---
title: מַדּוּעַ — wherefore? · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מַדּוּעַ (4069), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 72 times: wherefore?. BDB 1906: adv. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מַדּוּעַ

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«מַדּוּעַ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **wherefore?** — 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:** 72 times · **Key:** 4069 · **BDB:** מַדּוּעַ

### Glosses

why? (72)

### Meaning (OSHB)

wherefore? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4069/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adv. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4069/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** and (Ez 18, 19) מַדֻּעַ adv. wherefore? (prob. contr. from מַה־יָּדוּעַ what being known? i.e. from what motive? so Ges Ew§ 325 c Ol§ 222 f, cf. in Gk. τί μαθών;)—wherefore? on what account? Gn 26:27 מַדּוּעַ בָּאתֶם אֵלָ֑י, 40:7 Ex 1:18; 2:18; 3:3 (in an indirect question), 5:14; 18:14 Lv 10:17 Jos 17:14 (all in Hex), Ju 5:28(×28) 2 S 3:7; 11:10 etc., Is 5:4; 50:2; 63:2 (all in Is.); in Jer. 16 times, often rhetorically, after a double question introduced by הֲ … אִם, expressing affected surprise: †2:14 (v. Gf) is Israel a slave (unable to defend himself)? wherefore, then, is he become a prey? (some other cause must therefore be found for Israel’s misfortune), v 31; 8:5, 19, 22; 14:19; 22:28; 49:1, cf. 30:6; Jb 3:12; 18:3 (never in ψ).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 26 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מַדּוּעַ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4069/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 21:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.21.7/)

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מַדּ֣וּעַ רְשָׁעִ֣ים יִחְי֑וּ עָ֝תְק֗וּ גַּם־גָּ֥בְרוּ חָֽיִל׃

*Word for word:* why? wicked.\[people\] do.they.live do.they.grow.old? also do.they.become.strong? strength

*JPS 1917:* Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, wax mighty in power?

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[Job 3:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.3.12/)

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מַ֭דּוּעַ קִדְּמ֣וּנִי בִרְכָּ֑יִם וּמַה־שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִם כִּ֣י אִינָֽק׃

*Word for word:* why? did they.receive.me knees and why? two.breasts (cmp) I.will.suck

*JPS 1917:* Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

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