What is up with מָה?
1 word, 2 pronunciations, 3 vowel pointing variations... what is up with מָה? In the biblical text, we have a number of different spellings of this basic question word 'what': מֶה, מָה, מַה. This is definitely not the final word on the subject, and it doesn't account for all the exceptions found in the text, but here are the working guidelines I use to decide which form to use when composing original text in Biblical Hebrew. מֶה The form מֶה comes before words that start with ע or ח* . The most common is in questions like "what have you done?" or "what did the man do?" that use the verb עָשָׂה 'to do' in qatal forms. מֶה עָ שִׂיתָ (Gen 4:10) what have you done? מֶה עֲ כַרְתָּנוּ (Josh. 7:25) why have you brought trouble on us? מֶה עַ בְדְּךָ (2 Sam. 9:8) what is your servant? מֶה חָ טָאתִי (1 Kings 18:9) how have I sinned? אֵדְעָה מֶה־ חָ דֵל אָנִי (Ps.39:4) let me know how fleeting I am We also find מֶה before the word הָיָה : לֹא יָדַעְנ