in meaning to the simple rel., as Jer 7:17 ; 33:24 Mi 6: 5, 8 Jb 34:3 3. c. = of what kind? (Germ. was für ein … ? ), with an insinuation of blame, or reproach, or contempt: Gn 37:10 מה

Comm. Commentary, Commentaries, Commentators. subst. substantive.

W W. Wright, ArabicGram. contr. contract, contracted. Qor Qoran.