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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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מִי H4310
Pronunciation miy

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
Who 238× Genesis 3:11, Genesis 21:7, Genesis 21:26, Genesis 24:65
whom 31× Joshua 24:15, 1 Samuel 6:20, 1 Samuel 12:3, 1 Samuel 17:28
and who 21× Judges 9:28, 1 Samuel 10:12, 1 Samuel 23:22, 1 Samuel 26:15
If only 13× Exodus 16:3, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 28:67, Judges 9:29
Whoever 13× Exodus 24:14, Exodus 32:24, Exodus 32:26, Exodus 32:33
What 12× Genesis 33:8, Deuteronomy 3:24, Deuteronomy 4:7, Judges 13:17
Whose 9× Genesis 24:23, Genesis 24:47, Genesis 38:25, Ruth 2:5
But who 6× 2 Kings 10:9, 2 Chronicles 2:6, Proverbs 18:14, Proverbs 20:6
And what 5× Deuteronomy 4:8, 1 Samuel 18:18, 2 Samuel 7:18, 1 Chronicles 17:16
To whom 5× Genesis 32:17, 1 Samuel 30:13, Isaiah 28:9, Isaiah 40:18
Which 5× 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 any 3× Deuteronomy 20:5, Deuteronomy 20:6, Deuteronomy 20:7
Oh, that 3× Job 31:35, Psalms 14:7, Psalms 53:6
and whose 2× Genesis 32:17, Job 26:4
From whose 2× 1 Samuel 12:3, Job 38:29
How 2× Amos 7:2, Amos 7:5
Oh 2× Psalms 55:6, Malachi 1:10
Oh, that someone 2× 2 Samuel 23:15, 1 Chronicles 11:17
so who 2× Isaiah 14:27, Isaiah 49:21
Which one 2× Genesis 27:18, 2 Kings 6:11
Who then 2× 2 Chronicles 2:6, Job 26:14
[for my sake] 1× 2 Samuel 18:12
[then] who 1× Psalms 130:3
account 1× Numbers 11:29
and he who 1× Ecclesiastes 5:10
and the One 1× Micah 6:9
And upon whom [is] 1× 1 Samuel 9:20
and whoever 1× 2 Samuel 20:11
But who exactly 1× Exodus 10:8
By whom 1× 1 Kings 20:14
Can anyone 1× Job 13:19
Do 1× Genesis 19:12
for anyone who 1× Ecclesiastes 9:4
For whom 1× Ecclesiastes 4:8
How did it go 1× Ruth 3:16
How I long 1× Job 29:2
I wish 1× Job 19:23
Is any 1× Deuteronomy 20:8
Just who 1× 1 Samuel 17:26
Let him who 1× Psalms 107:43
Now who 1× 1 Chronicles 29:5
O 1× Song Of Solomon 8:1
or 1× Job 36:23
Or who 1× Job 38:37
Should 1× Nehemiah 6:11
Then who 1× Job 41:10
to which 1× Isaiah 50:1
To whom [does] 1× 2 Samuel 3:12
which of them 1× Jeremiah 23:18
who [am] 1× 1 Chronicles 29:14
Who [is] 1× 1 Samuel 25:10
who by Myself 1× Isaiah 44:24
Who else 1× Job 17:3
who is responsible 1× Jonah 1:7
Who then [is] 1× Isaiah 44:7
Whom have I 1× Psalms 73:25
Why 1× Isaiah 51:12
Yet who 1× Job 4:2
You asked, ‘Who 1× Job 42:3
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 3:11 מִ֚י to Who Interrogative Genesis 19:12 מִֽי־ to Do Interrogative Genesis 21:7 מִ֤י to Who Interrogative Genesis 21:26 מִ֥י to who Interrogative Genesis 24:23 מִ֣י to Whose Interrogative Genesis 24:47 מִ֣י to Whose Interrogative Genesis 24:65 מִֽי־ to Who Interrogative Genesis 27:18 מִ֥י to Which one Interrogative Genesis 27:32 מִי־ to Who Interrogative Genesis 27:33 מִֽי־ to Who Interrogative
Usage map

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

First aligned row Genesis 3:11
Aligned rows 425
Books represented 35
Genesis 18 Exodus 14 Numbers 7 Deuteronomy 16 Joshua 2 Judges 14 Ruth 3 1 Samuel 34 2 Samuel 17 1 Kings 6 2 Kings 10 1 Chronicles 7 2 Chronicles 6 Ezra 1 Nehemiah 1 Esther 4 Job 62 Psalms 42 Proverbs 19 Ecclesiastes 17 Song Of Solomon 4 Isaiah 62 Jeremiah 27 Lamentations 3 Ezekiel 4 Hosea 1 Joel 2 Amos 4 Obadiah 1 Jonah 3 Micah 4 Nahum 4 Haggai 1 Zechariah 2 Malachi 3
Source forms
מִֽי־ 74x mî- Genesis 19:12, Genesis 24:65, Genesis 27:33, Exodus 4:11
מִ֣י 70x mî Genesis 24:23, Genesis 24:47, Exodus 2:14, Exodus 3:11
מִ֥י 42x mî Genesis 21:26, Genesis 27:18, Genesis 33:8, Genesis 49:9
מִ֤י 41x mî Genesis 21:7, Exodus 5:2, Numbers 11:18, Numbers 23:10
מִי־ 39x mî- Genesis 27:32, Genesis 33:5, Genesis 43:22, Genesis 48:8
מִ֖י 23x mî 1 Samuel 2:25, 1 Samuel 6:20, 1 Samuel 14:17, 1 Samuel 20:10
וּמִ֥י 21x ū·mî 2 Samuel 20:11, 2 Samuel 22:32, 2 Kings 10:9, Nehemiah 6:11
וּמִ֣י 19x ū·mî 1 Samuel 10:12, 1 Samuel 18:18, 1 Samuel 25:10, 2 Samuel 7:18
Parsing patterns
Interrogative 316x Genesis 3:11, Genesis 19:12, Genesis 21:7, Genesis 21:26
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative 63x Exodus 10:8, Deuteronomy 4:8, Deuteronomy 20:6, Deuteronomy 20:7
Preposition-l | Interrogative 17x Genesis 32:17, Genesis 38:25, Exodus 32:24, Ruth 2:5
Interjection 16x Exodus 16:3, Deuteronomy 5:29, Deuteronomy 28:67, Job 6:8
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Interrogative 3x Genesis 32:17, 1 Samuel 9:20, Ecclesiastes 4:8
Preposition-m | Interrogative 3x Psalms 27:1, Ezekiel 32:19
Conjunctive waw | Interjection 1x Judges 9:29
Preposition | first person common singular 1x Numbers 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