Writing Biblical Hebrew

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...

The basic and most common form of the word 'why?' is לָ֫מָּה with the accent on the first syllable ['lammah] and dagesh in the mem .  Ruth 1:11 לָ֥מָּה תֵלַ֖כְנָה עִמִּ֑י However, when it occurs before a word beginning with alef, ayin  or heh , it is usually לָמָ֫ה with the accent on the second syllable [la'mah] and no dagesh in the mem . (There are some exceptions for words beginning with heh : it's not entirely consistent) Ge 27:45  לָמָ֥ה  אֶ שְׁכַּ֛ל גַּם־שְׁנֵיכֶ֖ם יֹ֥ום אֶחָֽד׃ Gen 43:6 לָמָ֥ה הֲ רֵעֹתֶ֖ם לִ֑י Judg 12:3 וְלָמָ֞ה עֲ לִיתֶ֥ם אֵלַ֛י הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לְהִלָּ֥חֶם בִּֽי׃ Note that before words beginning with other gutturals  het and resh , it is still  לָ֫מָּה . 2 Sa 24:3 לָ֥מָּה חָ פֵ֖ץ בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃ 1 Sa 28:12 לָ֥מָּה רִ מִּיתָ֖נִי וְאַתָּ֥ה שָׁאֽוּל׃