מִי

pron. interrog. who? of persons, as מָה (q.v.) of things (Ethiopic ሚ but only = What? and How? Assyrian mî, me (rare) JägerBAS. ii. 277, the usually Sem. form for Who? has n, viz. Assyrian mannu, manu (DlHWB 419), Ethiopic መኑ man(n)ū, Aramaic ܡܰܢ, Arabic مَنْ, vulg.-Arabic min, mīn, from a form resembling which, by rejection of n, prob. Heb. מִי: WSG 123 f.):—who? (τίς; quis?) Gn 3:11 מִי הִגִּיד לְךָ who told thee? 24:65 מִי הָאִישׁ הַלָּזֶה who is this man? 27:18 מי אתה בני who art thou, my son? Nu 22:9 Ju 1:1; 6:29; 15:6; 18:3; 20:18; 2 S 1:8 + often; Ru 3:9 מִי אָ֑תְּ who art thou (fem.)? Is 51:12; of more than one, מִי אֵלֶּה who are these? Gn 33:5; 48:8 Is 60:8; מי אתם 2 K 10:13; once, more explicitly, מִי וָמִי הַהֹלְכִים Ex 10:8; = as who? (i.e. in what condition, or capacity), Am 7:2 מי יקום יעקב, v 5 Is 51:19 מִי אֲנַחֲמֵךְ (but Vrss Che Lag Brd Du מִי יְ׳, as ‖ מִי יָנוּד), Ru 3:16 (Be Ke Köiii. 388). Note in partic.: מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied: Gn 33:8 מי לך כל־המחנה הזה who (or what) to thee is all this camp? Dt 4:7 Ju 9:28 מִי שְׁכֶם who is Shechem (i.e. the Shechemites)? Mi 1:5 מִי־פֶשַׁע יַעֲקֹב הֲלֹא שֹׁמְרוֹן, v b Ct 3:6 Ju 13:17 מִי שְׁמֶ֑ךָ (but מה Gn 32:28 Ex 3:13: with מי cf. מַן in Aramaic Ezr 5:4 Gn Ex. ll. cc. 𝔗; and see NöM. p. 341). On 1 S 18:18, v. II. חַי. in the gen., בַּת־מִי אַתְּ whose daughter art thou? Gn 24:23, 47 1 S 12:3(×3); 17:55 Je 44:28 Jb 26:4; 33:28; after various preps., as אַחֲרֵי מִי 1 S 24:15(×2); אֶל־מִי 1 S 6:20 2 K 9:5 +; בְּמִי by whom? †1 K 20:14, לְמִי20 to whom? whose? Gn 32:18 לְמִי אַתָּה, 38:25 Pr 20:29 (6 times) +; מִמִּי †Ez 32:19 ψ 27:1(×2); עַל־מִי 2 K 18:20; 19:22 Is 57:4 +; אֶת־מִי (so always in acc.), 1 S 12:3(×2); 28:11 Is 6:8; = with whom? Jb 12:3. in an indirect qu., as Gn 21:26; 43:22 לא ידענו מי שׂם we do not know who put, etc., Dt 21:1 ψ 39:7 Jos 24:15 בַּחֲרוּ … אֶת־מִי תַעֲבֹד֑וּן choose whom ye will serve, after ראה 1 S 14:17, שׁאל 17:56, הגיד 1 K 1:20, הודיע v 27. מי ב׳ who among …? 1 S 22:14 Is 36:20; 43:9; 48:14 (בהם); 42:23; 50:10 Hg 2:3 (all בכם); מי מן who of …? Ju 21:8 2 K 6:11 Is 50:1. strengthened and emph. forms of interrog.: (a) מי זה (v. זה 4 b), מי הוא (v. הוא 4 b β), מי הוא זה †ψ 24:10 Je 30:21 Est 7:5 (v. ibid.); (b) מִי אֶחָד what single one …? Ju 21:8, cf. 2 S 7:23 (= 1 Ch 17:21). various rhetorical uses (often repeated in ‖ cl., as ψ 15:1; 18:32 Is 28:9; 29:15):—(a) sq. impf. it expresses a wish (the question implying a desire that the person asked for were present), 2 S 15:4 מִי יְשִׂמֵנִי שֹׁפֵט who will set me judge? i.e. would that some one would make me judge! 23:15 מִי יַשְׁקֵנִי מַיִם = O that one would give me to drink, etc.! cf. Nu 11:4, 18 Mal 1:10 ψ 4:7; 60:11; 94:16 Is 42:23, and very often in the phr. מִי יִתֵּן who will give? i.e. would that there were …! as Nu 11:29 ומי יתן כל עם י׳ נביאים = and would that all י׳’s people were prophets! Dt 28:67 מי יתן ערב = would it were even! Ju 9:29 + (v. נָתַן). (b) it expresses contempt (who? implying the answer no one at all), Ex 5:2 מי י׳ אשׁר אשׁמע בקולו who is י׳ that I should listen to his voice? Ju 9:28 מִי אֲבִימֶלֶךְ וּמִי שְׁכֶם כִּי נַעַבְדֶנּוּ, v 38 1 S 17:26 who is this Phil. that he should have reproached, etc.? 25:10 מי דוד ומי בן ישׁי, Is 28:9 Jb 26:4 Pr 30:9 מי י׳; or modesty (real or assumed), Ex 3:11 מִי אָנֹכִי כִּי אֵלֵךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹה, 1 S 18:18 מי אנכי ומי חיי who am I, and who is my clan (חַיִּי), that I should be the king’s son-in-law? 2 S 7:18 1 Ch 29:14 2 Ch 2:5; or surprise, Is 44:10; 49:21. (c) in impassioned prose, and especially in poetry, implying the answer few or none, it is equiv. to a rhetorical negative, Dt 9:2 מִי יִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי בְנֵי עֲנָק who can stand, etc.? 30:12 מִי יַעֲלֶה־לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה, v 13 1 S 4:8 מִי יַצִּילֵנוּ וגי, 6:20; 22:14; 26:9, 15 2 S 16:10; מי יאמר who shall (or can) say? Jb 9:12 Pr 20:9 Ec 8:4; with the perfect (of experience), who has ever …? Nu 23:10 Dt 5:23 Is 36:20; 66:8(×2) Je 18:13 מִי שָׁמַע כָּאֵלֶּה, 23:18 (MT), 30:21 Jb 4:7; 9:4 מִי הִקְשָׁה אֵלָיו וַיִּשְׁלָ֑ם, 41:3 Pr 30:4 La 3:37; poet., very often, as Gn 49:9 וּכְלָבִיא מִי יְקִימֶנּוּ who can rouse him up? (i.e. no one), Ex 15:11(×2) מִי כָמוֹךָ (so ψ 35:10 al.), Nu 24:9, 23 1 S 2:25 מי יתפלל לו who shall intercede for him? (i.e. no one), Is 1:12; 10:3; 40:13, 14, 18; 41:26; 42:19; 43:9; 48:14; 50:1; 53:1 מִי הֶאֱמִין לִשְׁמֻעָתֵנוּ (i.e. few or none), etc.; ψ 18:32 מִי אֱלוֹהַּ מִבַּלְעֲדֵי י׳, 76:8; 89:7; 130:3 Jb 21:31; 34:29 Je 17:9 Jo 2:11 Mal 3:2; מִי לֹא … Am 3:8 Je 10:7 Jb 12:9 (cf. 25:3 Na 3:19); (יְשִׁיבֶנָּה) מִי יְשִׁיבֶנּוּ who shall (can) turn it back? †Jb 9:12; 11:10; 23:13 Is 14:27; 43:13 Je 2:24; implying the answer, no one but God, Is 40:12; 41:2 Jb 38:5, 6, 25, etc.; defiantly, Is 50:9 מִי הוּא יַרְשִׁיעֵנִי, Je 21:13; 49:4 מִי יָבוֹא אֵלַי, v 19 Ob 3 ψ 12:5 מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ, 59:8; 64:6 Jb 9:19 וְאִם לְמִשְׁפָּט מִי יוֹעִידֵנִי, 13:19 מִי הוּא יָרִיב עִמָּדִי who is he that will contend with me? 17:3; 41:2. Notice in examples of this kind the freq. order of words: Pr 20:6 ואישׁ אמוּנים מי ימצא, 24:22 ופיד שׁניהם מי יודע, 31:10 Na 1:6 לפני זעמו מי יעמד, ψ 147:17 לפני קֹרָתוֹ מי יעמד, Jb 4:2 וַעְצֹר בְּמִלִּין מִי יוּכ֑ל, Jb 26:14; 38:37; 39:5; 41:5, 6 ψ 6:6 בִּשְׁאוֹל מִי יוֹדֶה־לָּ֑ךְ, 19:13; and with the nom. pendens, Je 24 תַּאֲנָתָהּ מִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה, Pr 18:14 Jb 17:15 וְתִקְוָתִי מִי יְשׁוּרֶנָּה, 38:29 וּכְפֹר שָׁמַיִם מִי יְלָדוֹ, (d) מִי יוֹדֵעַ who knoweth? (ψ 90:11 Pr 24:22), sq. a verbal clause, becomes (cf. nescio an) = it may be, perchance, †2 S 12:22 מִי יוֹדֵעַ יְחָנֵּנִי י׳ (Qr וְחַנַּנִי), Jo 2:14 (= Jon 3:9) מי יודע ישׁוב ונחם, Est 4:14 מי יודע אם. (e) especially in poetry, a question with מי, to which the answer follows, in an effective mode of affirming a fact, or introducing a description: ψ 15:1, 1 (see v 2–5), 24:3, 8, 10 Is 23:8 מי יעץ זאת וג׳ (v 9 the answ., י׳ צ׳ יְעָצָהּ), 33:14 (see v 15f.), 37:23; 41:2, 4; 60:8; 63:1 Je 46:7 Ct 3:6, cf. 6:10; 8:3; answered by הֲלֹא Ex 4:11 Is 42:24; 45:21 Mi 1:5(×2). מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it: Ex 24:14 מי בעל דברים יִגַּשׁ אליהם, lit. Who hath a cause? let him draw nigh unto them, i.e. whoso hath a cause, let him, etc., Is 50:8b מִי בַעַל מִשְׁפָּטִי יִגַּשׁ אֵלַי, 54:15 Ju 7:3 מִי יָרֵא וְחָרֵד יָשֹׁב וג׳ who is fearful and trembling? let him return, Pr 9:4, 16 מִי־פֶ֖תִי יָסֻר הֵנָּה, Ezr 1:3 (cf. with וְ in apod. Je 9:11 Ho 14:10 ψ 107:43; Zc 4:10 is dubious, on account of anom. tense and construct.); so with מי האישׁ אשׁר … Dt 20:5, 6, 7 Ju 10:18, cf. ψ 25:12. With 1 ps. in apod., Ex 32:33 מִי אֲשֶׁר חָטָא לִי אֶמְחֶנּוּ מִסִּפְרִי, Je 49:19 (= 50:44) וּמִי בָחוּר אֵלֶיהָ אֶפְקֹד and who is chosen? I will appoint him over her! Is 50:8a; with an imv. in the apod. Ex 32:24 (against accents; v. Ra) למי זהב התפרקו who hath gold? break it off you! Gn 19:12 1 S 11:12, cf. ψ 34:13f.; without a verb, Ex 32:26 מי לי׳ אלי who is on J.’s side? (let him come) to me! so 2 S 20:11 (מי אשׁר); Ec 5:9; 9:4 (מי אשׁר). once, following a verb (cf. מָה 3), any one, 2 S 18:12 שִׁמְרוּ־מִי בַּנַּעַר באבשׁלום Have a care, whosoever ye be, of, etc. (𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 Bu לִי; cf. v 5).