An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

15.
16.
Judg 11:12
םוֹל ָשׁ ְלוּ ךָ ְלּ־ה ַמ What do you have to do with peace?
2 Kgs 9:18
ר ָבּה־ת ַ א ֶ ן ֶבתֶּ ֫ ַל־ה ַמ What has straw to do with wheat?
Jer 23:28
Such a construction can be given past time reference with the verb hyy (# 17).
17.
שׁי ִק־ן ֶבל ְ הָיה ָ הזּ־ה ֶ ַמ What (in the world) happened to the son of Kish?
1 Sam 10:11
c With prepositions interrogative המ takes on a variety of senses. The most common
combination is ה מל ‘why?’, sometimes with הז. 17
18. ךְ ָל הרָ ח ָ֫ ה ָמּ ל ָ֫
Why are you angry?
19.
20.
י ִכּבְ ת ִ ה ֶמ ֫
הרָ ָשׂ הקָ חֲ ָצ הזּ ֶ ה ָמּ ֫
21. הזּ ֶ ה ָמּ ל ָ֫
ת ֵמ התָּ ַעוְ ם ָצ ינ ִ אֲ
Gen 4:6
ל ָ Why are you crying?
1 Sam 1:8
ל ָ Why (in the world) did Sarah laugh?
Gen 18:13
Now that he is dead, why should I fast?
2 Sam 12:23
In some cases המל is used in a quasi-rhetorical way, introducing an undesirable
alternative: ‘Do something; המל…’ = ‘why should something else happen?’ > ‘lest
something else happen’ or ‘otherwise something else will happen.’
23.
25.
22.
׃ךְתי ֵ מִ א ֲ ה ָמ ל ָ ינִ חִ֫ ְלּ ַשׁ Send me out; why should I kill you? / lest I kill you /
םיהלֹ ִ אֶ ה ֽ ָ ףֹצ ְקִי ה ָמּ ֫
otherwise I’ll kill you.
1 Sam 19:17
לָ otherwise God will be angry
Qoh 5:5
In this use המל, may be preceded by a relative pronoun.
24. האֶ רִי ְ ה ָמּ ל ָ ר ֶשׁ אֲ
ם ֶכינֵ ְפּ־תאֶ Otherwise he will see you
Dan 1:10
הָיטֹע ְ ְכּ הֶיהְ א ֽ ֶ ה ָמ לָּ ַשׁ otherwise I will be like the veiled women
17
The difference between Imh ‘why (i.e., for what purpose)?’ and the slightly less
frequent maddûa˓ (< mâ + yaddû˓) ‘why (i.e., for what reason)?’ is not entirely firm.
For efforts to distinguish the two, see T. W. Nakarai, “LMH and MDU˓ in the Tanak,”
Hebrew Studies 23 (1982) 45–50; Richter, GAHG 3. 179–80.