---
title: אֵיכָה — how? · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֵיכָה (lemma:אֵיכָה), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 17 times: how?. BDB 1906: adv. interrog. In what manner exclam. How Where. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֵיכָה

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«אֵיכָה» 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:** 17 times · **Key:** lemma:אֵיכָה · **BDB:** אֵיכָה

### Glosses

how? (9); how! (6); where? (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

how? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/lemma_3a_5d0_5b5_5d9_5db_5b8_5d4/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adv. interrog. In what manner exclam. How Where [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/lemma_3a_5d0_5b5_5d9_5db_5b8_5d4/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** (from אַי and כָּה = כֹּה; cf. As. ekiam) adv. interrog. In what manner? τίνι τρόπῳ; (rather more definite than אֵיךְ = πῶς;) Dt 1:12; 7:17; 12:30; 18:21; 32:30 Ju 20:3 (indirect sentence) 2 K 6:15 Je 8:8 ψ 73:11. exclam. How! (slightly more emph. than אֵיךְ) Is 1:21 Je 48:17 La 1:1; 2:1; 4:1, 2. Where? (prob. north-Isr.; cf. Aramaic אֵיכָא, ܐܰܝܟܳܐ where? Cf. DrIntr. 178, 421) only 2 K 6:13 (K3 אֵיכֹה) Kt Ct 1:7(×2),—each time in an indirect sentence.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 16 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אֵיכָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/lemma_3a_5d0_5b5_5d9_5db_5b8_5d4/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 73:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.73.11/)

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וְֽאָמְר֗וּ אֵיכָ֥ה יָדַֽע־אֵ֑ל וְיֵ֖שׁ דֵּעָ֣ה בְעֶלְיֽוֹן׃

*Word for word:* and they.say how? does.he.know God and.\[is\] there? knowledge with the.Most.High

*JPS 1917:* And they say: 'How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'

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[Deuteronomy 1:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/DEU.1.12/)

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אֵיכָ֥ה אֶשָּׂ֖א לְבַדִּ֑י טָרְחֲכֶ֥ם וּמַֽשַּׂאֲכֶ֖ם וְרִֽיבְכֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* how? will.I.bear I alone burden your and burden your and dispute\[s\] your

*JPS 1917:* How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?

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