Lexical Summary
mah: what, how, whatever
Original Word:מָה
Part of Speech:Interrogative
Transliteration:mah
Pronunciation:mah
Phonetic Spelling:(maw)
KJV: how great (mighty), that which, what(-soever), why
NASB:what, how, whatever, why
Word Origin:[(Aramaic)]
1. corresponding to H4100
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
how great mighty, that which, whatsoever, why
(Aramaic) corresponding tomah -- how great (mighty), that which, what(-soever), why.
see HEBREWmah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
mahDefinitionwhat?
NASB Translationhow (2), reason* (1), what (7), what* (1), whatever (2), why (1).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew interrogative particle מָה is the primary Old Testament vehicle for asking “what,” “why,” or “how.” Though functionally small, it carries great theological weight by opening space for inquiry, revelation, worship, and obedience. In the thirteen occurrences catalogued under Strong 4101, all appear in the post-exilic books of Ezra and Daniel, where divine purpose, imperial authority, and covenant faithfulness collide.
Occurrences in Ezra: “Whatever the God of Heaven Requires”
1.Ezra 4:22 presents imperial officials charged to avert rebellion: “See that you do not neglect this matter. Why allow this threat to increase, to the detriment of the royal interests?” Here מָה frames a warning that political negligence can jeopardize the king’s welfare.
2.Ezra 6:9; 7:18, 23 use מָה as “whatever,” stressing unlimited provision for temple worship: “Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, and lambs…must be given to them daily without fail” (Ezra 6:9). Persian decrees thus declare that earthly kings dare not limit what the King of Heaven demands. The repeated “whatever” underscores God’s comprehensive claim on resources and loyalty.
Occurrences in Daniel: “What Will Happen in the Latter Days”
1. Dialogue with Arioch (Daniel 2:15): Daniel asks, “Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” A question sparks intercession and eventual deliverance.
2. Revelation of mysteries (Daniel 2:22, 28-29, 45): “He knows what lies in darkness” (2:22); “He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days” (2:28). מָה highlights God’s sovereignty over future events and His gracious disclosure to humble seekers.
3. Doxology and humility (Daniel 4:3, 35): Nebuchadnezzar’s hymn exclaims, “How great are His signs” (4:3); later he concedes that no one may say to God, “What have You done?” (4:35). The same particle that frames human inquiry also rebukes human presumption when questioning challenges divine authority.
Theology of Holy Questioning
Scripture never portrays honest questioning as unbelief when it drives the seeker toward God’s character and will. Daniel’s “why” moves him to prayerful dependence, while Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogant “what” is silenced by judgment. Thus מָה serves both the pedagogy of faith and the correction of pride. In Ezra, “whatever” reminds the returned exiles—and modern believers—that worship demands unreserved surrender.
Historical Insight
All thirteen uses fall within the Persian period, a time when God’s people lived under foreign rule yet experienced prophetic insight and temple restoration. The frequent interrogatives reflect an era of uncertainty: What is God doing among pagan powers? Why are His people still oppressed? Through מָה God reveals that He directs kings (Ezra) and unveils empires’ futures (Daniel), assuring Israel of His unbroken covenant.
Ministry Applications
• Encourage seekers to bring every “why” or “what” to the Lord, confident that He “reveals the deep and hidden things” (Daniel 2:22).
• Teach that obedience often requires offering “whatever is needed” (Ezra 6:9); stewardship has no sacred-secular divide.
• Warn against presumptuous demands upon God (Daniel 4:35). Questions meant to accuse rather than learn are muted before His sovereignty.
• Use Nebuchadnezzar’s transformation to illustrate evangelism among leaders: divine revelation turned an arrogant monarch into a doxologist who proclaimed, “How mighty His wonders!” (Daniel 4:3).
Christological Reflection
The New Testament answers the Old Testament’s שאלת־מָה (“what-question”) in the person of Jesus Christ. What will God do about sin? “God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice” (Romans 3:25). What will happen in the latter days? “This same Jesus…will return” (Acts 1:11). The pattern established in Daniel—God revealing “what will happen”—finds its climax in the Revelation given to John, where heavenly worship echoesDaniel 4:3, magnifying the Lamb whose kingdom “endures from generation to generation.”
Summary
Strong 4101 מָה, while grammatically an interrogative, is spiritually an invitation: ask, and God will disclose; submit, and God will supply; worship, and God will be exalted. Its strategic placement in Ezra and Daniel assures believers that amid political flux and personal trial, the God of heaven still answers every faithful “what” and “why” with revelation, provision, and steadfast dominion.
Forms and Transliterations
וּמָ֣ה ומה כְּמָ֣ה כמה לְמָ֤ה לְמָה֙ למה מָ֛ה מָ֣ה מָ֥ה מָה־ מה מה־ kə·māh keMah kəmāh lə·māh leMah ləmāh mah māh māh- ū·māh uMah ūmāh
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