אָן H0575
where, whither (interrogative); how long (temporal interrogative); anywhere, hither and thither (indefinite); [ketiv variant]
3. anywhere, hither and thither (indefinite) — Indefinite locative adverb meaning 'anywhere' or 'hither and thither', used in the repeated pair אָנֶה וָאָנָה 'to one place or another'. Found in 1 Kgs 2:36, 2:42, 2 Kgs 5:25. Glosses confirm indefinite spatial meaning: eng 'anywhere / or anywhere', hin कहीं, spa 'adonde y adonde'. Distinct from the simple interrogative use by its indefinite, non-question function. 6×
AR["إِلَى-أَيَّ","مَكَانٍ","هُنَا","وَهُنَاكَ"]·ben["এবং-কোথাও","এবং-কোথাও।","কোথাও"]·DE["anywhere","oder-anywhere"]·EN["anywhere","or-anywhere"]·FR["anywhere","ou-anywhere"]·heb["אנה","ו-אנה"]·HI["और-कहीं","कहीं","भी"]·ID["dan-ke-mana-pun","ke-mana","ke-mana-pun","pun"]·IT["dovunque","o-dovunque"]·jav["ing-ngèndi","lan-ing-ngèndi","punapa-pundia","pundia"]·KO["그리고-어디","그리고-어디로","어디","어디로"]·PT["e-para-lá","para-cá"]·RU["и-сюда","куда","либо","туда"]·ES["a-ningún-lado","adonde","ni-a-ningún-lado","y-adonde"]·SW["huko","huku","kwamba","na-huku","ujue","wala-huko"]·TR["herhangi-bir-yere","nereye","ve-herhangi-bir-yere","ve-nereye"]·urd["اور-کہیں","بھی","کہیں"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. where, whither (interrogative) — Interrogative adverb of place meaning 'where?' or 'whither?' (to what place?), used in direct questions about location or direction. Contracted from אַיִן. Attested in Gen 16:8 (angel to Hagar: 'where are you going?'), Gen 37:30, Josh 2:5, Judg 19:17, 2 Sam 2:1, Ps 139:7, Song 6:1. Multilingual glosses consistently render as spatial interrogative: arb أَيْنَ, deu 'wohin/wo', spa 'adónde', kor 어디로. Includes the indefinite extension 'wherever' in Ezek 21:16. 21×
AR["أينَ","أَنَه","أَينَ","أَيْنَ","إلى-أيْنَ","إِلَى-أَيْنَ","وَ-أَيْنَ","وَ-إِلَى-أَيْنَ","وَأَيْنَ"]·ben["আর-কোথায়","এবং-কোথায়","ও-কোথায়","কোথায়"]·DE["[אנה]","[ואנה]","und-wo","und-wohin","wo","wohin"]·EN["Where","and-where","where"]·FR["Où","[אנה]","[ואנה]","et-où","je","où"]·heb["אָן","אנה","ו-אנה","לאן"]·HI["आनाह","और-कहन","और-कहाँ","और-कहां","कहाँ","कहां"]·ID["Ke-mana","dan-di-mana","dan-ke-mana","ke-mana"]·IT["[אנה]","[ואנה]","dove","e-dove","io"]·jav["Dhateng-pundi","dhateng-pundi","ing-pundi","lan-dhateng-pundi","lan-ing-pundi","lan-wonten-pundi","pundi"]·KO["그리고-어디-로","그리고-어디로","그리고-어디서","어디-로","어디-에","어디로"]·PT["Para-onde","aonde","e-aonde","e-onde","e-para-onde","para-onde","¶ Para-onde"]·RU["Куда","и-где","и-куда","куда"]·ES["A-dónde","a-dónde","adónde","y-a-dónde","y-adónde","y-dónde","¿A-dónde","¿Dónde"]·SW["Unaenda-wapi","Wapi","kutoka","na-unakwenda-wapi","na-wapi","unakwenda-wapi","wanaikipeleka-wapi","wapi"]·TR["Nereye","nereye","ve-nerede","ve-nereye"]·urd["اور-کدھر","اور-کہاں","کہاں"]
Gen 16:8, Gen 32:17, Gen 37:30, Deut 1:28, Josh 2:5, Judg 19:17, Ruth 2:19, 1 Sam 10:14, 2 Sam 2:1, 2 Sam 13:13, 2 Kgs 6:6, Neh 2:16 (+9 more)
2. how long (temporal interrogative) — Temporal-interrogative adverb meaning 'how long?' or 'until when?', expressing exasperation or lament over duration. Used in Exod 16:28, Num 14:11 (repeated אָנָה אָנָה), Josh 18:3, Job 8:2, 18:2, 19:2, Ps 13:1-2 (four-fold repetition), Ps 62:3, Jer 47:6, Hab 1:2. Multilingual evidence clearly distinguishes from spatial sense: arb مَتَى, hin कब/कब–तक, kor 언제/언제까지, spa 'cuándo'. The French and German glosses occasionally blur with spatial 'où/wohin', but the overwhelming pattern is temporal. 14×
AR["أَنا","أَنتُم","مَتى","مَتَى"]·ben["কতকাল","কতক্ষণ","কতদিন","কোথায়","দীর্ঘকাল","পর্যন্ত"]·DE["[אנה]","als","wann","wohin"]·EN["when"]·FR["[אנה]","je","où","où?","quand"]·heb["אן","אנה"]·HI["कब","कब-तक","कहाँ","कहां-तक","तुम-रखोगे"]·ID["kapan","kapan,"]·IT["[אנה]","dove","io","quando"]·jav["kapan","ngantos-pundhi","pinten-dangu","pinten-dangunipun","pundi"]·KO["어디-까지","언제","언제까지","언제까지-"]·PT["investireis","quando"]·RU["ЙХВХ","вы","доколе","каких-пор","когда","куда"]·ES["cuándo","¿cuándo?"]·SW["lini"]·TR["ne-kadar","ne-zaman","ne-zamana-kadar"]·urd["اے","کب","کَب","کہاں-تک"]
4. [ketiv variant] — Ketiv reading [מאן] at 2 Kgs 5:25, a textual variant with prepositional מ prefixed to the interrogative אן, meaning 'from where?'. The qere reads differently. Glosses show arb مِنْ–أَيْنَ 'from where?', hin [कहाँ–से]. Single attestation as a scribal variant notation rather than a distinct lexical sense. 1×
AR["مِنْ-أَيْنَ"]·ben["কোথা-থেকে"]·DE["[ketiv]"]·EN["[ketiv]"]·FR["[ketiv]"]·heb["[מאן]"]·HI["[कहाँ-से]"]·ID["(ketiv)"]·IT["[ketiv]"]·jav["·"]·KO["(변형)"]·PT["[de-onde]"]·RU["откуда"]·ES["(kethiv)"]·SW["[k]"]·TR["nereden"]·urd["کہاں-سے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אָן adv. (contracted from I. אַיִן) where? or whither? 1 S 10:14 (cf. 27:10 𝔖 𝔗, v. sub אַל ad fin.); only besides in †מֵאָן whence? 2 K 5:25 Kt (Qr מֵאַיִן); †עַד־אָן of time to what point? how long? Jb 8:2. With ה locale: אָ֫נָה (a) whither? Gn 16:8; 32:18 2 S 2:1; 13:13 2 K 6:6 ψ 139:7(×2) + 9 textual; in indirect sentence Jos 2:5 Ne 2:16; (b) pregnantly †Ru 2:19 Is 10:3; (c) in the phrase…