אַיֵּה45 H0346
where? — an interrogative adverb asking about location, often with rhetorical or accusatory force
Ayyeh is the emphatic Hebrew interrogative 'where?', a lengthened form of the simpler 'ay. Unlike 'eyfoh, which typically accompanies a verb, ayyeh stands on its own to demand the whereabouts of a person or thing — and frequently expects the devastating answer 'nowhere.' Its 47 occurrences cluster in two striking patterns: the intimate domestic question ('Where is Sarah your wife?,' Gen 18:9; 'Where is the lamb?,' Gen 22:7) and the prophetic taunt that challenges idols and false securities ('Where are your gods that you made?,' Jer 2:28; 'Where is their God?,' Ps 79:10; Joel 2:17). This rhetorical weaponry gives ayyeh a cutting edge that mere locative inquiry cannot capture. The translations converge precisely: Spanish 'donde,' French 'ou,' German 'wo.'
Senses
1. where? (interrogative of location) — An interrogative adverb of place used in direct questions about the location or whereabouts of persons and things, frequently carrying rhetorical or accusatory force. Appears in genuine inquiries (Gen 18:9 'Where is Sarah?'; Gen 22:7 'Where is the lamb?'), in prophetic challenges that mock absent gods (Jer 2:28; Ps 115:2; Joel 2:17 'Where is their God?'), and in existential cries that imply the answer is 'nowhere' (Isa 33:18; Job 15:23). The particle never takes a verb directly, distinguishing it syntactically from 'eyfoh. All 47 uses share this single locative-interrogative function, with rhetorical coloring determined by context rather than by lexical distinction. 47×
AR["أَينَ-", "أَيْنَ"]·ben["কোথায়"]·DE["wo", "wo-ist"]·EN["Where", "where", "where-is"]·FR["où", "où?"]·heb["איה", "אייה"]·HI["कहन", "कहाँ", "कहाँ-है", "कहां"]·ID["Di-mana", "Di-manakah", "di-mana", "di-manakah"]·IT["dove"]·jav["Ing-pundi", "Wonten-pundi", "pundi", "wonten-ing-pundi", "wonten-pundi", "wonten-pundi-"]·KO["어디", "어디-에", "어디에", "어디에-있느냐"]·PT["Onde", "Onde-está", "Onde-estão", "onde", "onde-está"]·RU["Где", "где", "где-"]·ES["Dónde-está", "dónde", "¿Dónde", "¿dónde?"]·SW["Wako-wapi", "Yuko-wapi", "Ziko-wapi", "iko-wapi", "uko-wapi", "wako-wapi", "wapi", "yuko-wapi"]·TR["Nerede", "nerede", "nerede-"]·urd["کہاں", "کہاں ہے", "کہاں-ہیں", "کہاں-ہے"]
Gen 18:9, Gen 19:5, Gen 22:7, Gen 38:21, Exod 2:20, Judg 6:13, Judg 9:38, 2 Sam 16:3, 2 Sam 17:20, 2 Kgs 2:14, 2 Kgs 18:34, 2 Kgs 18:34 (+35 more)
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אַיֵּה45 (lengthened from אַי, cf. הֵן & הִנֵּה) interr.adv. Where? Gn 18:9; 19:5; 22:7; the most gen. term expressing this idea, used of both persons & things (but never with a verb [contrast אֵיפֹה]); often in poet. or elevated style, where the answer nowhere is expected, Is 33:18; 36:19; 51:13 Je 2:28 (cf. Dt 32:37 אֵי) 17:15; 37:19, Jb 15:23 he wandereth abroad for bread אַיֵּה (saying Where…