←
mh (mā) pron. what?
1
what?
Common Aramaic
Sf.1.b26↗ text not cited ; TAD C1.1(Ahiqar) .174↗ מה̇ חסין הו מן חמר‏ : what is stronger than wine? ; Dan 4:32↗ וְלָא אִיתַי דִּי־יְמַחֵא בִידֵהּ וְיֵאמַר לֵהּ מָה עֲבַדְתּ‏ : there is no one who will strike with his hand and say "what did you do?" ; 4QEnGiantsa03.4↗ ומה תתנונ̇ני‏ ; TgO Gen3:13↗ מָא דָא עֲבַדת‏ ; VR 16:650(4)↗ מה לך מתאנח‏ : why are you sighing? ; ActsThom 209:18↗ ܡ݁ܢ ܐܢܬ݂ ܘܡܐ ܛܒ݂ܟ‏ : who are you and what is your background?
(1)
+ l_ : what is the matter with?
Common Aramaic
TgO Gen21:17↗ מָא לִיך הָגָר‏ : what is the matter, Hagar? ; VR 16:650(4)↗ מה לך מתאנח‏ : why are you sighing? ; P Ju1:14↗ ܡܐ ܠܟܝ ܒܪܬܝ‏ : what is the matter, my daughter?
(1)
+ l_ ... wl_ : what is the connection between?
Syr
DAP 7:14↗ ܡܐ ܠܟ ܓܝܪ ܘܠܦܬܓ̈ܡܐ ܢܘܟܪ̈ܝܐ‏ : for what do you have to do with foreign sayings?
(2)
introducing a question
Gal
BR 819:1(1)↗ מה רמייתה ברת רמאי‏ : is she the deceiver the daughter of the deceiver? ; PTBer 5.c:40[2]↗ מה סליקית למ{י}קטלה בני ארעא דיש׳‏ : did I make aliyah to kill people of the land of Israel?
(1)
interrogative: how, why
Gal, CPA, Sam
SR[3].9:2(8)↗ מה אנן עללין להדה מדינתה דחירופיה‏ : why are we entering this city of blasphemy? ; PTOr 63.b:33[2]↗ מה מקיימין רבנין טע׳ דר׳ ליעזר‏ : how do the Rabbis uphold the PN's reason? ; CPA Psalms4:3↗ ܡܐ ܚܒܝܢ ܪܝܩܢܘܬܐ ܘܨܒܝܢ ܒܕܓܠܝܐ‏ : why do (you) love vanity and desire lies? ; SamTgJ Ex17:2↗ מה תתיגרון עמי ומה תנסון ית יהוה‏ : why would you quarrel with me and why would you test the Lord?
(1)
בְמָא : how?
JLAtg, CPA
TgJ Mal3:8↗ בְמָא אַרגֵיזנָא קֳדָמָך‏ : how have we angered You? ; LESC 87.1:17↗ ܒܡܐ ܓܪ ܠܐ ‍<‍ܐ‍>‍ܟܫܠܬ ܝܬܝ‏ : for how did you not offend me?
(2)
did not ?
Sam
Marqe 2.192↗ מה אמרו לך דאני לגו ימה אביד בידון‏ : did they not tell you that I am going to be lost in the sea at their hands
2
(usually) with following adj.: how!
JLAtg, Gal, PTA, Syr, LJLA
TgO Gen28:17↗ מָא דְחִילוּ אַתרָא הָדֵין‏ ; PTBer 5.c:49[2]↗ מה ביש מנהגא דהכא‏ : how bad is the local custom! ; GT U Exod15:6↗ מַה אַדִּירא הִיא בְּחַילָא יַמִּינָךְ‏ ; P Gn28:17↗ ܡܐ ܕܚܝܠ ܗܘ ܐܬܪܐ ܗܢܐ‏ : how awesome is this place! ; PJ Ex15:6↗ ימינך ייי מה משבחא היא‏ : how praiseworthy is Your right hand, Lord
3
what, that which (indefinite relative pronoun)
Common Aramaic
Sf.3 a3↗ mh ṭb bˁyny ˀˁbd lhm : I shall do to them whatever seems good to me ; TAD A2.1 R.5↗ הן חזית מה אתרתן‏ : if I see what you indicated ; TAD C1.1(Ahiqar) .174↗ מה̇ חסין הו מן חמר‏ ; Ezra 6:9↗ וּמָה חַשְׁחָן ٠٠٠ לֶהֱוֵא מִתְיְהֵב לְהֹם‏ : whatever the needs are should be given to them ; Trf 2.2.70↗ [w]mˀ dy ytbˁˀ ytn [lh]n ltšmyšˀ : whatever is needed he should give them for service
(1)
w. kl : see s.v. klmh pron.
Common Aramaic
(2)
mh d_ : that which
Palmyrene, CPA, Syr, JBA, LJLA
Trf 1.1.4↗ mdy ktyb mn ltḥt : that which is written below ; TgJ 2K7:9↗ לָא כָשַר מָא דַאְנַחנָא עָבְדִין יוֹמָא הָדֵין‏ : what which we are doing today is not proper ; CYR(Protach) 9:1↗ ܗܢܘܢ ܡܫܟ̈ܚܝܢ ܡܐ ܕܗܢܘܢ ܒܠ̈ܫܝܢ‏ : they find that which they are looking for ; BT Šab 66b(45)↗ נהרא נהרא שקול מה דיהבת לי‏ ; TgIIChron 9:12↗ חלופי מה דאייתיאת לות מלכא‏ : in exchange for that which she had brought to the king
(1)
ܡܐ ܕܠܐ : be that as it may, in any event
Syr
ActsThomSinai 18,3↗ ܡܐ ܕܠܐ ܪܫܘܡܝܗ ܠܝ ܐܚܙܐ‏ : in any event draw it for me to see ; AphDem20.383:19↗ ܘܡܐ ܕܠܐ ܐܒܝ‏ : be that as it may, father
(2)
before adjectival/nominal modifiers:
CPA
(1)
ܕܡܘܬܪ܂ ܕܥܬܝܕ܂ ܡܐ ܕܠܐ ܡܐܝܬ
CPA
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CPA also as proclitic ܡ
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Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 700[372]DJPA: 292bDJBA: 643bJastrow: 736Drower/Macuch: 237aPayne-Smith: 1979J. Payne-Smith: 246Levy Ch-W: 2:1Tal Sam: 453aDNWSI: 599DISO: 144Audo: 2:36DCPA[Schulthess]: 206[105]DJA: 61bQumran: 134

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Wed, 04 Nov 2026 17:13:59 -0500