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mn, mnˀ (mān, mānā) pron. what?
√ mh pron.
1
what?
CPA, Syr, JBA, JBAg, LJLA
TgJ 1Sam14:38var.↗ text not cited ; TgJ Jer4:30var.↗ text not cited ; BT Suk 20b(16)↗ למאן חזי, חזי לנזיאתא‏ : what is (the mat) proper for? It is proper for (covering) vats ; TgRuth3:16↗ וחואה לה ית כל מאן דעבד לה גברא‏ : she told her everything that the man had done to her
(1)
+(h)w : what is it?
Syr, JBA
BT MQ 17a(55)↗ לא הוה קא ידעי מנו‏ : they did not know what it was
2
ܕ : that which
Syr
3
how!
Syr
Rabb 363:26 ܡܘܢ ܡܪܝܪ ܟܣܗ ܕܡܘܬܐ‏ : how bitter is the cup of death!
(1)
how? how could it be?
Syr, LJLA
SugMgab 2:25↗ ܡܵܢܵܐ ܚܛܵܬ ܠܵܟ ܐܸܡܝ ܣܵܒܬܵܐ‏ : how did my aged mother sin against you? ; TgTosPr Ezek.1:1↗ מאן דלא עביד מצותא בעלמא הדין מן יהיב ליה אגרא לעלמא דאתי‏ : one who does not do the commandments in this world, how could the reward of the world to come be given to him?
4
why?
Syr
StudSin11 13a:1 ܘܐܬܐ ܠܘܬܗ ܚܢܢܝܐ ܣܦܪܐ ܘܐܡܪ ܠܗ ܝܘܣܦ ܡܢܘ ܠܐ ܐܬܚܙܝܬ ܒܟܢܘܫܬܐ‏ : Then Hananya the scribe came to him and said, "Joseph, why didn't you show up at the synagogue?" ; P Jn20:15↗ ܐܲܢܼܬܬܵܐ܂ ܡܵܢܵܐ ܒܵܟܝܵܐ ܐܲܢܼܬܝ‏ : Woman, why are you weeping?
(1)
ܠܡܢܐ ܕ : for the fact that, because : see s.v. lmnˀ conj.
Syr
§Form & Usage▶
JBA מאן ; LJLA(targProv) also מנא
☛Derivatives▶
🔍Concordance▶
Complete KWIC concordance
✎Notes & Bibliography▶
The form is extremely common in Syriac but relatively rare in Jewish dialects. The examples in JLA and JBA are essentially almost all in variant texts and, most at least, should probably be considered to be errors of scribal interpretation.
Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 778[393]DJPA: 317aDJBA: 637aJastrow: 796Payne-Smith: 2160J. Payne-Smith: 280Levy Ch-W: 2:45DCPA[Schulthess]: 236[113]
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Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:11:08 -0500