Bible HebrewQuestions
הֲ for yes/no, and who, what, where, why, when, how.
Asking questions
The Hebrew text has no question marks. A yes/no question usually starts with הֲ on its first word: הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).
Don't mix it up with “the”: the question הֲ has a quick ă, while the article הַ doubles the next letter (הַשֹּׁמֵר “the keeper”). Sometimes a question has no marker at all, and only the story tells you it is one.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| מִי | who? | מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ “Who told you?” (Genesis 3:11) |
| מָה / מַה־ | what? | מַה־זֹּאת עָשִׂית “What is this you have done?” (Genesis 3:13) |
| אַיֵּה | where? | אַיֵּה שָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ “Where is Sarah your wife?” (Genesis 18:9) |
| לָמָּה | why? | לָמָּה חָרָה לָךְ “Why are you angry?” (Genesis 4:6) |
| מָתַי | when? | מָתַי אֶעֱשֶׂה גַם־אָנֹכִי לְבֵיתִי “When shall I provide for my own house too?” (Genesis 30:30) |
| אֵיךְ | how? | אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים “How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19) |
“Where?” can take a pronoun ending: אַיֶּכָּה “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). The vowel of מָה changes with the next word, so you'll see מָה and מַה־.
Check yourself
How does Hebrew usually mark a yes/no question?
✓ הֲ on the first word · a question mark · reversing the word order · adding לֹא at the end
הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)
What does אַיֵּה mean?
✓ where? · who? · why? · when?
אַיֵּה שָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ “Where is Sarah your wife?” (Genesis 18:9)
What does לָמָּה mean?
✓ why? · what? · where? · how?
לָמָּה חָרָה לָךְ “Why are you angry?” (Genesis 4:6)
Which word means “who?”
✓ מִי · מָה · אֵיךְ · אַיֵּה
מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ “Who told you?” (Genesis 3:11)
← Who, Which, ThatNumbers 1–10 →
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