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Hebrew · H4310

מִי

Who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever ; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix

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מִיH4310
Pronunciationmiy

What does מִי (miy) mean in the Bible?

מִי (miy): Interrogative pronoun marking agency and identity; shifts from direct questions to indefinite "whoever" in rhetorical or conditional contexts

Full entry for מִי (H4310) · Open the biblical lexicon

Questions this entry answers

What does מִי (miy) mean in the Bible?

מִי (miy): Interrogative pronoun marking agency and identity; shifts from direct questions to indefinite "whoever" in rhetorical or conditional contexts

How does the BSB render H4310?

The BSB source-word alignment has 425 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Who (238), whom (31), and who (21), If only (13), Whoever (13).

Where does מִי (miy) appear in Scripture?

The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 3:11. Its strongest book concentrations include Isaiah (62), Job (62), Psalms (42), 1 Samuel (34).

Source Word Evidence

BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.

How English Renders It
Who238×Genesis 3:11, Genesis 21:7, Genesis 21:26, Genesis 24:65
whom31×Joshua 24:15, 1 Samuel 6:20, 1 Samuel 12:3, 1 Samuel 17:28
and who21×Judges 9:28, 1 Samuel 10:12, 1 Samuel 23:22, 1 Samuel 26:15
If only13×Exodus 16:3, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 28:67, Judges 9:29
Whoever13×Exodus 24:14, Exodus 32:24, Exodus 32:26, Exodus 32:33
What12×Genesis 33:8, Deuteronomy 3:24, Deuteronomy 4:7, Judges 13:17
Whose9×Genesis 24:23, Genesis 24:47, Genesis 38:25, Ruth 2:5
But who6×2 Kings 10:9, 2 Chronicles 2:6, Proverbs 18:14, Proverbs 20:6
And what5×Deuteronomy 4:8, 1 Samuel 18:18, 2 Samuel 7:18, 1 Chronicles 17:16
To whom5×Genesis 32:17, 1 Samuel 30:13, Isaiah 28:9, Isaiah 40:18
Which5×Judges 21:8, 2 Kings 9:5, Job 5:1, Job 12:9
. . .4×Exodus 10:8, 1 Samuel 12:3, Job 19:23, Job 38:36
-3×1 Samuel 12:3, Isaiah 27:4, Jeremiah 9:1
Has any3×Deuteronomy 20:5, Deuteronomy 20:6, Deuteronomy 20:7
Oh, that3×Job 31:35, Psalms 14:7, Psalms 53:6
and whose2×Genesis 32:17, Job 26:4
From whose2×1 Samuel 12:3, Job 38:29
How2×Amos 7:2, Amos 7:5
Oh2×Psalms 55:6, Malachi 1:10
Oh, that someone2×2 Samuel 23:15, 1 Chronicles 11:17
so who2×Isaiah 14:27, Isaiah 49:21
Which one2×Genesis 27:18, 2 Kings 6:11
Who then2×2 Chronicles 2:6, Job 26:14
[for my sake]1×2 Samuel 18:12
[then] who1×Psalms 130:3
account1×Numbers 11:29
and he who1×Ecclesiastes 5:10
and the One1×Micah 6:9
And upon whom [is]1×1 Samuel 9:20
and whoever1×2 Samuel 20:11
But who exactly1×Exodus 10:8
By whom1×1 Kings 20:14
Can anyone1×Job 13:19
Do1×Genesis 19:12
for anyone who1×Ecclesiastes 9:4
For whom1×Ecclesiastes 4:8
How did it go1×Ruth 3:16
How I long1×Job 29:2
I wish1×Job 19:23
Is any1×Deuteronomy 20:8
Just who1×1 Samuel 17:26
Let him who1×Psalms 107:43
Now who1×1 Chronicles 29:5
O1×Song Of Solomon 8:1
or1×Job 36:23
Or who1×Job 38:37
Should1×Nehemiah 6:11
Then who1×Job 41:10
to which1×Isaiah 50:1
To whom [does]1×2 Samuel 3:12
which of them1×Jeremiah 23:18
who [am]1×1 Chronicles 29:14
Who [is]1×1 Samuel 25:10
who by Myself1×Isaiah 44:24
Who else1×Job 17:3
who is responsible1×Jonah 1:7
Who then [is]1×Isaiah 44:7
Whom have I1×Psalms 73:25
Why1×Isaiah 51:12
Yet who1×Job 4:2
You asked, ‘Who1×Job 42:3
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 3:11מִ֚יtoWhoInterrogativeGenesis 19:12מִֽי־toDoInterrogativeGenesis 21:7מִ֤יtoWhoInterrogativeGenesis 21:26מִ֥יtowhoInterrogativeGenesis 24:23מִ֣יtoWhoseInterrogativeGenesis 24:47מִ֣יtoWhoseInterrogativeGenesis 24:65מִֽי־toWhoInterrogativeGenesis 27:18מִ֥יtoWhich oneInterrogativeGenesis 27:32מִי־toWhoInterrogativeGenesis 27:33מִֽי־toWhoInterrogative
Usage map

A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.

First aligned rowGenesis 3:11
Aligned rows425
Books represented35
Genesis18Exodus14Numbers7Deuteronomy16Joshua2Judges14Ruth31 Samuel342 Samuel171 Kings62 Kings101 Chronicles72 Chronicles6Ezra1Nehemiah1Esther4Job62Psalms42Proverbs19Ecclesiastes17Song Of Solomon4Isaiah62Jeremiah27Lamentations3Ezekiel4Hosea1Joel2Amos4Obadiah1Jonah3Micah4Nahum4Haggai1Zechariah2Malachi3
Source forms
מִֽי־74xmî-Genesis 19:12, Genesis 24:65, Genesis 27:33, Exodus 4:11
מִ֣י70xmîGenesis 24:23, Genesis 24:47, Exodus 2:14, Exodus 3:11
מִ֥י42xmîGenesis 21:26, Genesis 27:18, Genesis 33:8, Genesis 49:9
מִ֤י41xmîGenesis 21:7, Exodus 5:2, Numbers 11:18, Numbers 23:10
מִי־39xmî-Genesis 27:32, Genesis 33:5, Genesis 43:22, Genesis 48:8
מִ֖י23xmî1 Samuel 2:25, 1 Samuel 6:20, 1 Samuel 14:17, 1 Samuel 20:10
וּמִ֥י21xū·mî2 Samuel 20:11, 2 Samuel 22:32, 2 Kings 10:9, Nehemiah 6:11
וּמִ֣י19xū·mî1 Samuel 10:12, 1 Samuel 18:18, 1 Samuel 25:10, 2 Samuel 7:18
Parsing patterns
Interrogative316xGenesis 3:11, Genesis 19:12, Genesis 21:7, Genesis 21:26
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative63xExodus 10:8, Deuteronomy 4:8, Deuteronomy 20:6, Deuteronomy 20:7
Preposition-l | Interrogative17xGenesis 32:17, Genesis 38:25, Exodus 32:24, Ruth 2:5
Interjection16xExodus 16:3, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 28:67, Job 6:8
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Interrogative3xGenesis 32:17, 1 Samuel 9:20, Ecclesiastes 4:8
Preposition-m | Interrogative3xPsalms 27:1, Ezekiel 32:19
Conjunctive waw | Interjection1xJudges 9:29
Preposition | first person common singular1xNumbers 11:29
Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain

Full license details