Bible Lexicons

 מִי₄₂₃ pronoun interrogative who? of persons, as מָה (q. v.) of things (Ethiopic but only = What ? and How ? Assyrian mî, me (rare) Jäger ^{BAS. ii. 277}, the usual Semitic form for Who? has n, namely Assyrian mannu, manu (Dl ^{HWB 419}), Ethiopic man¥, Aramaic Arabic , Vulgar Arabic min, m£n, from a form resembling which, by rejection of n, probably Hebrew מִי: W ^{SG 123f.}): — who ? (τίς; quis ?) Genesis 3:11 הִגִּיד לְךָ מִי who told thee ? Genesis 24:65 מִי הָאִישׁ הַלָּזֶה who is this man ? Genesis 27:18 מי אתה בני who art thou, my son ? Numbers 22:9; Judges 1:1; Judges 6:29; Judges 15:6; Judges 18:3; Judges 20:18; 2 Samuel 1:8 + often; Ruth 3:9 מִי אָ֑תְּ who art thou, (feminine) ? Isaiah 51:12; of more than one, מִי אֵלָּה who are these ? Genesis 33:5; Genesis 48:8; Isaiah 60:8; מי אתם 2 Kings 10:13; once, more explicitly, מִי זָמִי הַהֹלְכִים Exodus 10:8; = as who ? (i.e. in what condition, or capacity), Amos 7:2 יעקב מי יקום vAmos 7:5; Isaiah 51:19 מִי אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (but Vrss Che Lag Brd Du ׳מִי יְ, as "" מִי יָנוּד), Ruth 3:16 (Be Ke Kö ^{iii. 388}). Note in particular:

a.מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied: Genesis 33:8 מי לך כלהֿמחנה הזה who (or what) to thee is all this camp ? Deuteronomy 4:7; Judges 9:28 שְׁכֶם מִי who is Shechem (i.e. the Shechemites) ? Micah 1:5 מִיפֶֿשַׁע יַעֲקֹב הֲלֹא שֹׁמְרוֺן, v ^b Song of Solomon 3:6; Judges 13:17 מִי שְׁמֶ֑ךָ ( but מה Genesis 32:28; Exodus 3:13: with מי compare מַן in Aramaic Ezra 5:4; Genesis , Exodus ll. cc. ᵑ7; and see Nö ^{M. p. 341}). On 1 Samuel 18:18, see II. חַי

b. in the Genitive, בַּתמִֿי אַתְּ whose daughter art thou ? Genesis 24:23,47; 1 Samuel 12:3 (3t. in verse); 1 Samuel 17:55; Jeremiah 44:28; Job 26:4; Job 33:28; after various prepositions, as אַחֲרֵי מִי 1 Samuel 24:15 (twice in verse); אֶלמִֿי 1 Samuel 6:20; 2 Kings 9:5 +; בְּמִי by whom ? 1 Kings 20:14, לְמִי₂₀ to whom ? whose ? Genesis 32:18 לְמִי אַתָּה, Genesis 38:25; Proverbs 20:20 (6t.) +; מִמִּי Ezekiel 32:19; Psalm 27:1 (twice in verse); עַלמִֿי 2 Kings 18:20; 2 Kings 19:22; Isaiah 57:4 +; אֶתמִֿי (so always in accusative), 1 Samuel 12:3 (twice in verse); 1 Samuel 28:11; Isaiah 6:8; = with whom ? Job 12:3.

c. in an indirect question, as Genesis 21:26; Genesis 43:22 לא ידענו מי שׂם we do not know who put, etc., Deuteronomy 21:1; Psalm 39:7; Joshua 24:15 בַּחֲרוּ ֗֗֗ אֶתמִֿי תַעֲבֹד֑וּן choose whom ye will serve, after ראה 1 Samuel 14:17, שׁאל 1 Samuel 17:56, הגיד 1 Kings 1:20, הודיע 1 Kings 1:27.

d.׳מי ב who among ... ? 1 Samuel 22:14; Isaiah 36:20; Isaiah 43:9; Isaiah 48:14 (בהם) Isaiah 42:23; Isaiah 50:10; Haggai 2:3 ( all בכם); מי מן who of ... ? Judges 21:8; 2 Kings 6:11; Isaiah 50:1.

e. strengthened and emphatic forms of interrogative: ( a) מי זה (see זה 4 b), מי הוא (see הוא 4 b β), הוא זה מי Psalm 24:10; Jeremiah 30:21; Esther 7:5 (see ibid.); ( b) אֶחָד מִי what single one ... ? Judges 21:8, compare 2 Samuel 7:23 ( = 1 Chronicles 17:21).

f. various rhetorical uses ( often repeated in "" clause, as Psalm 15:1; Psalm 18:32; Isaiah 28:9; Isaiah 29:15): — (a) followed by imperfect it expresses a wish ( the question implying a desire that the person asked for were present ), 2 Samuel 15:4 מִי יְשִׂמֵנִי שֹׁפֵט who will set me judge ? i.e. would that some one would make me judge ! 2 Samuel 23:15 מִי יַשְׁקֵנִי מַיִם = O that one would give me to drink, etc. ! compare Numbers 11:4,18; Malachi 1:10; Psalm 4:7; Psalm 60:11; Psalm 94:16; Isaiah 42:23, and very often in the phrase מִי יִתֵּן who will give? i.e. would that there were. . . ! as Numbers 11:29 נביאים׳ומי יתן כל עם י = and would that all ׳י s people were prophets! Deuteronomy 28:67 מי יתן ערב = would it were even! Judges 9:29 + (see נָתַן). (b) it expresses contempt (who ? implying the answer no one at all), Exodus 5:2 ׳אשׁר אשׁמע בקולו מי י who is ׳י that I should listen to his voice ? Judges 9:28 מִי אֲבִימֶלֶךְ וּמִי שְׁכֶם כִּי נַעַבְדֶנּוּ, Judges 9:38; 1 Samuel 17:26 who is this Philistine that he should have reproached, etc.? 1 Samuel 25:10 מי דוד ומי בן ישׁי Isaiah 28:9; Job 26:4; Proverbs 30:9 ׳מי י; or modesty (real or assumed), Exodus 3:11 מִי אָנֹכִי כִּי אֵלֵךְ אֶלמַּֿרְעֹה 1 Samuel 18:18 ומי חיי מי אנכי who am I, and who is my clan (חַיִּי), that I should be the king's Song of Solomon -in-law ? 2 Samuel 7:18; 1 Chronicles 29:14; 2 Chronicles 2:5; or surprise, Isaiah 44:10; Isaiah 49:21. (c) in impassioned prose, and especially in poetry, implying the answer few or none, it is equivalent to a rhetorical negative, Deuteronomy 9:2 מִי יִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי בְנֵי עֲנָק who can stand, etc.? Deuteronomy 30:12 מִי יַעֲלֶהלָּֿנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה Deuteronomy 30:13; 1 Samuel 4:8 ׳מִי יַצִּילֵנוּ וג, 1 Samuel 6:20; 1 Samuel 22:14; 1 Samuel 26:9,15; 2 Samuel 16:10; מי יאמר who shall (or can) say ? Job 9:12; Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesiastes 8:4; with the perfect (of experience), who has ever . . . ? Numbers 23:10; Deuteronomy 5:23; Isaiah 36:20; Isaiah 66:8 (twice in verse); Jeremiah 18:13 מִי שָׁמַע כָּאֵלֶּה, Jeremiah 23:18 (ᵑ0), Jeremiah 30:21; Job 4:7; Job 9:4 מִי הִקְשָׁה אֵלָיו וַיִּשְׁלָ֑ם, Job 41:3; Proverbs 30:4; Lamentations 3:37; in poetry, very often, as Genesis 49:9 מִי יְקִימֶנּוּ וּכְלָבִיא who can rouse him up ? (i.e. no one), Exodus 15:11 (twice in verse) מִי כָמוֺךָ (so Psalm 35:10 and elsewhere), Numbers 24:9,23; 1 Samuel 2:25 מי יתפלל לו who shall intercede for him ? (i.e. no one), Isaiah 1:12; Isaiah 10:3; Isaiah 40:13,14,18; Isaiah 41:26; Isaiah 42:19; Isaiah 43:9; Isaiah 48:14; Isaiah 50:1; Isaiah 53:1 מִי הֶאֱמִין לִשְׁמֻעָתֵנוּ (i.e. few or none), etc.; Psalm 18:32 ׳מִי אֱלוֺהַּ מִבַּלְעֲדֵי י, Psalm 76:8; Psalm 89:7; Psalm 130:3; Job 21:31; Job 34:29; Jeremiah 17:9; Joel 2:11; Malachi 3:2; מִי לֹא ֗֗֗ Amos 3:8; Jeremiah 10:7; Job 12:9 (compare Job 25:3; Nahum 3:19); (יְשִׁיבֶנָּה) מִי יְשִׁיבֶנּוּ who shall (can) turn it back ? Job 9:12; Job 11:10; Job 23:13; Isaiah 14:27; Isaiah 43:13; Jeremiah 2:24; implying the answer, no one but God, Isaiah 40:12; Isaiah 41:2; Job 38:5; Job 35:6; Job 35:25, etc.; defiantly, Isaiah 50:9 מִי הוּא יַרְשִׁיעֵנִי, Jeremiah 21:13; Jeremiah 49:4 מִי יָבוֺא אֵלַי, Jeremiah 49:19; Obadiah 3; Psalm 12:5 מִי אָדוֺן לָנוּ, Psalm 59:8; Psalm 64:6; Job 9:19 מִי יוֺעִידֵנִי וְאִם לְמִשְׁמָּט, Job 13:19 מִי הוּא יָרִיב עִמָּדִי who is he that will contend with me ? Job 17:3; Job 41:2. Notice in examples of this kind the frequent order of words: Proverbs 20:6 ואישׁ אמוּנים מי ימצא, Proverbs 24:22 יודע ופיד שׁניהם מי, Proverbs 31:10; Nahum 1:6 לפני זעמו מי יעמד, Psalm 147:17 קֹרָתוֺ מי יעמד לפני, Job 4:2 וַעְצֹר בְּמִלִּין מִי יוּכ֑ל, Job 26:14; Job 38:37; Job 39:5; Job 41:5; Job 41:6; Psalm 6:6 בִּשְׁאוֺל מִי יוֺדֶהלָּֿ֑ךְ, Psalm 19:13; and with the nom. pendens, Jeremiah 2:24 תַּאֲנָתָהּ מִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה, Proverbs 18:14; Job 17:15 וְתִקְוָתִי מִי יְשׁוּרֶנָּה, Job 38:29 וּכְפֹר שָׁמַיִם מִי יְלָדוֺ. ( d) מִי יוֺדֵעַ who knoweth ? ( Psalm 90:11; Proverbs 24:22), followed by a verbal clause, becomes (compare nescio an) = it may be, perchance, 2 Samuel 12:22 ׳מִי יוֺדֵעַ יְחָנֵּנִי י (Qr וְחַנַּנִי), Joel 2:14 ( = Jonah 3:9) מי יודע ישׁוב ונחם, Esther 4:14 יודע אם מי. ( e) especially in poetry, a question with מי, to which the answer follows, is an effective mode of affirming a fact, or introducing a description: Psalm 15:1 (twice in verse) (see Psalm 15:2); Psalm 24:3; Psalm 24:8; Psalm 24:10; Isaiah 23:8 מי יעץ׳זאת וג ( Isaiah 23:9 the answ., יְעָצָהּ׳צ ׳י), Isaiah 33:14 (see Isaiah 33:15f.), Isaiah 37:23; Isaiah 41:2,4; Isaiah 60:8; Isaiah 63:1; Jeremiah 46:7; Song of Solomon 3:6, compare Song of Solomon 6:10; Song of Solomon 8:3; answered by הֲלֹא Exodus 4:11; Isaiah 42:24; Isaiah 45:21; Micah 1:5 (twice in verse).

g.מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it: Exodus 24:14 מי בעל דברים יִגַּשׁ אליהם, literally Who hath a cause ? let him draw nigh unto them, i.e. whoso hath a cause, let him, etc., Isaiah 50:8b מִי בַעַל מִשְׁמָּטִי יִגַּשׁ אֵלַי, Isaiah 54:15; Judges 7:3 מִי יָרֵא וְחָרֵד יָשֹׁב׳וג who is fearful and trembling ? let him return, Proverbs 9:4,16 מִיפֶֿ֖תִי יָסֻר הֵגָּה, Ezra 1:3 (compare with וְ in apodosis Jeremiah 9:11; Hosea 14:10; Psalm 107:43; Zechariah 4:10 is dubious, on account of anomalous tense and construction); so with מי האישׁ אשׁר ֗֗֗ Deuteronomy 20:5,6,7; Judges 10:18, compare Psalm 25:12. With 1person in apodosis, Exodus 32:33 חָטָא לִי אֶמְחֶגּוּ מִסִּפְרִי מִי אֲשֶׁר, Jeremiah 49:19 ( = Jeremiah 50:44) אֵלָיהָ אֶפְקֹד וּמִי בָחוּר and who is chosen? I will appoint him over her! Isaiah 50:8a; with an imperative in the apodosis Exodus 32:24 (against accents; see Ra) התפרקו למי זהב who hath gold ? break it off you! Genesis 19:12; 1 Samuel 11:12, compare Psalm 34:13f.; without a verb, Exodus 32:26 אלי׳מי לי who is on J.'s side ? (let him come) to me! Song of Solomon 2Samuel 20:11 (מי אשׁר); Ecclesiastes 5:9; Ecclesiastes 9:4 (מי אשׁר).

h. once, following a verb (compare מָה

3), any one, 2 Samuel 18:12 שִׁמְרוּמִֿי בַּנַּעַר באבשׁלום Have a care, whosoever ye be, of, etc. (but ᵐ5ᵑ6 ᵑ9 Bu לִי; compare 2 Samuel 18:5).