---
title: אֵיךְ — how? · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֵיךְ (349), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 61 times: how?. BDB 1906: adv. interrog. How? as an exclam. How. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֵיךְ

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«אֵיךְ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **how?** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 61 times · **Key:** 349 · **BDB:** אֵיךְ

### Glosses

how? (38); how! (23)

### Meaning (OSHB)

how? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/349/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adv. interrog. How? as an exclam. How [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/349/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** (Aramaic אֵיךְ, ܐܰܝܟ \[pron. âch\]) adv. interrog. How? Gn 26:9 2 S 1:5, 14 1 K 12:6 Is 20:6 al.; of. with impf. (esp. in 1 ps.) in an expostulation Gn 39:9; 44:8, 34 Jos 9:7 2 S 2:22; 12:18 ψ 137:4, Is 48:11 for how should it be profaned? איך תאמר(ו) how canst or dost thou (do you) say …? Ju 16:15 Is 19:11 Je 2:23 (cf. 8:8 אֵיכָה) 48:14 ψ 11:1; in an indirect sentence 2 K 17:28 Je 36:17 Ru 3:18. as an exclam. How! whether of lamentation 2 S 1:19 Je 2:21; 9:18 Mi 2:4 Ec 2:16; or of satisfaction Is 14:4, 12 Je 48:39; 51:41 Ob 5 al.; with intensive force = how gladly! Je 3:19, how terribly! 9:6 (but others render here ‘for how \[else\] should I do’? etc.), Ho 11:8 acc. to Hi.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 34 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אֵיךְ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/349/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Obadiah 1:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/OBA.1.6/)

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אֵ֚יךְ נֶחְפְּשׂ֣וּ עֵשָׂ֔ו נִבְע֖וּ מַצְפֻּנָֽיו׃

*Word for word:* how! they.will.be.plundered Esau they.will.be.searched.out treasures its.hidden

*JPS 1917:* How is Esau searched out! How are his hidden places sought out!

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[2 Samuel 1:27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.1.27/)

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אֵ֚יךְ נָפְל֣וּ גִבּוֹרִ֔ים וַיֹּאבְד֖וּ כְּלֵ֥י מִלְחָמָֽה׃פ

*Word for word:* how! they.have.fallen \[the\].mighty.\[ones\] and they.have.perished \[the\].weapons of.war

*JPS 1917:* How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

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